With the advent of Smartphones and other mobile browsing devices, today’s technology permits users to do much of what they could previously do on a desktop computer anywhere. With its exponential potential, mobile browsing technology is sure to be a societal fixture, and your organization must make sure that it isn’t losing ground. By following best practices including a comprehensive needs analysis and effective design, your organization’s content will be accessible and informative to clients, partners, or other individuals interested in your website.

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Mobile Takeover: Are You Prepared?
• Global mobile browser use is set to increase 26 fold
between 2010 and 2015
• Sales of mobile devices set to hit 10 billion in 2020
• Mobile device usage to browse social media websites
among those above the age of 55 doubled from 2010
M ARK ET SI Z E to 2011
Smartphone users will reach
• Design best practices include web browser and device
106.7 million in 2012, up 18.4%
considerations
from 2011.
• Traditional search engine optimization strategies still
M O BIL E IN 2 0 1 2 apply, but may need to be modified under the ‘less is
Mobile internet users will reach more’ approach
113.9 million in 2012, up 17.1%
from 97.3 million in 2011.
Mobile Browsing: An Introduction Cisco’s 2010 to 2015 Global Mobile Data Forecast:
T ABL ET S
iPad users will reach 41.9 million In just ten years, the Smartphone – and mobile browsing -
in 2012. has ratcheted from oblivion to technological necessity.
Performing more than simple calling and texting
functions, today’s phones can thank mobile networks for
their ability to browse the Internet, utilize GPS technology,
and act as a mobile entertainment centre. Additionally,
tablets, such as Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy
Tablet have also latched onto the mobile browsing trend,
providing most of the features of a Smartphone (in
addition to others) in a more vision friendly format. • Global mobile data traffic will increase 26-fold
between 2010 and 2015
• There will be nearly one mobile device per capita
Providing increased convenience to business users and by 2015
personal users alike, mobile browsing makes the riches of • Mobile-connected tablets will generate as much
Copyright © 2012 by
traffic in 2015 as the entire global mobile network
AdvisorWebsites.com™ the Internet available 24/7 at the touch of a button. It
in 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication comes to no surprise then that along with the explosion of • There will be 788 million mobile-only internet users
may be reproduced or distributed in any by 2015
Smartphones and tablets, mobile browsing usage has
form or by any means, or stored in a
database or retrieval system, without the
also reached stratospheric heights – and will likely Statistics courtesy of Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global
Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2010-2015.
prior written permission of the publisher. continue upon that flight path.
White Paper: Mobile Takeover: Are You Prepared?

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Mobile Gadget Adoption Forecast
Investment bank Morgan Stanley believes that in 2011
combined shipments of Smartphones and tablets will
overtake those of personal computers (). Additionally,
“the cost of many gadgets is falling fast, giving another
fillip to consumption. Smartphones priced at around
$100—after a subsidy from telecoms companies, which
make money on associated data plans—are starting to
appear in America” (Beyond). This certainly provides the
hardware sales forecasts necessary to support the
predicted increases in mobile data usage.
Not just for “Young Folks”
According to Nielson, in 2011 twice as many people over 50 visited a mobile social networking website. As mobile
technology continues to improve, becomes increasingly adopted, and costs go down, we will likely see heavy mobile
browsing usage begin to span across all socio-economic statuses and age ranges (Nielson).
Easily Convert Your Existing Website
Tools such as Mobify, Wiremode, Onbile, and Moppin
Mobilier utilize copy and paste code blocks to easily
install onto your website. When users are browsing your
website, these tools detect whether a mobile browser is
in use, and will then redirect the user to the mobile
version, optimizing their browsing experience.
These tools need not be expensive – even Mobify offers
a free mobile domain name, although you will have to
pay extra to remove the Mobify logo off of your site.
These tools will likely appeal to small businesses who
do not have the resources required to custom build a
dedicated mobile website. The downside is reduced
customizability.
Copyright © 2012 by SEO: An Imperative Consideration
AdvisorWebsites.com™ According to a June 2011 Mashable blog post, Google’s Eric Schmidt recently noted that mobile search is growing
All rights reserved. No part of this publication much faster than desktop search. As mobile increasingly becomes a primary gateway to the Internet, it is crucial for
may be reproduced or distributed in any
companies to incorporate forward-thinking SEO practices into their mobile strategies to ensure their mobile sites are
form or by any means, or stored in a
easily detected by search engines and found by consumers (Taylor).
database or retrieval system, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
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Having a mobile optimized website will help optimize page rank. Usable, fast sites with accurate screen rendering and
functioning features will rank higher. In this case, customized mobile sites will offer an advantage over their templated
peers. Traditional search engine optimization strategies (keywords, outbound links, relevant content etc) still persist, but
may need to be modified to work in a mobile context where less is more.
Mobile Development Considerations
Clearly, mobile browsing is a big deal – but what goes into mobile friendly website development?
1. Strategy
o Defined business objectives: what functions will your website provide? Who will it serve? What are your
organization’s needs?
o Define initial key success factors and what you need out of a mobile website
o Decide whether or not to redesign your current website
o How will a mobile site improve our bottom line?
2. Defined User Needs
o How will users use your website?
o Look at Google Analytics to determine what browsers are being used to view your desktop website –
you can tailor your website in the design stage to meet the needs of the most utilized mobile browsers
and mobile devices.
o What do users need from our site?
3. Design
o Be concise. Less is more
o Optimize your site for a variety of screen sizes
o Try to build a flexible site that can be re-designed quickly to meet changing needs moving forward.
Technology will change.
o Avoid mobile-unfriendly elements such as flash, large files, pop-ups and complex layouts
o Include a link to the desktop site, and make sure the navigation is intuitive
o Is our design meeting our primary business objectives?
4. Testing
o Across platforms – ios, Blackberry, Android etc
o Test features, usability, loading speeds across mobile browsers and devices
o Are key success factors being met?
5. Continual improvement and re-evaluation
o User needs are reevaluated when major technological changes occur
o Does the site continue to meet our business objectives and customer needs?
Conclusion
With the advent of Smartphones and other mobile browsing devices, today’s technology permits users to do much of
what they could previously do on a desktop computer anywhere. With its exponential potential, mobile browsing
technology is sure to be a societal fixture, and your organization must make sure that it isn’t losing ground. By following
best practices including a comprehensive needs analysis and effective design, your organization’s content will be
Copyright © 2012 by accessible and informative to clients, partners, or other individuals interested in your website.
AdvisorWebsites.com™
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
References:
may be reproduced or distributed in any
“Beyond the PC” by the economist. Oct 8, 2011
form or by any means, or stored in a
“State of the Media” by Nielsen. Q3 2011
database or retrieval system, without the
“Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2010-2015” by Cisco. February 1, 2011
prior written permission of the publisher.
“3 Tips for Better Mobile SEO” by Mashable.com. June 3, 2011
White Paper: Mobile Takeover: Are You Prepared?