Mobile-friendly or Mobile-optimized Websites

Mobile-friendly websites and mobile optimized websites are two different types of websites. If a website is Flash-based, it falls into neither of these categories. As the mobile space continues to see unprecedented growth, the importance of understanding the difference is becoming crucial. It could mean the difference between winning or losing a prospective client.

A mobile-friendly website is an HTML based website that doesn’t contain Flash. At the very least, this type of website is recommended. It means that a website is viewable on a smartphone, but it is not optimized for a smartphone. The viewer has to pinch-to-zoom, scroll left, right, up, down and figure out how the site “works” on a smartphone. Sound cumbersome? That’s because it is.

This is where a mobile optimized website becomes relevant. A mobile optimized website is a website that is designed specifically for smartphones, not a desktop computer. This is important because the small screen is much different than a 17” screen. Mobile screen real estate is smaller and must be used much more strategically.

A mobile optimized website doesn’t require that someone scroll left/right. It doesn’t require that someone pinch and zoom to read text, either. On a mobile site, the navigation is built for a efficiency, the images are optimized for quick loading and the content is minimized to be most effective. Additional, mobile-only functionality includes tap-to-call, tap-to-email and tap for Google Maps functionality.

As time progresses, firms should be budgeting for a mobile optimization strategy.
Why?

Because poor experiences don’t convert customers. When viewers visit a website on their smartphone that is not mobile optimized, they will go elsewhere. Knowing that, I ask, what is the lifetime value of a customer? If you’re using Google Analytics, you can quickly figure out how much traffic you’re getting from smartphones. Do the math, assume 25% don’t convert because of poor experiences and you’ll quickly determine how much money you’re losing.

At the end of the day, mobile apps are optional, but mobile websites are a must. Audiences are going to visit websites on their smartphones whether or not firms do something about it. The question is, who will embrace this change, adapt and stay one step ahead of the competition.


THIS ARTICLE CREDITS TO:

moiremarketing.com
Image Credits: submitedgeseo.com