A business that wants a mobile sites version of his or her website made should know the basics of mobile web design. The fact is that smartphones and androids do not operate in the same way computers do, so it is necessary to apply different web design tactics in order to get visitors to stay on one’s site. Following is some helpful information to consider when creating a website specifically for mobile web browsers.

Size and Coding

Unfortunately, it is impossible to create a mobile compatible website that will be compatible with all mobile phones. One main reason for this problem is that mobile phones come in many shapes and screen sizes. Another problem is that different devices use different types of coding. Old devices, for instance, use WML encoding while new smartphones and androids use XHTML. The type of encoding one chooses would probably depend on which demographic he or she is trying to appeal to.

Styles and Design

While many mobile phones can get online, the bandwidth and speed is slower than that of a computer or laptop internet connection. Furthermore, it can be quite costly to get online via a mobile device, especially if one is travelling abroad. For this reason, it is very important to create a mobile site that can load quickly. One should avoid flash videos, animated graphics, music and other “extras” that would cause a site to load too slowly.

Functionality

Functionality is important for any type of website. Even a good looking website will not be successful if it contains broken links and an unclear site map. A functional site should be secure if financial transactions are taking place on the site. It should be clear and one should be able to easily find what he or she is looking for.Nearly all businesses that have a mobile website also have a regular website. It is important that mobile phone browsers be given an option as to which site they would rather look at. Forcibly redirecting mobile phone users to the mobile site with no way to get to the main site is likely to upset people and deter them from visiting the site again in the future.

It is worth while to create a mobile phone compatible website, as tens of millions of people browse the web using their phones and more people are likely to do so in the future. However, a mobile phone website must be properly created. A webmaster will need to carefully consider the options and then choose the best layout, template and other features, for example “Click to Call”, for the mobile phone site.