Mobile Optimized Websites
Hey welcome to resort marketing vids. We’ve been talking a lot about Mobile the last couple of months. But something that really ties everything together is having a mobile optimized website. Now, there’s a reason we’ve eased in to this point. Mobile websites aren’t That easy, unless you know what you’re doing.
I suggest starting small and building a mobile site for a promotion you’re running. It’ll give you a chance to get your feet wet in the mobile web space.
Like it or not, more and more of the mobile market is being taken over by smart phones. And the cell phone manufacturers, and especially the providers, are leading the charge. They make a lot more money when they’re getting a monthly data fee from you in addition to your regular service. In fact, most cell phone stores have even gone as far as to stop putting out regular, non-smart phones, on the sales floor because they don’t want you purchasing them. And mobile data consumption rates are going through the roof. Soon, you won’t be able to get by without having a mobile site at all.
Check below this video for visual example comparing a mobile optimized site with a site that isn’t optimized for mobile. If you have a smartphone, you know it’s a Huge difference. If you don’t, well, you’ll see what a big difference it makes by referencing the example below.
So, How Can you get started with a mobile site? The good news is, there are a plethora of mobile site templates available to purchase on the web. The bad news is, configuring them to work with your site and managing the redirections and such is complicated. Well, if you’re not a web developer it can be complicated.
I’ve been careful to put this video off for a while. You see, I’ve been experimenting with mobile sites for months. I thought it would be Sooo easy to set up the first time. I mean, after all, I’ve built dozens of regular websites before. Boy was I wrong. It took me four solid hours just to figure out one page. Now, maybe I’m just a slow learner, but it was frustrating. However, once I got that first page down, the rest went very smoothly. And now it’s a breeze to get a new site up and running like clockwork.
So here’s what I would do if I were you. If you’re technically inclined, schedule yourself a block of dead time – a few hours of radio silence where you can focus entirely on what you’re doing, and start researching mobile site development for the platform your site is built on. Be sure to research Re-direction, that plays a key role in mobile sites. Then start developing your own mobile website.
Option two, for the less technically inclined, or for those of you who simply don’t have the time, head over to Craigslist, O-desk, or whatever your favorite freelancing site is, and start browsing for a freelancer that specializes in mobile site development.
What you want to do next, and here’s where a lot of people go wrong, is hire the freelance to do a test site. Most people jump right in and hire a freelancer to do their whole site. Then, once they’ve already committed financially, they’re stuck with that person and that site, whether they like it or not. So hire the freelancer to do a small site for you, three pages is usually enough, as a mock up of what they anticipate your site will look like. This is a great way to get a feel for a good freelancer, and it’s the least expensive option out there. Professional design firms can charge you up to a thousand dollars per page! So, learn it yourself, or hire a freelancer – but either way, take action and go mobile! Your prospects and members are, so you should too.
Anyway, that’s all until next week. I’ll see you later.