If you have ignored the dramatic rise of mobile in the past then you need to start noticing and begin acting towards creating a mobile website. You just cannot ignore the potential of this fast-rising market any longer.
However, just like many others, you may be apprehensive about making a change or may not know much about different options in creating a mobile site. As per details from StatCounter Global Stats, 20 percent of all internet traffic by the end of 2013 will be through mobile devices. As with previous years, December witnesses a sudden spike in traffic through mobile devices. So, now is the right time to go mobile with your website.
Many people still believe that potential customers use mobiles only to browse and make purchases through desktops and laptops. While this is true at present, there is a noticeable rise in purchases made through mobile phones that currently stands at half of those made through desktops.
Even if you do not sell your products online, it still makes sense to have a presence on mobile phones where you can offer discount coupons, announce special marketing offers, provide products reviews, etc., to actually achieve a rise in offline sales. Informational sites such as newspaper sites too have surprisingly witnessed a rise in traffic from mobiles.
Once you are convinced that you need a presence on mobile devices then you will be faced with a technical challenge of just how to create your mobile site. You need to consider your business model and your target audience so as to present the best possible mobile site to them.
Once you research the above query then you will be able to know whether you can offer the same content that exists on your desktop site or create a separate mobile version. You need to consider your business goals as well as utilize web analytics to understand current customer behavior so as to make an informed choice. However, if you plan to target different search queries then you may want to change your mobile content to achieve better rankings.
Even though many feel that creating a responsive website that serves both desktops and mobiles is very costly and effort-intensive, you can still explore that option since there are some distinct advantages.
For instance, you can just make single updates for both sites through responsive templates. You will also get stronger links that lead both to your desktop and mobile site. You will be able to create a visually stunning as well as fully functional mobile and desktop site through effective SEO that also works well with different browsers.
If you are not convinced then you can either opt for a separate mobile website, or initiate your responsive site in a phased manner. You can begin by making highly-trafficked pages into responsive ones first before moving on to other pages. In case you opt for a completely new mobile site then you will need to indicate to servers to present your mobile site to users that use mobile devices to reach your site.
You will anyway need to ensure that you lower the resolution of all images of your mobile site as well as trim excess text to ensure faster loading on mobiles. You should also use HTML5 and simplify JavaScript/CSS to ensure a functional and fast-loading mobile site.
In case you opt for a totally different mobile site then you can let your imagination run free in terms of design as well as target specific keywords used mostly be mobile device users. You also need not touch your desktop site at all, but can use successful mobile SEO strategies on your desktop version to continue with a successful formula.
Whether you opt for a responsive site for your mobile site or create a brand new mobile website, you need to put your plan into action as soon as possible. Statistics certainly indicate a huge rise in mobiles devices for browsing and purchasing in coming days. You need to have a mobile presence fortified with effective SEO techniques to attract visitors and buyers to your mobile site.