It’s a mobile world, and you need a mobile website. No more procrastinating…the time has come. If you are still reluctant to invest in upgrading your website consider this: 56% of internet traffic is mobile and this number is projected to grow. That’s more than half! With the growing popularity of various tablets and smartphones of varying screen sizes, a site that is responsive to the size of the user’s screen is critical in the ease-of-use and navigation of your website.
On The Go World = Mobile Customers
Your customers are constantly on the go and they want to use technology that matches their busy lifestyle. Consider this as you think about your business projections for the next year: Statista.com reports in 2017, figures suggest that more than 63.4 percent of mobile phone users will access online content through their devices. Online users love their freedom and they want to connect with your business, as long as it’s mobile.
When it comes to creating a mobile website, many business owners may be concerned about the investment and time involved in the project. Good news is, we don’t live in the world of web design and development that existed 10 years ago where you might have to maintain two different websites, one for desktop and one for mobile devices. At Geek Town USA, our websites are already developed to be mobile friendly and responsive. That website is optimized for every screen size.
In today’s post, we break down the advantages and disadvantages of today’s mobile friendly web design. By looking at the project from various angles we can address every need, allowing the whole project to run efficiently.
Responsive Design
Let’s break down the “whats” and “whys” for a moment. A responsive design means your website automatically changes its size and content display to fit appropriately on your user’s screen. So whether they’re using a laptop, tablet, or phone, everyone sees the same website optimized for their screen size.
Advantages to a responsive website design approach include:
- Single site for all devices
- No mobile URL or web address to promote
- Less maintenance and cost
- Single Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategic approach
Challenges to address during responsive web design planning:
- Unnecessary loading of all content
- Longer load times for mobile
- Resizing challenges created by some content
- Development time can be substantially longer
- Inability to create mobile exclusive content
Mobile Web Design
Another option is to create an exclusively mobile web design. This type of website is created when your mobile web design company creates a separate website specifically for mobile customers. Digital marketers tend to like the mobile website option better as you have the power to create mobile exclusive content and specifically target a niche audience.
While the site may host a majority of the same content that is on your full site, the mobile version may have smaller images, offers specific to the mobile users – think digital coupons or lunch special ads – and have a faster load time.
Advantages to a mobile web design:
- Ability to create specially selected content
- Design easier to navigate
- Faster load times
- Mobile metrics for business planning
- Easier to test / troubleshoot
Challenges to consider in mobile web design:
- Difficult to bookmark
- Update/maintain two websites
- Need for mobile SEO strategy
- Design challenge with many device screen sizes
- Multiple URLs to market
Mobile Web Design Company
To determine what type of website is right for your business, take a look at your long term strategic plan. Are you focusing your business on customers on the go? Do you want to be able to reach people through text alerts, your company app, or social media?
Here’s the bottom line: If you’re not meeting the customer where they are, your competition is. Developing a mobile friendly website is not a “when” question. It should be a “how.” Your customers are on the go and they want the convenience and ease of a product that matches their lifestyle.
Contact us today at Geek Town USA to go over your plan and your needs. We will come up with a website design and development plan, a timeline, and budget that meets the goals of your company.