Three Ways A Mobile Website Can Benefit Your Business

15 Sep 2011, 12:21 p.m.

If you are looking to expand your business or improve your online presence, a mobile website is a must. More than one billion people around the world have mobile internet access - either through their cell phone or another mobile device. With people looking for more and more information on the go, mobile websites are a great way to keep up.

What Is A Mobile Website?

It's a different version of your site, scaled and optimized for handheld devices with smaller screens. Most mobile devices cannot read certain elements that full computers can, like Flash. If someone tries to access your traditional website on their cell phone, they may have to deal with blank spaces, or, worse, a site that isn't readable on their small screen.

If you really want to get the most out of your website, you need to dedicate resources to mobile customers. Here are some of the benefits this can bring.

A Mobile Website Can Increase Your Sales

If you have a mobile website, people can get information off of your site while they're on the go. They can find your address, phone number, services, and even coupons right on their mobile device - while they're running errands!

In fact, many mobile websites offer special mobile services - like simply clicking on a phone number to make a call, or clicking on an address to see it pop up on a map. Anytime you can make it easier for potential customers to call or visit your location, that's a good thing!

With a mobile site, you don't have to wait for potential customers to go all the way home and log onto their computer to find out more about your business. If they have to go home to access your website, it's likely they will forget - or turn to one of your competitors instead!

A Mobile Website Shows That Your Business Is State-Of-The-Art

For all of the people who own mobile internet devices, you'd probably be shocked to find how few businesses actually have mobile websites. By creating a mobile site, you're showing customers that you are forward-thinking, and that you're savvy enough to cater to all web users.

As an added benefit, if your competitors haven't gone mobile yet, you can beat them to the punch - and become the go-to source for customers on the go.

A Mobile Website Makes It Easier For Mobile Customers

If you've ever tried to browse a traditional website on a cell phone, you know how frustrating it can be. The words can be impossibly hard to read, the navigation menus are difficult to use (or even broken!), and you have to wait forever for the page to load.

A good mobile website is designed specifically for small screens. Mobile websites are more streamlined. They are designed to load quickly over mobile data networks, which are sometimes closer in speed to "dial-up" than broadband. They are laid out with a tighter focus: what is the main action or actions you want people to be able to take? Is it valuable if people can click or touch a button to instantly call your office?

And more!

Are these the only benefits of a mobile site? Of course not! As more people go online with mobile phones, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the new and fascinating ways a mobile website can help your business.