According to Morgan Stanley, the mobile internet is expected to be twice the size of the desktop internet within the next 5 years and all because of 5 major forces including 3G + social networking + video + VoIP + impressive mobile devices.
In the local market mobile internet usage is growing fast. In fact according to the AIMIA general web browsing via a mobile is on the rise, with 21 per cent of respondents visiting websites from their mobile phones at least once a day.
The level of usage has meant in many respects, that Australian companies are behind the times. Organisations are waiting for the year of the mobile, however with 1 in 5 users browsing daily the time has come to get serious about mobile strategy.
As the site is core to any mobile strategy, this article explores the 6 DONT’s to help you to deliver a successful and usable mobile site.
1. Don’t just mirror your existing site
Building a mobile site is not just about replicating your mobile presence to be suitable for a mobile device. Users will of course be looking to perform core functions that they can do on your site via a desktop however planning a mobile site should begin with defining a user’s needs on the move. By doing so organisations are more likely to provide consumers with a useful mobile experience that meets their audience’s needs.
2: Don’t assume consumers will remember your mobile web address
Despite the fact that mobile is a different challenge for marketers, consumers don’t differentiate between the desktop and the mobile. In the consumers eyes your site is your site and if they want to access this via their phone they will use the same web address that they use to access your site via a desktop. Thus it is important that your site adopts detection software to automatically display your mobile platform when a user is accessing your site from a mobile device rather than try to teach consumers that they need to access your site via m.yoursite or yoursite.com.au/mobile.
3. Don’t just build for iPhone
Many marketers make the mistake of assuming that building a mobile site fit for iPhone is enough. Whilst mobile internet penetration is high on the iPhone, it is not the only device that your audience is potentially using.
4. Don’t engage a traditional web development company
There are so many challenges with mobile; lots of different handsets, many operating systems, and numerous browser types, which makes the process of site development vary different to web design for PCs. Many web development companies are looking to expand into the mobile space, however they do not have enough knowledge of the complexities to be able to build an effective mobile site.
5. Don’t overcomplicate your site
Manoeuvring a mobile site can be tough even on an iPhone. When developing your mobile site, consider the complexities a user is contending with - small screens and small (most often non-QWERTY) keyboards are just the beginning. Also consider that different mobile devices use different keys and functions for navigate. All of these variables make designing a site for mobile very different to a desktop. Thus keep your site simple!
6. Don’t wait
As the economy is back on track, your competitors will make a move in this space. By being first to market your organisation may be able to capture a greater portion of the mobile internet traffic than your competitor.
Got any other tips to help marketers build an effective mobile site? Please share them below
Written By: Teresa Sperti
