BandwidthBar

Mobile websites are becoming increasingly important as more and more people start using their cellular phones to surf the net. While the technology has taken a while to take hold, now that it has people are becoming more used to using their cellular phones to look up information on the Internet. But for a mobile site to be of any use, it needs to be optimised to work on a different platform.

 

A mobile website is like any other website except that it has been designed specifically to be viewed with a cellular phone browser. Unlike most websites that are viewed on a static computer with a landline, mobile websites are viewed with a wireless connection. The smaller size, different format and platform all pose a number of limitations on mobile websites.

 

The limitations on mobile websites are mostly related to the platform on which they are viewed – a cellular phone. For starters users need to contend with a much smaller screen that has limited resolutions available. Mobile websites need to be designed with this in mind. With no mouse to navigate the page, users are forced to use the buttons on the phone making getting around the website more trying. And as for added functionality, mobile websites are severely limited as they cannot use java scripts and cookies.

 

The relatively slow (in contrast to a landline) connection speed of a cellular phone means mobile websites may load slower than expected. To make matters worse the cost of bandwidth over a cellular phone is much more expensive making the long loading times even more aggravating.

 

So why bother with mobile websites then?

 

The answer is simple: people want them. Studies have shown that more people are using their cellular phones to look for information on the Internet when they are on the move. When looking for restaurants, shows, stores and other locations many people are turning to the Internet on their cellular phone. There is a huge potential market out there just waiting to be exploited by mobile websites.

 

Creating a mobile website is not as hard as it seems. Many web design companies can create mobile websites and they can be hosted along with your normal website. There are a few considerations that need to be kept in mind with mobile websites however:

• With limited space content needs to be short but much more powerful to get the message across in fewer words.
• The mobile website design needs to place important content near the top.
• The navigation needs to be simple and easy to use on a small keypad.
• Page sizes should remain as small as possible to make load times quick – less than 20 Kb per page is a good measure.
• Technical aspects (using XML, standards to be adhered to, picture formats, etc.) are forever changing as the technology expands so it is a good idea to ask the experts to take care of your mobile website for you.

Mobile websites and mobile website hosting are the future of the Internet as more people start surfing the web on their cellular phones. Do not be left behind. Make sure that your website and website hosting is up to the task of serving the mobile web.

 

<< Back