Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Is your website optimized for smart phones?

So many people today are browsing the internet on smart phones. Even if you don't use one, there are a lot of people out there visiting your website on their phone. In this article we will talk about a great way to optimize your website for smart phones.

Mobile Only Website

The best way to optimize for smart phones is to create a mobile only website. If you don't use a smart phone, you probably haven't seen a mobile only website before.

Example: If you go to www.bestbuy.com on a smart phone you see a completely different website than if you go to www.bestbuy.com on a regular computer.

Why is this? Best Buy has created a "mobile only" version of their website. The website can detect if the user is on a smart phone, and when that happens, they direct them to the mobile only version.

What are some features of mobile only versions?
  • Smaller
  • Fast loading
  • Fewer pictures and graphics
  • Only displays the most important information
  • Contact info and directions very prominent
  • Link back to the full version of website (for users who just really want to see the regular website)
What if I don't have a mobile only version?

Most likely, your website is still accessible to a smart phone. It just won't be quite as easy for them to use your website, and there may be errors. There are a few things that you may have on your website that may cause problems for mobile users:
  • Flash
  • Errors in CSS or HTML
  • Very wide design
  • Frames
  • Nested tables
How to test your website

Here's a link to a mobile simulator - www.opera.com/mobile/demo. If you go there, you can enter in a website address to see how it will look like on the Opera browser for smart phones. For testing purposes, try entering in our website, www.freshlookwebdesign.com. You should get forwarded to our mobile only version.

Most people we talk to are not familiar with the idea of having a mobile only version of their website. However it's a very nice, inexpensive feature to have. If you don't add it now, then it will just become even more important to do so in the coming years as more people get smart phones. We expect it will eventually become standard for every website to have a mobile only version.

Have a question? Call or email at 757-646-7908 or info@freshlookwebdesign.com.