The last few years have ushered in a whole new generation of mobile consumers that are accessing the web on mobile devices to acquire information to help them make decisions on the move. The question for marketers is whether your brand’s website is catering for them effectively.
The mobile user consumes information in a different way. So the truth is that your site, like many others, is probably not yet optimised for mobile usage.
Mobile apps aren’t necessarily the answer either, as it’s been suggested that as many as 72% of mobile web users don’t download any apps at all. So what can you do to ensure your website is as good on a mobile device as it is on a desktop?
Be strategic
Examine what your business goals are and whether they are the same as your mobile site. Like any website, the cornerstone of success remains how effectively your marketing strategy meets overall business objectives.
It’s very likely that your goals will not be exactly the same. This is because you have to take user perspective into account. You have to be sure what your audience is after when they are looking at your site on a mobile device.
An example of this is an airline company. Airline customers using mobile devices will be looking to perform very specific tasks, for example, checking in, changing a ticket or looking at the status of their flight.
So when planning a mobile strategy it’s important to have a clear view of what your likely visitors will be looking for on the move. You should think of things like localisation features and location-based marketing to help personalise content.
How are you going to deliver this?
Once you know why you want to go mobile and what you’re customers are after, the next step is to think about how you’re going to deliver this content to them. Ask yourself what your visitors will be looking for and the scenario they will find themselves in when they are accessing the site. Then you can make an informed decision about whether a mobile site or app is more suitable.
If they interact mainly with your content, then a mobile version of the site may be enough, with images and text optimised appropriately. If you have a CMS that supports mobility, then this should be fairly straightforward.
But if users are likely to want to interact with the site and get a truly personalised mobile experience, you need to think differently. Concentrate on how you will best serve the user with the functionality they really require.
Design for mobility
When designing for mobile you need to be smart about content; taking into account the amount of information a mobile user may be able to take in at any given time. Think about the headlines and about how wordy the content is. You should also think about the unique features of mobile devices. For example, embrace scrolling; think about adding additional content downwards, not sideways.
You might have to get back to basics and cut down your template to reflect simple branding for your CMS to populate content into. This means you will need to simplify and prioritise the flow of information. But this is about more than just providing clear navigation. Once your visitors are on your site, you’ll want to create a purchasing ‘flow’ so provide them with a logical path to follow.
It’s important that mobile visitors can reach the content they want with as few clicks as possible. Redesign your navigation to be vertical. Good practice is to display it at the bottom of the page. If you design your page to look like an app, then it has the best chance of being viewed as more trustworthy by the visitor.
Get social!
Facebook users that access the site via their smartphone are twice as active as users that access the site via the desktop. So, use mobility to your advantage and make sure your content can easily be seeded and shared on social media channels and/or that mobile visitors can use their social profile when accessing your site.
You should also make it as easy as possible to engage with content on your site. Limit the input the visitor has to make, especially when you already know things about them. Don’t ask them to complete long forms; think like Amazon, and make ‘one click purchasing’ (or converting) a goal.
Manage your mobility
While designing for a mobile site may be somewhat different, your mobile focus should still remain part of your overall online strategy, because your customer will just see your brand, not your delivery channel. Make sure your channels connect and support each other, even though you are using different delivery methods.
As mobile devices and tablet computers continue to gain ground, and the world’s mobile workforce increases, a mobile website is going to become an increasingly important feature for many companies. So work out whether your company can benefit from a mobile strategy, and if so, how you’re going to ensure it is user friendly in order to reap the rewards.
