If you’re like half the top 20 top web sites ranked by Nielsen Online then your answer may well be: ‘What the … ?’ When mobile software provider Bango conducted a recent survey, results showed that a remarkable number of companies are neither optimizing their sites for mobile, nor tracking how much mobile-generated traffic they get.

Current estimations from Nielsen Mobile put mobile internet penetration at 15.6% in the USA, 12.9% in the UK and 11.9% in Italy. This is described as having reached a level of critical mass. With figures like these businesses can ill afford to be making websites that are compromised when viewed on mobile phones.

Do mobile internet users behave differently from PC users?

The most significant difference in this regard is that mobile users visit fewer sites than PC users. They are still searching (40% state that they find sites via search engines, while 22% type in a URL directly) but they are less likely to visit numerous sites related to a single search. Nielson Online reports that the average PC user visits 100 domain sites each month while mobile users average only 6.4. This means there is good opportunity for your site to be found by a mobile searcher, and stresses the importance of making sure it is optimized for mobile.

The pitfalls and perks of mobile internet

Most frustration around mobile internet relates to network dissatisfaction and slow data transfer speed. Similar to the transition from dial-up to broadband with PC internet use, the evolution of 3G (third generation) networks are bringing vast improvements to consumer experiences of mobile internet.

Full exploitation of the benefits of mobile internet is just starting to be imagined. Predictions indicate positive relationships between users and businesses who wish to tap the mobile market. Mobile internet users are open to mobile advertising and are quite savvy when it comes to the realities of paying for the technology. 23% of US mobile data users expect to see an increase in advertising and are open to this as a way of subsidizing the cost of their mobile internet use.

At this year’s FOWA (futures of web applications) Expo, Stefan Fountain from Soocial delivered a presentation about the future of mobile internet. He predicts a shift away from the emphasis on devices (phones vs PCs vs PDAs) and towards actions and applications. Citing a fridge that knows when and what food to order and restock, he describes a world where ‘internet’ will become akin to ‘electricity’. It will be ubiquitous, flexible in delivery and we will only really notice it when it is absent.

What this means for businesses is a prompt to start thinking about how your service might be flexibly delivered via mobile internet. Making sure your website is optimized for mobile phones is one thing, but imaging how your product might interact in a mobile way with people’s every day lives is the next big conceptual leap.

A checklist for happy mobile internet translation

In the meantime, there are a few things to consider when designing your site, or communicating with your web designer. It is worth referring to a resource regarding mobile web best practices to ensure your site is well optimized for mobile internet use.

On a practical level, keep in mind that simple site structures with clear labels, limited use of Flash or other custom applications, images in accessible forms such as jpeg or gif, optimized graphics for quick download, and keeping maximum page size under 20 kb will help make your site user friendly across a range of mobiles. You should also submit your mobile site map to Google.

By: Rob I Lawson

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The way that people use the internet now means that any business, no matter what sector it is in, needs to have a website. Without a website a company is going to struggle to be found by any potential customers.

The trouble with technology is that it is constantly evolving. With the internet this happens very quickly indeed. Since the introduction of the various smartphones that are now available, the way that a lot of people browse the internet has changed. Now, rather than using a laptop with a wireless connection or a home PC to check their e mails and the news, people are doing it on their mobile phones. The reasons for this are clear. With a mobile phone you are able to use the internet, often for free, without the inconvenience of firing up a bulky laptop. With the internet being used increasingly for social media interaction mobiles mean that people are never out of contact.

For businesses that want to stay in touch with their customers as well as attracting potential customers, they need to evolve with their customers needs. For a lot of businesses this means having mobile websites.

Mobile websites are very similar to normal websites. They often provide the same information and offer the same services as conventional sites. The difference with mobile websites is that they are designed to be viewed and used specifically on a mobile phone.

The main difference is that mobile websites need to be designed so that they load quickly and effectively on a mobile phone browser. Often a mobile phone will struggle to load a normal webpage. If the person trying to view the site wants to find a service then this can mean the difference between winning new business and losing it.

Another way that mobile websites differ from normal sites is the way they are monetized. Often the monetization techniques used in normal websites don’t work as effectively on mobile websites. To get the most out of a mobile website you need to know how this specific type of site works.

