2010 has dawned as the year of mobile web browsing. Customers are increasingly using their phones and, soon, tablet devices such as the iPad to browse the web.
The rise of mobile browsing can be a risk to your marketing strategy, and revenue, if your website is not mobile compliant. Stats from March show there are more than 250,000 Irish iPhone owners (source: Digital Reach Group). Add in the thousands of Nokia, Blackberry and Android handset owners and you get the picture.
So, if a mobile friendly website is bottom of your list, now’s the time to prioritise it. To get started here are Bvisible’s top 3 tips to get your website in shape for mobile:
1. Keep it visually consistent
It’s crucial to make sure the visual layout on your desktop site matches with the one on your mobile site. This will make your brand consistent, stronger and reassure mobile visitors that they’re looking at the same company. Depending on the content management system you use for your site there are a range of solutions that will adapt content for the small screen, and automatically offer the mobile version of your site to those browsing from a phone or PDA. If starting from scratch or considering a redesign of your website then we recommend you talk to our sister agency www.basecreative.ie
2. Optimise web copy for on-the-go reading
Brevity is always recommended when writing website copy and evermore so for a mobile website. Provide the facts, use bullet points and limit your word count to keep your reader’s attention.
3. Avoid Flash
Flash graphics may be useful and impressive, but they immediately preclude the mobile internet user. Though Flash may be available on Android handsets, soon, the slower speeds of mobile broadband- coupled with the fact that it may never run on the iPhone- mean that your site must not depend on Flash animations or scripts to deliver essential information.
Beyond the website, mobile marketing offers a range of opportunities for businesses – from Apps to advertising. Check out the successes of our mobile services client Digital Reach Group, who can advise and offer a range of mobile marketing solutions to those seeking to adapt to, and capitalise on, the growth of the mobile web.
