Time to Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly?

Time to Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly?


By Entrepreneur.com
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10/16/2007 7:59 AM EDT


A few weeks ago, New Yorkers -- myself included -- experienced some severe thunderstorms, as happens to most of us from time to time. The result of a lot of rain is that often our transit systems break down, leaving riders frustrated, late and at times downright angry. While I was waiting for the train during one of these extended delays I used my new smartphone to check out the schedule of the local commuter bus company.



Until recently I had been using a basic cell phone combined with a PDA. But I got tired of carrying two devices and decided to purchase a Motorola (MOT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) Q instead.

I'm not alone in this transition. Millions of consumers and business professionals are ditching their basic cell phones in favor of more advanced cell phones and smartphones that combine the functions of a PDA, cell phone and Web browser. In November 2006, Arizona technology research company In-Stat said that smartphone unit sales almost tripled from 2004 to 2005, and increased by 50% in the first half of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005. Mobile internet access is going to continue growing.


What It Means for Your Business
It's time to consider updating your Web site and making it compatible for mobile Web browsers.
Say you're a florist. With your current Web site, you probably have big, bold and beautiful pictures. Maybe a video on the front page of your Web site gives your customers a weekly tip on arranging flowers for an office environment. After a few seconds a pop-up window displays, encouraging visitors to sign up for your monthly floral e-newsletter. Your Web site works well for your corporate customers accessing it from their high-speed telecommunication lines.

But the corporate event planner who typically accesses your Web site via his computer at work might need to access it in a taxi cab using his new cell phone or smartphone with Internet-enabled connectivity. Or maybe a soon-to-be bride wants to share your flower selections with her mom while she's standing in line at a mall.

Is your Web site ready for these "new" customers wanting to access it in a mobile environment?

If it's not ready, now's the time to consider who your audience is and how they access your site. Work with your technology professional to analyze your traffic logs and see what types of browsers are accessing your site. Do you see mobile traffic? Take the time to poll some of your customers about the likelihood of them accessing your Web site and others on their smartphones. Once you've decided a mobile site is right for you, it's time to create one.


How to Create a Mobile-Optimized Site
If you have a very large Web site with thousands of pages, it might not be necessary to configure your entire site for mobile access. I would guess that many of your mobile customers visit your Web site for a specific purpose -- perhaps to check on orders or search your inventory. Find out what they want from your site and work from there.