Why it is time to throw away your mobile website
Jul 30, 2014
If your business has a separate website for desktop users and a separate site for mobile users, it is time to get rid of the mobile website. Consumers are browsing the internet on an increasing variety of devices. It is not enough to have a website that only looks good on a desktop PC and a smart phone. Users are viewing your site with tablets, mini tablets, high definition tablets, smart phones, and giant smart TVs. Hardware manufacturers are releasing different size devices all the time. If your site doesn’t look good on these devices, market share is being lost. It would be an impossibility to create a separate website for all these devices and future devices. Enter responsive design. Responsive design is a web technology that allows your website to look good in all current devices and future devices. Nearly all of your prospects are already using web browsers that support responsive design.
The good news is that current desktop websites can be retrofitted to use this technology. Content can be prioritized. Less important content can be hidden or re-arranged on devices with less screen real estate. Dynamic font sizing is important for vision impaired users. It can be used to move toward Section 508 compliance.
Abbott Nutrition.com is a good example of a responsive web site created by Sogeti. To see the responsive design in action, resize the width of your browser. Notice how the menu goes away and is replaced with three lines at the top right? Click it and you will see a menu slide in. If you browse the site with your tablet or smart phone it will look just as great as it does on the desktop. Isn’t that just cool?
When I am shopping on my tablet, I look for sites that are readable and usable. I think to myself; wow this company really cares, I am going to buy something from them. Care about your customers. Implement responsive design.