Mobile Websites

Maybe a few years ago, you spent a pretty penny and got yourself a great website.  Why then, would you want to spend money again to make your site “mobile”?  Because you have to. 58% of all US consumers are using smartphones now. To ignore that kind of market segment is just not good business.

But my site shows up on my phone! Just because your site is visible on a mobile device doesn’t mean it is a mobile website. A mobile website optimizes the experience for those smaller screens. That brings me to my first and favorite reason to go mobile:

1. We are All Thumbs

Let’s talk about what makes a website mobile. A true mobile website allows a user to use their thumbs to easily navigate through a website, without “pinching and pulling” to make it work. If your website requires a lot of finger work to get to where you can click something, it is not mobile.

2. People Are Fickle

The majority of people won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website. They also often end up at a competitor’s website after a bad mobile experience. People want what they want now, and if your site can’t deliver it, another will. It’s as simple as that.

3. Cell Phones Are Still Used to Make Phone Calls

Phone calls are so last millennium, right? Well yes and no. Mobile users still use their phones to look up phone numbers and make phone calls. If you don’t have a “click to call” button, your website is not as mobile friendly as you think.  The “click to call” functionality is especially critical when we’re in a hurry. It’s so nice to see a number, touch it, and know that the call is being made instantly.

4. People Use Their Phones to Shop Smarter

More and more, people are using their phones as an assistant of sorts, a way to shop smarter. According to  the Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly six in ten cell owners used their phone inside a physical store for assistance or guidance on a purchasing decision last holiday season.

• 46% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to call a friend or family member for advice about a purchase they were considering.
• 28% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up reviews of a product to help decide if they should purchase it or not.
• 27% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up the price of a product, to see if they could get a better price elsewhere.

5. The Mobile Revolution is Here

According to the same study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project,

“63% of adult cell owners now use their phones to go online, a figure that has doubled since 2009. In addition, 34% of these cell internet users say that they mostly go online using their cell phone. That means that 21% of all adult cell owners now do most of their online browsing using their mobile phone—and not some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer.”

We use our phones for so many different tasks that they have become part of how we connect with businesses, people and the world. We look up phone numbers and locations, coupons, prices, and information. We make reservations. We search for anything and everything. We connect through words, photos, and videos.  Our phones have become the most frequently used tool we reach for when we need to solve a problem.

When your customers look for you, will they have an easy mobile experience? Will they use their thumbs to easily find what they need on your site? Or will they pinch and pull and rotate and squint and click the wrong thing because it”s too small. Will they get frustrated and go elsewhere? I hope not!

Join the mobile revolution.  Contact Wayout Design today to get started!

If you’re thinking of investing in a website for your business, you’re probably overwhelmed by the mobile lingo that is flying around. Mobile website, mobile responsive, mobile friendly…what does it all mean??

Mobile Friendly
Let’s start with “mobile friendly”. This is a broad term term that means a website will display on a mobile device (a smartphone or tablet) in a manner that allows for easy reading and navigation. A mobile friendly website could be both a true “mobile website” or a “mobile responsive” website.

Mobile Website
A true “mobile website” is a website that is developed entirely for mobile devices. When a mobile device tries to access a given website, there is a little piece of code that redirects the device to the mobile version of the site. So, for the business owner, there are two development processes–the traditional website to be served up to computer users, and the mobile website that will be served up to smartphone and tablet users.

Responsive Website
On the other hand a “mobile responsive” website simply resizes itself based on what size screen is accessing it. So during the development process, only one site is designed. This is often a more cost effective option than developing a true mobile website. The one drawback of this option is load time. Mobile websites load up on the screen quickly. Responsive websites can take a little longer since they take large images, meant for a computer screen, and crunch them down to display on a phone. However, the expanded broadband and wifi availability is quickly neutralizing this issue. Not such a big deal these days.

So which way do you go? Mobile or responsive? For most clients, a responsive website is the way to go, particularly if you’re designing or redesigning your website from scratch. If you already have a great traditional website and are not interested in a redesign, a dedicated mobile website might be the right answer for you.

Each situation is a little different, and we’d love to help you sort through your project to see what will work for you. Contact us today!