Making Websites Go Mobile
How to Create Mobile Websites that Encourage Customer Engagement
With advancements in technology, more and more people now own advanced mobile phones, or smartphones, that allow them to browse the Internet while on the go. Many people are attracted with the notion of watching a movie on their phones while commuting, or reading ebooks while waiting for their turn on the dentist’s chair. They want to take pictures and post them immediately on their social networking accounts. Convenience is today’s catchphrase as people look for restaurants to dine in from Google Places, recommend a retail store through Foursquare, or upload a picture of a product they like on Instagram.
Entrepreneurs, especially those with high-traffic websites, are encouraged to develop websites that will allow users to access site content on their mobile phones. Businesses without mobile websites take the risk of getting left behind in the current trends that are slowly gaining precedence over traditional desktop websites. A business that only has a desktop website will miss out on the extra traffic brought on by mobile phones.
Engage more customers with mobile websites that allow excellent browsing experience. Optimize your website for better viewing on cellular phones. This will put you in closer proximity to customers who are near your store’s physical location. Smartphones provide GPS data for mobile users to easily locate businesses in the same street or community. As people like their stores to be handily nearby, they will naturally go to those stores which will lessen their travel time. Location-targeted campaigns will fare much better with this feature and allow you to get in touch with local customers.
Ads with QR codes, or special bar codes, allow users to scan them with their mobile phone cameras. With the help of a QR code reader application, mobile phone users can decode the QR code, which can either turn out to be a text message or a mobile web page. This will provide more information for users who want to learn more about the content of a printed advertisement. QR codes can be used for marketing and promotion purposes on conferences, business cards, brochures and more.
How do you create mobile websites that will attract more viewers interested in becoming customers? According to Lakshmi Harikumar, here are the methods that will provide an optimal mobile website:
1. Keep your mobile website simple.
Mobile users are more concerned about relevant content. Make your website content straight-to-the-point so viewers can immediately find what they’re looking for. Include contact information like phone numbers, addresses and maps to help users locate your store’s physical location. Provide descriptions short, concise, and creative enough to attract your audience. Include a link to your desktop website to allow users to access more information about your business when they browse the web using their computer.
Here’s an example of two simple mobile website layouts fromm.time.com and m.howstuffworks.com:
2. Make page loading time a priority.
Users leave a website once it lags for more than 20 seconds. Avoid using complicated animation graphics and use HTML5 features instead. This will make your mobile website load within10 seconds, and ensure more user-friendly experiences that will encourage your users to browse more.
3. Scratch complex graphics from mobile website creation.
Complex graphics that use Java and Flash-based features take a large amount of time for a smartphone to load. Use simple graphics to creatively enhance the visual appeal of your website. Configure your photos to automatically resize when viewed from different screens.
4. Make your mobile website ‘touch-able.’
Touch-screen phones are popular nowadays. Make your website easy to navigate using the tip of your finger. This will increase user satisfaction with your website and encourage more engagement.
See how mobile.iwantthatflight.com.au is organized? There are tabs to click with your fingertips. Whatever tab you click will lead to a partially filled web page you can edit to encode your own information. This results to easier and faster content control for users.
5. Every mobile device should be able to view your site.
Before releasing the mobile version of your website, make sure it is viewable for all smartphone and mobile phone brands, whether iPhone, BlackBerry, Samsung or LG. It should also be compatible for all mobile screen browsers and operating systems to ensure that your mobile marketing campaign is fully maximized.
6. Use automatic detection for mobile phone users.
When people surf the mobile net, they type in the desktop website URL. Make it possible for your website to routinely detect mobile browsers to immediately redirect these users to the mobile site. This will further improve ease of use, and make your website more navigable.
7. Monitor your mobile website for analytics data.
Analyze the effectiveness of your mobile website in engaging customers with Google Analytics. Set a different analytics record to view results independent from the desktop website traffic. This will help you gauge whether your website is efficient enough to attract visitors and share your content.
References:
HSWSolutions.com link on Advantages of Mobile Web Development
HSWSolutions.com link on QR Code Marketing
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