Mobile browsing is on track to eclipse desktop browsing by 2014. “Ultimately, every business small or large will need to have a mobile website or mobile presence,†says Sean Fields, co-owner of Comtactics, a mobile app, QR code, and site design firm. Here’s how you can change your desktop website to give mobile visitors a rewarding experience.
1. Build a multiplatform mobile website. Not every business needs an app, says Fields and his wife/business partner Shawntay. The Fields believe that the future of the mobile Web is likely to be dominated by cross-platform, browser-based mobile websites rather than apps built specifically for one operating system. Your mobile website should be accessible to visitors using the top five operating systems: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, and Windows.
2. Redirect traffic to your mobile site. Include coding on your website that automatically identifies mobile users and escorts them to the mobile version of the site. This will prevent you from needing to update multiple domain names, and users can still go to your main URL on their mobile phones and get access to important information. Sites on WordPress can add a plug in like the dotMobi WordPress Mobile Pack or WPTouch Pro by BraveNewCode that will redirect traffic.
3. Stick with the basics. “The content should be scaled down,†says Shawntay. Don’t try to fit all of the same info from your desktop website, but do collect contact info from your visitors and give them a way to contact you. Make it possible for people to sign up for newsletters, send you an e-mail, or “Like†you on Facebook and Twitter.