11 Jan Mobile-Friendly or Say Goodbye

Is your website mobile-friendly? Do you still think that technology is not worth the extra effort? Not necessary?

With the increase in smartphone owners, iPads, Tablets, Nooks and so on, companies will have to make sure their website can be accessed through these devices.  If your company has an outdated website that depends of flash technology, complicated fonts, or long loading times you can expect people to abandon it quicker than you can say www.

People often access their favorite websites from their smartphone or tablet while at work, in the airport, waiting at the doctor’s office, the bank, or just about anywhere else they find themselves having a moment of downtime. If they can’t access your business information, your company loses out.

What’s Important in a Mobile Site?

Creating a mobile version of your site doesn’t have to be painful or expensive. In fact it’s typically a smaller version of your existing website with a more simplistic design. The important thing is to identify the key actions you want your customers to take when accessing your mobile site.

Here are some basic tips:

Screens are smaller, which means the fonts are smaller. Eliminate non-essential copy.

People are not going to fill out long contact forms using their phone, especially with coffee in one hand or while driving. If you must have a form, keep it simple: name and email only.

Phones will never be as fast as laptops. Try to limit the size of files and images on your mobile site to minimize loading time.

All numbers should use this simple code that will initiate a call when your customer clicks (or touches) on the phone number on your mobile site. No one will make the extra step of writing down or memorizing your number and then dialing it manually. It’s 2012!

Most smart phones are equipped with GPS technology. Make sure your location is “findable” to mobile searchers.

All in all remember: when creating your mobile presence, simpler is better. Reduce the content and file size, limit the amount of typing your customer is required to perform, and take advantage of smart phone capabilities by adding click to talk numbers and location finders.

Is your site mobile-friendly? Has it affected your business in a positive way?