A Mobile Website - Do You Need One?

18 May 2011, 8:17 a.m.

It seems like, no matter where you go, there is always someone surfing the internet on their cell phone or other mobile device. Wouldn't it be nice if you could harness the power of this mobile internet sensation and use it to boost your business?

You can!

By creating a mobile website, you can have a streamlined version of your website that specifically caters to mobile users. Mobile websites are designed to load faster for people on the go, and they are designed with smaller screens in mind.

But, how do you know if you really need a mobile website? Start by asking yourself these 4 questions:

How many of your visitors actually come from mobile devices?

The answer to the question can be found easily - if you have Google Analytics installed on your website. Head to the left-hand navigation list and select &lquo;Visitors”. Then, click on &lquo;Mobile”, and then click on &lquo;Mobile Devices”. That's where Google tells you how many of your visitors are coming from cell phones and other mobile devices - and which devices they're coming from. For each device, you will be able to see all of the same information that you normally get from Google Analytics - like the time visitors spent on your site and what each mobile device's bounce rate is.

If you have a ton of visitors coming from mobile devices, it could be a good time to invest in a mobile website. After all, the audience is there.

Or, if your mobile devices' bounce rate is much higher than your bounce rate for other users, it could also be a good time to invest in a mobile website - because your standard site may not look so good on a smaller mobile device.

What does your site actually look like on a mobile device?

This is another easy question to answer. Just grab your cell phone, type in your URL, and see what comes up. A lot of website owners never bother to actually do this, because they assume their website translates just fine to mobile devices. However, that's not always the case. You may be shocked to see how long your site takes to load, how awful the font looks on a smaller screen, or how difficult it is to navigate without a mouse and a giant monitor. If you're annoyed by the site, chances are plenty of other people are, too. And if they're annoyed, they're not sticking around!

Who is your target audience?

If, for example, your website caters to young professionals, you can be sure that most of them have some sort of mobile device - and most of them use it to browse the internet. It's always best to give your target audience exactly what they want. If you think a mobile website is something your target audience would use, give it to them.

What is on your site?

Let's say that your site is a collection of breaking news headlines. That's something people would definitely want access to on the go, so it would make sense to create a mobile website for it. Or, if your website has listings of things to do around town, that's also something that people would want to look up while they're out and about.

Think about what you would do. If the information is something that you would be likely to want when you can't be at home on your computer, a mobile website may be just the thing your visitors need!