A regular website is designed to be viewed on a larger screen with a computer that is more powerful and faster than a mobile phone. The layout used on a regular website has to be modified to compensate for these differences and to display the mobile content in a way that’s easy to read. The WAP browsers used to display mobile content are limited by the size of the screen, apps and programming accepted and the amount of data that can be downloaded and displayed simultaneously. People who are likely to access the internet from their mobile phone are usually looking for very specific mobile content and they want it quickly so the mobile website needs to load fast and display in a way that is easy to read and navigate.
Tips for Optimizing Your Mobile Content
In 2008 mobile access to the web exceeded desktop computer-based access for the first time. Even though the mobile web is still in its infancy, it’s growing fast. All that is needed is for a mobile website to display properly is basic text, images and relevant links to mobile content. Here are some tips on making a traditional website compatible for a mobile phone.
1. The home page file size of the mobile website should be diminished to increase load time.
2. Except for a couple of Android Smartphones, the average mobile phone does not support pop-ups, Flash, Frames, and Javascript.
3. If you are optimizing your mobile content for seo, keep Keywords to 2 or 3 words because mobile searchers tend to search using as few words as possible.
4. Since mobile content is reduced, your keywords need to be crafted into the tags and filenames.
5. Format phone numbers so the user can simple touch them to call you.
6. Ensure that your mobile website offers an XML sitemap.
7. If you are building your website for the mobile web, utilize the access keys for faster navigation. For example, pressing the number 1 on the phone would access the first menu item etc.
8. Use buttons whenever possible so the user doesn’t have to type. Make them large enough for those who use a touch screen mobile phone to select easily.
9. Put the most important mobile content at the top of the page and remember the maximum size of a page is around 20 kilobytes.
10. Make your mobile website simple and easy to navigate.
