Today’s guest post is by Whitney Adams.
Over the years, smartphones and tablets have changed how people shop, bank, chat with friends and family, and surf the web.
There are about 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide, which accounts for eight percent of website hits globally.
In the United States, mobile web users make up about 25 percent of Internet users.
These numbers are very significant, but there are plenty of companies that don’t think they need a mobile version of their website.
Companies that use their websites to inform their customers about business news, to sell products, or even simply have a blog, should seriously consider making their online content mobile.
Most companies (and web developers) work hard to create desktop websites that are visually appealing and easy to navigate. They understand that users want sites to look professional and trustworthy, and be simple to use.
Go Mobile
Well, the same concept goes for mobile sites. Mobile users are less likely to stay on a website that isn’t optimized for their device. It is too difficult to read, click on links, or navigate menus. Traditional desktop websites normally have menus, pictures, logos, and ads that can take a while to load on a mobile device. Mobile users aren’t going to want to sit and wait for your site to load. By developing a version of your site that is mobile-friendly, mobile users will be more inclined to stick around.
By optimizing your content for mobile users, you can cut down on the time it takes for them to open your web page. Something else that can change the download speed is reducing the bandwidth of your website. Scaling the bandwidth of your site lets mobile users with slow networks load the site a little faster.
Testing, Testing
When you are creating the mobile version of your site, there are a few things to keep in mind.
You need to create code that will recognize what type of device the user is on. Once it recognizes a mobile user, it can redirect them to the mobile version of your site. However, you should always include a link to the full desktop version of your site just in case there is a glitch with the mobile version.
Always test the site on several different devices so you can see if the site works on each device. Remember that if you have Flash or something similar, there are several devices, like the iPhone or iPad that don’t use Flash.
Track Returns
Many companies that have decided to create a mobile site have found it to be beneficial, and can easily see the results using Google analytics. Simply go to the mobile tab and you can see how many mobile users access your site, how long they stay on the page, and how many click off. You can even see the types of devices that access it, whether Apple or Android.
In Google analytics you can also see the ecommerce for your site. In the ecommerce section you can see what purchases have been made, for how much, and what device the purchase was made on. By linking your site, and your mobile site to Google analytics, you can quickly see what changes you can make to attract more users and customers.
Creating mobile content can be very helpful to businesses and companies. It is predicted that by 2015, mobile Internet users will have surpassed the number of wired or desktop users. This means that creating mobile content will be crucial in the future. A mobile website can open your business up to more customers, followers, and users.
By looking at your SEO traffic and Google analytics you can easily decide if creating a mobile version of your site will be useful for your business. Do your research to decide what type of layout and content you need, and what attracts users the most. Mobile content and sites are just as important as traditional sites.
Whitney Adams is a freelance writer for AndGeeks.com. When she’s not online or surfing Pinterest, Whitney and her camera enjoy taking walks around her quaint home town and exploring the antique markets.