Anyone, Anywhere, and at the Right Time

6 November, 2009

Following on from my now consistent obsession with my iPhone, I have become a regular user of mobile sites. And I am disgruntled regularly when I come across sites that are not compatible for this type of use.

Exactly as the name suggests, a mobile website is a trimmed down version of a website that is optimised to view on mobile phones and other handheld devices.

So who should have a mobile website? Are they really necessary?

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer from MarketingProfs, claims "Mobile Marketing is here to stay." This online medium is rapidly increasing in popularity as businesses and organisations endeavour to capture the attention of online mobile users. Online mobile technology offers the opportunity to deliver your marketing message to anyone, anywhere, and at the right time.

One important consideration of these types of sites is to remember the target market - they are busy, in a hurry, always on-the-move and demanding - and your optimised site needs to reflect the fast paced nature of these potential customers. More than ever, your mobile website needs to be attention grabbing, concise and easy to navigate.

Some great mobile sites I've come across

Answers

A great site to source answers to random and miscellaneous questions whilst out and about.

ABC News

View a condensed summary of today's top stories, or search by category or direct keywords.

Google

Goes without saying...

What are your favourites?

Blog post written by Michelle Jennins of Feedia - Web Design Brisbane

Comments

Ismail Koci wrote:

06/11/09 - 12:22 am

I might add that I hope that web designers and developers don't build mobile websites optimised only for iPhone. As a non-iPhone user, I'd like to see a focus on all mobile devices.

letitiapower wrote:

06/11/09 - 12:17 am

It's funny that SMEs aren't cottoning onto the mobile website trend. 2010 will be the year of the mobile website - as usage is only set to increase.

A mobile website that I find quite user friendly is the iPhone Download Blog. It's the perfect example where a company has understood their target market and designed a website based on the device's capabilities and usage trends.