How Socialmedia.biz looked on a smartphone before and after it was optimized for mobile.

How does your site look on a smartphone?

Many of you may be thinking, My website displays fine in mobile browsers, even if it is a little small.

What’s the big deal?

Just having a mini version of your existing website is not going to cut it. You need a mobile version of your website that addresses all of the following issues:

Load time

1A website designed for mobile will load in around four or five seconds, while a traditional website can take as long as 40 seconds to load on a mobile device. Not only will this lead to much frustration for your site visitors, but it will also keep your site from placing well in mobile directories.

Mobile directories

2Even if your site displays properly in mobile browsers, it may not be indexed by mobile search algorithms. When one uses a search engine on a mobile device, the search query accesses a separate index maintained for mobile content. If your website is not optimized for mobile search engines, it will not place well in such search results.

Mobile browser standards

3Mobile browsers do not work the same as desktop browsers. They do not render video, Flash, image galleries, and many other software and scripts in the same manner as desktop browsers. Most mobile browsers simply ignore Flash. If your site uses Flash or other proprietary software, it may not load in mobile browsers at all. A mobile version of your website that adheres to mobile standards as set by W3C’s mobile web initiative will solve these issues.

User experience

4As discussed in a previous post, users have different expectations when browsing with mobile devices. Not only are they seeking specific information when they land on your site, but they also expect an experience that is consistent with the device they’re using. If you force users to do the “pinch and pull” in order to read your content or navigate your site, they will probably move on.

Stay tuned as we discuss how you can optimize for the mobile web in 2012!

This excerpt was paraphrased from The Boostrapper’s Guide to the Mobile Web by Deltina Hay. The book will be released in May, but you can request a review copy today. Post originally appeared on Mobile Web Slinger.

Can you see now why your Business NEEDS a mobile website?

Do you know that the content of a mobile website NEEDS to be different than your regular website?

Contact us today at 503-236-3001 (or email us here) for a FREE 15 minute mobile marketing consultation and to receive $100 off a new mobile website (mention Code 24AD to receive discount).