877-490-8324It’s hard to believe for some, but experts predict that mobile will overtake desktop PC usage by consumers in the next 24-36 months. Whether they use a smartphone or a tablet PC, consumers are making it clear that they want to be able to take their browsing experience with them on their terms.
Statistically, here’s what we know for certain:
- Blackberry®, Android® phones, and Iphones® make up the largest share of the market, with 83% of ownership.
- 77% of tablet owners use their device every day and spend an average of 90 minutes using it.
- 51% of smartphone users get information about local businesses, restaurants, bars and clubs from the internet.
- 54% of tablet owners use their device to receive email.
What does this mean for you, the business owner?
It means that you need to have a two-tiered approach for your business’s online web presence.
First, you need to continue to present an effective, response driven web site for desktop users. This isn’t going away anytime soon.
Secondly, you need to make sure that your business also has a mobile version of your web site that is designed SPECIFICALLY for the mobile experience.
Let me explain…
Your regular desktop version of your web site is still visible on smartphones and tablets if you don’t have a mobile version. However, its not a very comfortable experience for the end user. They have to zoom in and out of each page as well as scroll excessively to find what they want. It can be frustrating.
Plus, for some of you, you won’t want to put a “full” version of your regular web site on the mobile version. Many times, the information you’ll present is much more brief and geared towards taking a quick, measureable action such as making a phone call or clicking a link to get directions. You’ll want to keep the text brief and in many times, in bullet format. We know that mobile users browse web sites differently than desktop users. They want quick information that they can act on.
How do the two versions work together?
Simple. The main directory of your web site is coded with scripts that recognize and can tell the difference between a request from a PC and a request from a mobile device. The server then returns the version to them that they requested only, in proper format.
How does search fit in?
You’ll still want to have your mobile site and PC version tagged in similar format for the search engines. Remember, your customer base is still the same. Only the “vehicle” by which they find you is different.
What are the costs to build, host, and update?
The good news is that since these versions of your web site are generally smaller than the full size, PC version, the costs to develop are lower. Hosting costs are minimally more as well. Updating costs are generally the same because an hour of development time is an hour of development time, regardless. However, for some of you running content management systems such as WordPress®, these mobile versions can be implemented into your WordPress® admin panel as a separate dashboard. This will allow you or your web developer to easily update these mobile pages and keep the two sites in sync with one another.
Want to know more?
If you’re open to some new ideas for your mobile web presence, we’re here to help.
Click here to schedule a confidential consultation.
To your success!
Ben Vaughn
Sr. Online Business Strategist
AutoWeb Technologies