Reach in your pocket, and grab your phone. Can you use it to check the weather? Can you get email on it? Can surf the web? I suppose if you’re reading this blog, you will have answered “Yes!” to all questions.
You have an internet- enabled mobile phone. In fact, it is estimated that there will be 1.82 billion smart phones, or internet-enabled mobile devices, by 2013.
Garnering sales and increasing your bottom line are concerns of all entrepreneurs, no matter your business niche. If you are keeping up with the times, is your company doing the same? As the trend toward accessibility and all-things- mobile continues, more and more businesses are finding it necessary to update their websites to be mobile-friendly. What does this mean? You mean if I have a website, it’s not already mobile friendly? Yes, friend. That’s what I mean.
Traditional websites are designed for viewing on a computer screen: much larger than that device in your pocket. If you try to view a website on your mobile phone that has not been optimized for mobile use, you are bound to experience frustrations. You will either have to wait an exorbitant amount of time for downloading (if it will download at all), or you will find yourself having to scroll in all directions to get the information you seek.
The needs and behavior of a mobile surfer differs greatly from an Internet surfer. Think of it this way: What do you do when you try to access a website that takes too long or gives you this unpleasant readability? You exit. Abort. Close. Just as your potential clients will do if your business site isn’t “mobilized.” In order for you to reach your customers, you simply cannot afford to neglect this marketing strategy.
In this article, we’ll look at four reasons why your business must have a mobile website: 1) Affordability, 2) Portability and Convenience, 3) Mobile Search, and 4) Localization.
Affordability
Any business, no matter the type, is concerned about the bottom line. Less out, more in= profits. This is especially true in advertising. Having a website that is mobile-friendly can exponentially increase the number of potential customers who are exposed to your business without spending a bunch of extra money on publicity.
Portability and Convenience
While computers are getting smaller, and most laptops are the size of a spiral notebook, they still cannot beat the portability of a mobile phone. I love my laptop, but I cannot put is in my pocket or messenger bag with the ease that I can my phone. Mobile phones are just that: mobile. Designed to be taken anywhere (some even underwater!), mobile phones are being used more and more for surfing the web. Even at home, it’s easier to check on something by reaching in your pocket than it is to look it up on the computer that is inevitably in the other room. Businesses that have mobile-friendly sites are noticed easily and can maintain a presence over their counter-parts with ordinary sites.
Mobile Search
Search engines, such as Google or Yahoo!, come standard on most smart phones. If your business has a site, you’ve most likely done the work to make it “searchable.” But, what good is your site if potential customers find it but cannot view it? Or, if in the viewing, they become annoyed with accessing the information? Your business then gives the impression that your site isn’t top-notch; could the same be thought of your product or service? Brand perception and brand-liking is everything.
Localization
Mobile websites are limited in terms of space, therefore you must be selective about the information you choose to include. Most people, when searching a business on the web, want basic information. Where are you located? How can I contact you? What products or services do you provide? Single out the three main reasons to visit your site, and have them visible without any scrolling necessary. Keeping the site simple helps provide your local site visitors with the information they need to connect with you. It is important to make sure you are selective in the choice of information for your mobile site.