If you feel that having a mobile website is something your business would benefit from then you should strongly consider using a specialist mobile marketing company. Due to their experience with mobile websites, a specialist company will be able to deliver results that are far superior to a normal web design firm. Also, instead of your website standing alone, it will be far more effective if it works as part of a wider mobile marketing campaign. If you use a specialist company they will be able to manage the whole campaign, ensuring it is all highly targeted and delivers noticeable results.

By: Tom Pearson

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Mobile website – market your existing website in a new way

Do you have a website yet? Would you like to remain relevant and updated to your clients? Are you aware of the incredible increase in the volume of mobile browsing? If you answered “yes” to all three, you should seriously consider opening a mobile website and providing your visitors with a new way to reach you.

Mobile website – offer a new experience

For quite some time now, the specific needs of mobile users have been overlooked. Commercial websites used to rely on an internal browser and weren’t optimized for the unique mobile web site experience. If you ever tried looking at one, it’s not a welcoming experience: loads of data are downloaded – not taking the data plan into account, the layout and technology do not suit the mobile browser and scrolling is constantly required just to get around. Overload of excessive data often made the browser crash… so much for a welcoming experience.

Luckily, there are tools nowadays that are assembled to offer an experience optimized to the needs of the mobile browsers, with the use of a mobile website application platform.

Mobile website – optimize your website for the mobile format

There are numerous factors to consider where mobile-aimed website optimization is concerned:

Traffic, as most people are limited by a plan Small screens requiring specific design Low memory capacity rendering the website to load slower Different input methods – 10-12 keys, no mouse, touch abilities Many different models, browsers, technologies and platform limitations Often-neglected capabilities, such as direct link to SMS, phone calls, internal GPS, etc.

When all these factors are taken into account, we can see that the task of constructing a mobile website requires a certain set of skills. As you can see, there is a simple solution that does all that “behind the curtains” just for you, leaving you with the simple task of entering the text and uploading the images.

Creating your own mobile website is much easier than it sounds, so give us a try!

By: Igal Zeifman

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Chuck Sacco, CEO and co-founder of PhindMe.net commented that G1 was a major step towards offering full Web access to highly mobile people. He feels that G1 will be one step further than the BlackBerry and iPhone which itself sparked the shift from cell phones to smartphones.

The number of people with smartphones is going to increase as the Google Android technology will be available to other cell phone manufacturers desirous of developing smartphones. People originally accessing info from their home or office computer will expect to browse for info from their handhelds.

M:Metrics’ survey points out that 85 percent of iPhone users access the Web for information and are 10 times more likely to search the mobile Web than cell phone users. The public release of Google’s Android by HTC with T-Mobile increased this trend.

Web sites are developed with all its intricacies by companies. However these may not be suitable for the small screen. If companies are not ready with streamlined versions for the smartphones then they will loose a big chunk of the consumer market pie.

It is highly imperative that companies create Web versions that are accessible to the handheld phones catering to the immediate needs of people on the go. Timely info is a necessity now regarding say about the whereabouts of a restaurant. In such cases the user is not bothered about the company profile or history.

All he wants is simple information on the menu and offers available. Added details on how to reach the location is all that a mobile user will need. Making available information on the mobile Web is sure to increase positive marketing opportunities.

Phindme.net will be ready with Everywhereigo online brand as the G1 hits the market in October. The suite of tools available to businesses will help them make mobile friendly Web pages which are compatible with all cell phones and smartphones. Businesses can keep a tab on customers and members wherever they go by means of group SMS, text messaging and mobile tags.

Businesses can move several steps forward from traditional advertising and will be able to achieve immediate connections to customers equipped with internet-ready cell phones, BlackBerries and iPhones.

By: Dam S Smith

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It’s high time now that we all start looking at mobile phones as devices of daily-life functions serving our personal and professional lives. The user group of the communication function has transformed into a whole new user group that’s using the feature-packed mobile phones and gadgets for purposes that may not usually be associated to mobile devices in the past. Businesses and individuals have been smart in discovering iPhone and several other smartphones as lucrative platforms and have used great wisdom in encouraging and producing mobile phone websites and applications.

