The simple fact is that brands and companies are already aware of the important role that mobile apps devices play in local business marketing, but are they really taking action? As I shared in my previous article on mobile index-first, according to data provided by market information company SimilarWeb, mobile devices now account for 56% of all website visits.
Mobile-Friendly or Mobile-First? It’s #App vs. Website – What’s Best? by BernieColeman
Friend for mobile or mobile for the first time? You decide
Having a website for mobile devices is the bare minimum a company needs – and all of these are companies. The large-scale launch of the first mobile index is already happening. And, in my opinion, mobile-first is more than a responsive website.
Businesses also need to consider very specific factors and optimize for mobile SEO. My article, The 411 on How to SEO a Local Business Website for the Mobile-First Index, discusses this in detail. You’ll definitely want to read both of them if you’re unfamiliar with Google initiatives for the first time on your mobile, and how to succeed with these changes.
The time spent on mobile devices per day has doubled, according to the 2017 KPCB report on internet trends. In 2014, consumers spent an average of 2 hours and 17 minutes a day, and the data reported at the end of 2016 reflect increased use – up to 4 hours and 14 minutes a day! Can you imagine what this number is today?
For the most part, a truly mobile website offers a user experience very similar to that of a mobile application. A mobile website is the starting point for most local business mobile marketing campaigns. Let’s take a look at the different mobile options available today for companies
Responsive design
The simplest, cheapest, and easiest approach, as well as the minimum you should consider, is the responsive design. By using CSS queries, a responsibly designed website automatically resizes to fit the screen size on which it is displayed, whether it’s on your mobile, tablet, desktop, or other devices in its entirety. The most obvious advantage of this approach is that the business must maintain a single website.
Although the use of mobile devices has overtaken the desktop a few years ago, the claims about the death of the desktop are very exaggerated. As such, taking a mobile-only approach is actually a bad idea because it completely ignores desktop users. Even if a responsive website is undoubtedly something “jack-of-all-trades”, but masterful of none, it certainly offers a decent user experience on any internet device.
Having a single website has many advantages, such as being cheaper to build and maintain, easier to market, and easier to create content. It is also good for search engine optimization, especially with the main index influencing the placement of pages on mobile devices and desktop switching to the first mobile index.
Mobile Websites
Tips to Provide the Best Mobile User Experience As mentioned above, with the mobile placement of an individual page on a website that can influence where you are looking on your desktop, it’s a good idea to have a separate mobile website? Let’s explore this for a moment.
A mobile website is designed exclusively for the small screen, taking into account the limitations and features specific exclusively to mobile devices. A mobile website usually looks awful on the big screen. When someone visits the website, it should be automatically redirected to the appropriate version for their device. This ensures an optimal user experience at all times.
Because a mobile-specific website is easily optimized for the small screen, it tends to provide improved performance for slower and less responsive internet connections. It is also immediately accessible, as it does not need to be downloaded and installed as an application.
Unfortunately, mobile sites have some obvious inherent disadvantages. At this time, Google only changes the principal for sites that are ready for the mobile index first, so this is a plus for companies that have a separate version of a mobile website. How long will Google handle this? Who knows. Although in the past so many have said that optimizing mobile devices does not make sense for every website, this seems to be changing rapidly.
The most obvious disadvantage of having two websites is the complication of keeping them separate. A user switching from mobile to desktop and from desktop to mobile may find a faulty user experience because they are looking for features that are not only available on the other site. This can definitely confuse a target audience! Finally, a mobile website is only good on a mobile phone (usually) and because it is not responsive, it will not necessarily work properly at all. It may not look good on a tablet or many state-of-the-art smartphones with larger screens.
Mobile applications
With mobile sites presenting a half-hearted solution that rarely solves the problem in both cases, native apps take a rather different approach. A native application is a program written specifically for a specific platform (ie iOS or Android). Unlike a website, which is the same on all devices, native apps are not just for mobile devices. Windows 10 has a built-in app store that can run apps on any device, whether it’s a desktop or a tablet or something in between
The applications offer the maximum user experience, with the added advantage that many can also offer an offline experience. They are faster and more responsive and allow a brand to take advantage of all the features and functions of a specific platform, such as push notifications, integrated geo-targeting, and more. Once downloaded and installed, an application also offers visibility like no other solution, unless the user uninstalls the application.
The applications are great for certain situations, but they are not always the right choice. For starters, the cost of developing a mobile application can be extremely high and involves two major platforms to think about (Android and Apple). Each has different requirements for sending and obtaining the approval of an application, Android being a much faster and easier process at the moment. Brands will need to adopt a completely separate marketing approach for a mobile application.
Most consumer-installed applications are used only a few times and then abandoned. It is extremely important for mobile application companies to keep users involved. Given that we have a branded solution for mobile applications, Advice Mobile, we certainly have some tips, tricks, and incisive views on the benefits of mobile applications, so do not rule out having one more!
Which mobile solution should a company or a brand choose?
Businesses certainly need to start with a responsive website, at least, and this will be perfectly satisfying. If the vast majority of a target audience uses only a mobile device, developing a specific mobile solution could be a necessary expense. Mobile apps offer some specific benefits, such as the ability to send push notifications and offer coupons to loyal customers. Many local companies with a mobile app like to use it to send push notifications in slow periods to generate more traffic in the store.
For example, when it comes to interactivity and games, the mobile application presents the obvious content format. Companies that require native features for smartphones, such as GPS, messaging or calls, can also benefit significantly from owning a mobile app. Similarly, for companies that need to provide a personalized service for regular use, such as online account management, a mobile application can easily provide this to consumers on the go.
As a business grows, it makes sense to take the mobile to the next level. As mentioned earlier, we have a branded mobile application solution, which makes it accessible for almost anyone to have a mobile application. The best part? Our solution creates mobile apps on the go in minutes, and anyone can create a free mobile app that is instantly ready to be sent to app stores.
You are not alone – Adlivetech can help
Companies and brands of all sizes are struggling to find the right solution that meets the mobile needs of their customers while meeting their needs and budget! From responsive websites to branded mobile apps, we offer coverage
Now I would like to suggest?
Let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
For More Details
Contact us:
Phone No: +91 7217866339
WhatsApp No: +91 9555714422
Email: adarsh@adlivetech.com