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8/3/2010 - Designing and Developing a Mobile-Friendly Site
Designing and Developing a Mobile-Friendly Site
by Lisa Forgan, Creative Conversion Specialist, 90octane
Mobile websites are no longer something to consider down the road. They're a necessity in 
today's marketing climate. Last year, over two billion people accessed the Web via mobile phones. Always on the go, these busy Web users need mobile websites that are fast, searchable and easy to navigate.
Simplicity is the most critical quality in user-friendly mobile website design and development. Goals should be established at the outset of a mobile project to ensure that the final product will be of value to the target audience. Plus, the technicalities associated with the various types of mobile phones, screen sizes and Internet connection speeds are important to consider.
Here are some recommendations to keep in mind when designing and developing a mobile website:
Images
Keep the number of images to a minimum. A mobile site overloaded with image files not only makes it difficult for users to read and navigate but also slows down the loading time, which can negatively impact how your site is ranked in the search engines.
Content
Your mobile site's content should make it easy for users to find answers to their questions rather than including rambling company information. Since the standard size of a mobile phone screen is only 240x320 pixels, you have to think about easy accessibility of the most important content. Also be sure to use plenty of keywords when drafting copy and creating URLs to help optimize your site, as most mobile users access sites through search engines.
Organic and Paid Search
Follow the special processes established for submitting mobile sites to search engines, and develop a pay-per-click (PPC) strategy to boost visibility. Consider launching targeted landing pages as destinations for the prospects who click on your paid search ads. That way, they're offered just what they're searching for, and you have campaigns that are easy to track and analyze.
Sub-domains
It’s the industry norm to use a sub-domain, such as http://mobile.domainname.com, rather than use the .mobi extension or a separate domain in creating a mobile site. A major benefit is that is keeps everything under one domain, which lessens confusion for users.
Markup and Layout
- Clean semantic markup — Make sure your HTML code and CSS validate so that browsers display your site properly and your site loads quickly.
- Separate JavaScript and CSS — A user's primary goal is to access a site's content and links. With mobile, presentation is secondary to usability, so use as little JavaScript as possible to help optimize for speed and cache. When you do use JavaScript and/or CSS, be sure to separate them from the rest of your code. Also, remember to keep your page size small so it doesn't exceed 25k.
- Use ALT Tags — Many mobile site visitors disable images, and others just can't see them. Using image Alt tags aids accessibility and optimization.
- Remember Header Tags — The use of header tags within a mobile site helps structure its pages and make certain text stand out. Search engines view them as indications of important content, so take advantage of them to improve your rankings for key terms.
- Think about navigation — Mobile navigations have to be scaled down and provide only the most relevant links. Give visitors easy, alternate ways to access navigational items when possible.
- Consider Flash alternatives — Be aware that Apple's mobile devices don't support Flash, so keep alternative media formats in mind.
As with any online platform, mobile websites must be tested time and again to be sure your users get the best experience and your brand makes the best impression. Since one of the most challenging aspects of mobile design and development is making your site work across a wide variety of phones, be sure to check out websites like TestiPhone.com that emulate mobile devices for easy testing.
While mobile marketing is an exciting avenue that triggers lots of creative ideas, it's always best to think first about your users' needs and how they will interact with your site. Even the site with the most engaging design will turn away visitors frustrated by lack of usability.
See the original post on 90octane's, 90news.
Read These Other August 2010 ArticlesBMA Colorado Marketing Mirror - August 2010
Designing and Developing a Mobile-Friendly Site
Social Media - Does It Spread or Control Negative Opinion
New and Renewing Members (July 2010)