The development which we all can see in the form of iPhone-compatible websites or iPhone apps, or mobile-compatible websites or applications in general, is clearly a developer’s business or an app owner’s revenue. Why do businesses or organizations need to participate in it? Or, in other words, are they at any loss if they don’t learn how mobile phones and their functions can improve business intelligence and lead to a better work system? Yes, this is the right time that companies learn to adapt to the mobile use trends and take this hot move of making mobile phone websites or applications for business purposes. There are many benefits of doing this, which otherwise they would never experience. Here I explain the major ones in brief:

Higher accessibility: People can’t take their computer units or laptops wherever they go. Besides, they don’t anymore need to rely on the traditional ways to connect to the internet, i.e. through computer or laptop. In such a situation they have come to rely on the mobile phones; all they need is the cell coverage to be able to access the internet from their phones. Your mobile website or application can be their chosen access while they are on the move and your user base automatically widens up with the addition of these mobile users.

Direct marketing: If you have discovered that your target market belongs to those specific types of people who like accessing and using services on the mobile, you can directly market your business by creating a mobile version of your website and prevent the loss of such customers. It has been discovered that usually people accessing mobile sites and using their features are of a loyal type, and therefore, you can easily build brand loyalty via mobile marketing.

Cost-effectiveness: Businesses that have low marketing budgets, small businesses for instance, are always on the lookout for innovative marketing ways that provide economical solutions. Mobile applications or websites are not very costly projects if you compare them with heavy duty web projects. These are great marketing solutions in low budgets. Think of innovative ways such as creating an application that ties in to your online presence and compliments your existing website and social networking pages!

Now, it’s on you whether you want these benefits for your business or see others taking these and getting ahead of you. No way you choose the latter one….will you?

By: Mark Spenser

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The communication revolution was bound to touch the masses and it has done so with the superb penetration of mobile communication. Today the global mobile communication scenario revels in its new found mass user appeal and this is growing everyday! Let alone saturation in the market, people are in no mood to let go off this affordable form of communication in any way! Market experts and critics suggest in unison that this wave will only surge higher. Not surprisingly, with the unification of internet communication with the original mobile communication form, the marriage between the two has resulted in even lower tariffs.

Mobile Websites

When the internet shifted from being a part of the ‘still’ PC you had at your home to the mobile on your hand, naturally websites had to be redesigned so the likes of the tiny mobile device. With increase in mobile sales throughout the world, this number only burgeoned. Mobile websites are the next in-thing in the world of technology and effective marketing that aims to reach every person on the earth. This has led to a global surge in demand of mobile websites from the normal websites meant for the browser in your PC. Not surprisingly, designers and web-experts are swiftly working to provide the people with the same.

One great thing about this is – the new websites which are launched have 2 forms – one for the mobile users and other for the PC/laptop users.

Advantages of Mobile Websites

• Instant Marketing: One of the main reasons why websites went mobile is because of the popular public demand; following a vicious circle, marketing and advertisement has also caught up. That is, if you do not have a mobile website for your business today, it will be extremely difficult for you to survive the competition.

• Precise Information: Since not lot of screen space is available for the page to be displayed, it becomes important for the designer to create such a site that utilizes the maximum in the minimum space allotted – that means more responsive search results and information.

• Streaming of Media: As already mentioned, a faster lifestyle translates to lesser time available for personal entertainment. Therefore whatever little time people find in transit, they tend to hook on to the internet for live/recorded audio-visual streams – entertaining and relaxing themselves. That means a whole lot of opportunity for social networking to video sharing.

• Curbing Piracy: Piracy has been one of the major revenue drainers of recent times. Mobile websites are designed such that piracy is minimized to a large extent – a win-win situation for artists and intellectual property owners!

Efforts are on throughout the world to further transform the mobile device more like your multi-functional PC; and you thought power at hand was dream! Globalization and faster life has resulted in a race where people are seldom seen sitting at home. From business deals to tutors, all of it is available on the internet – this (information) is fuelled by the seemingly insatiable need for the same and hence the superb market growth.

By: Laura Dixon

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