Ken Mays
News flash: The next big shakeup in the web site development business is the growing popularity and importance of the mobile web site. We don’t mean a “mobile compatible web site,” the kind you can access on your smartphone but can’t read without scrolling or zooming. We’re talking about a real mobile web site that shows up properly “skinned” (designed and laid out) for the Android or iPhone screen.
Smartphone and iPad use is rising dramatically, and the mobile platform is going to shake up the way we do business, with mobile web sites quickly becoming a necessity rather than an option. Mobile sites can dramatically increase leads, reaching a broader and entirely different market that may have been out of reach previously — and increased leads means increased sales for businesses.
How prevalent is this market of users? It’s so prevalent and lucrative that smartphone sales are predicted to outpace desktop computers in just three years.
Mobile web sites are so important and different from regular web site content access that Google uses an entirely separate index for mobile web sites. Your regular business web site is within a different, separate index.
If you have a mobile site for your business, you’ll have a greater chance of showing up in search results. And not only that, but right now there is less competition on the Google mobile index, meaning more visibility and more leads for your business. That means it’s a great time to add a mobile web site for your business.
It’s also important to note that these two separate indexes (i.e., traditional vs. mobile) do not produce duplicate content.
Still, the question remains as to why the “traditional” web site isn’t good enough for your customers. Can’t they see it on their smartphones just like they do on their computers?
The fact is, traditional web sites are not designed for mobile browsers. For one, the screen size for the mobile web is much different — it’s not only smaller, but it comes in a variety of shapes: vertical, square, horizontal…. And mobile web sites are highly simplified versions of primary sites, excluding any unnecessary information.
Also keep in mind that convenience is now the norm, especially now that smartphone and data plan prices are decreasing every year, thus making them more affordable to more people.
Businesses that can go mobile now will benefit far into the future — and it’s going to become a necessity to have a mobile site simply in order to compete and succeed.
It’s not just for social networking or e-mail, and the impact and reach is going far beyond those facets at a rapid pace. In 2012, mobile advertising spending is predicted to surpass $6.5 billion, and by 2013, it is expected that 80% of people will be “fully mobile” — which is an indicator of just how much the mobile web is beginning to proliferate — and this is only the beginning.
Ensuring that your web site is mobile-accessible requires some extra work, but if you start now, you’ll have an advantage on this growing trend.
It’s also essential to mention the impact of mobile location-based services and the way those impact your business. People search for business locations and reviews on the mobile web all the time, and it is predicted that, by 2012, there will be 526 million users doing this. By 2014, it is expected that mobile advertising will reach $2 billion a year.
Google has even gone on the record to say that the mobile market is its priority. This is the year that location-based mobile will play a major role in businesses media budgets, so much so that this will actually channel money away from traditional forms of media, marketing and advertising budgets.
It’s expected that mobile advertising will be used consistently alongside traditional forms of advertising and marketing, such as print, TV, radio and outdoors. Thus, it’s time for businesses — especially small businesses — to start planning their mobile campaign now, before it hits the mainstream.
This phenomenon could be compared to “How vital is it to have a web site for my business?” in the 1990s. Mobile and location-based services are also a way to create and enhance customer loyalty by offering specials and perks and verifying check-in locations to attract new customers.
Check-ins tied to Facebook and Twitter are just one example of how your business can leverage mobile to its advantage by reaching out to customers. You’ll be able to proactively deliver messages to reach potential customers, eliminate user frustration at trying to access a traditional web site on a smartphone (which could cause the consumer to choose another company that does have an easily-accessible mobile site), increase traffic if you’re a small business and reach a huge demographic that was previously unfathomable.
Check out Facebook Deals and Places for one example of how these things are being implemented. If you want to turn a search into a sale, mobile may be just what you need.
Ken Mays is president & creative director of Mays & Associates (www.ad-mays.com), a web site development, online marketing and graphic design company located in Columbia. Mays specializes in dynamic web site development, SEO, online advertising, e-mail and social network marketing. An award-winning writer and designer, he can be reached at 410-964-9701 or at ken@ad-mays.com. Send him a Facebook friend request or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mays_associates.
