Mobile-Friendly Web Sites

Increasingly, users are connecting to the Internet through mobile devices, such as the:

• Apple iPhone or iTouch
• Blackberry
• Palm Pre
• Internet enabled Cell phones

In 2008, users who connected to the Internet via their handheld device on a regular basis (at least once per week) grew by 48% (Zogby Poll, Dec. 2008). That figure is sure to rise as more users rely on their small, mobile devices to connect to the Internet while they’re on the go.

If you are a business owner with a Web Site, you can’t afford to ignore these users. It’s important that your Web Site is formatted in a way that it appears attractively and legibly on the small screens of these devices. You need a Mobile-Friendly Web Site.

What will my Site look like if I don’t have a Mobile-Friendly alternative?
If your Web Developer has not built your Web Site in a Mobile-Friendly manner, your Site will appear bunched up or even worse - broken - on a handheld device like a Blackberry or iPhone. If users can see your Site at all, they will have to increase the size of the font, scroll through meaningless information, and grow frustrated with the navigational hurdles that a regular Web Site presents when it’s displayed on a tiny screen.

In a Mobile-Friendly Web Site, the navigational menu is stripped down so it appears large and easy to read on cell phones and other hand held devices. The most important content (contact info, maps, and latest news, for example) is displayed in a font that can be read easily, and links are provided to deeper content. News articles are formatted so they fit within the constraints of a smaller screen, or chunked up so they can be scrolled through on the mobile device. In most cases, photos are not displayed, so the user gets the info they need quickly without any distractions or slow load times. There are many strategies that go into building a Mobile-Friendly Web Site, and we understand them all.

Why a Mobile-Friendly Web Site is Critical for your Online Success
At Boone Digital, we’ve been building Mobile-Friendly Web Sites for our clients for years. We believe every Web Site needs to be Mobile-Friendly. Here’s a list of some of the reasons that you need a Site that renders well on mobile devices:

• If you are a retail shop that relies on foot traffic, customers need to find your location. A Google Map on your Mobile-Friendly Web Site will allow those users to seek you out.
• As a retail location, you’ll want your potential customers to see your specials or inventory categories on your Mobile-Friendly Web Site so they can quickly make buying decisions when they’re mobile.
• If you sell a product online that is an impulse buy, special occasion buy, or frequent repeat customer experience (flowers, catering, tickets, books), you want to have your products or services available in a Mobile-Friendly fashion.
• If you are a business with a Wi-Fi Hotspot, potential customers are eager to find your Wi-Fi Hotspot and connect to the Internet, so you need a Mobile-Friendly Web Site that tells them how to get there.
• If you want to ensure that no matter what device your Web visitor is using, they will see an attractive Web Site that represents your company or organization well, and you want to stand out from your competitors.

I’m happy with my existing Web Site, what can be done to make it Mobile-Friendly?
If you like your current Web Site and don’t need new development or design there, we can still build a Mobile-Friendly Web Site that your users see when they access your Site via a mobile device. In this instance, we check what device your Web visitors are using prior to rendering your home page, and if they are on a mobile device, they will be directed to your Mobile-Friendly home page. The content you create on your regular Web Site is mirrored on the Mobile-Friendly Web Site we build, so there’s no need for you to manage two sites.

Convinced that you need a Mobile-Ready Web Site?
Contact Boone Digital at 989-600-5392 or fill out our Contact form and we will contact you to discuss your needs.

Changing the Internet one Web Site at a time
In most cases, EVERY WEB SITE we design, has a Mobile-Ready Web Site that accompanies it. So, if you need a new Web Site for your business, we’ve got your mobile needs covered.