With the popularity of the modern mobile web browser, does your business need a mobile web site? More than ever. The digital landscape is changing and more users are viewing the Internet on mobile devices. Depending on the source, it is believed that one in five Americans access the web from their phone every day. The number keeps growing, too. Google believes that 50% of Americans were carrying smart phones at the end of 2011.

“That’s great, Nerdmaster,” you say, “but that still doesn’t explain why I need to invest in a mobile site.”

Crowded on a mobile browser.

The desktop version of your site was designed to be seen on a large screen and navigated with a mouse, not your fingers. Take a moment to visit your website on your mobile right now. Is it easy to navigate and find your way around? How much zooming in did you have to do? How fast did it load? Could you find important information quickly and easily? Try putting yourself in your customer’s shoes so you can see what they see. You want to provide them with a smooth experience so not only will they come back, but also so they will recommend your services to others when asked.

Clean, fast, finger friendly.

An example of how a site will look on a mobile is a great site we just finished: Genesis Systems Group. A mobile site is particularly important if your primary site uses Flash. The most popular mobile devices don’t support Flash, and Adobe themselves will be discontinuing mobile Flash support. A redirect to a mobile site is a quick remedy to that problem, and lays the foundation for a future transition to a HTML5 site. (More about HTML5 in next week’s post.) On a desktop browser, the site flows well and is easy to navigate with drop-down menus and links in side bars. On a mobile, however, things start to get a little squished and hard to read. There will be a lot of pinch zooming and panning around. Not to fear, this is a Nerdwerx design so the transition to mobile was easy. The content was easily displayed in a complimentary mobile design with large branding and touch friendly navigation. Plus, with browser auto detect, it knows when you’ve gone mobile.

Artist's rendition of a Flash site on iOS.

A mobile site is particularly important if your primary site uses Flash. Some of the most popular mobile devices being sold today don’t support Flash, and Adobe themselves will be discontinuing mobile Flash support. A redirect to a mobile site is a quick remedy to that problem, and lays the foundation for a future transition to a HTML5 site. (More about HTML5 in next week’s post.)
Making navigation easy for mobile users drives traffic to your site and if you’re a retailer, traffic is sales potential. Businesses have seen of up to 85% increase in traffic with the addition of a mobile site.

Interested in what mobile can do for you? Contact Nerdwerx today for a free consultation!