Mobile Websites

by Danetta Smith

As mobile web browsing and the number of smart phones in the market increases, it is important for your business to start thinking of how your company is viewed on mobile phones and not just on computers. Going mobile may not be completely necessary at this point, but it should not be overlooked.

Design

Mobile websites function just like regular websites; however the setup is completely different. It is important to keep your layout/design simple as the screen size is not very big. It is suggested to use a single column layout for mobile websites. Anything that is clickable on your mobile website should be big enough for a fingertip. You don't want the user getting frustrated because they cannot click on what they want.

Content

Only include the most important information on your mobile website. With mobile layouts being smaller in space, it becomes hard to read when there is a lot of information. Also, more information on your mobile site means that the viewer has to use more of their bandwidth. Since you are not including all of your information on your mobile website, make sure to have a visible link on every page that takes the user to your full website.

Images

Keep the number of images and their size to a minimum. With the cost of mobile web browsing and data caps affecting most users' experience, you want to ensure that you are getting the viewer the information they want faster without using all of their bandwidth.

Video/Audio

Just like images, video and audio on mobile websites are okay to use but only in moderation. Again, make sure that the file size is as small as possible so that your site is not using too much bandwidth. Do not automatically play video/audio on mobile websites; make sure it is requested first. Also, check out the formats that you want to use before implementing them into your mobile website. Flash and other formats are not compatible on some devices.



If you find that Mobile Websites is something that your company would like to know more about, feel free to contact Central States Media at info@centralstatesmedia.com or on the phone at (309) 693-2345.