Is Your Web Site or Blog Mobile User Friendly?
Hello everyone. My name is Garry Conn and this is my first post here on SEOHosting.com. I am very happy to be here and even more pleased to have the opportunity to speak to you on the many topics related to the world of search engines. If this is your first time visiting SEOHosting.com, I want to welcome you here to the site and immediately invite you over to view our free SEO Tips and to take full advantage of our free SEO Tools! As you might already know, SEOHosting.com is a service that provide special blend of hosting packages specifically geared towards the clients who are very conscious and particular about search engine optimization.
With that being said, today I want to talk to you a little bit about the wonderful world of mobile Internet and how its explosive growth could be leaving you missing out on scoring traffic to your web site or blog. Ironically, it was just recently on July 8th, 2008, The Washington Post released an article explaining that the United States is one of the top countries to make use of Mobile Internet and I believe that to be true. If you consider this situation for a minute you might start to see where I am coming from here. I am not the only one who uses my mobile phone to surf the web. While there are still large numbers of individuals who don’t, these numbers are decreasing every day.
I use my mobile phone to surf the web. In fact, I use my mobile phone more to surf the web than I use it to talk on it. Strangely enough as I am out and about in the mall or in the grocery store I see more and more people walking around aimlessly while they are using their mobile phones to surf the Internet. So, the question I have to ask you is this: what will happen if someone attempts to access your blog or web site using their mobile device? Will your site load up? What will it look like? Most importantly, will your mobile visitors like it?
For me, as a mobile Internet user, I am constantly on the hunt for sites that look and function very well on my mobile phone. For the time being, there two Internet worlds. One is the traditional Internet that people have been using for the last ten years or so. The second, is a new Internet world, the world of mobile Internet. When I use my mobile device to surf the web, I tend to cling to the sites that I discover to be more functional in my mobile device. In fact, I feel terrible when I can’t enjoy visiting some of my most favorite sites using my mobile device.
So what does this mean for you? Well, the way I see it, I see this as a huge opportunity for you to shine. I see this as being a great way for you to push your web site forward over and beyond your competitors. Think about it this way. If you were to invest the time and possibly a little amount of money into making sure that your web site or blog was mobile friendly, you could then advertise that fact to your readers and site visitors. Upon discovering this fact, your readers and visitors will remember this and grow even closer and more fond of your site, knowing that they can visit you anytime they want.
Imagine how powerful your web site or blog could be if people were able to access it while shopping at the mall. Imagine how useful your web site or blog could be if people were able to view all your high quality content and articles while on their lunch break at work. Today we live in a world where many people feel like they can’t live without the Internet. They feel such a connection with the Internet that they purchase mobile devices such as a mobile Internet ready cell phone just so that they can take the Internet on the road with them. Unfortunately, there isn’t a large percentage of sites that are conscious of what their readers and site visitors want. People want more mobile friendly web sites. If you can be a pioneer in your niche market, then you can easily become king.
Stick around and be sure to subscribe to the SEOHosting.com RSS feed. In my next article I am going to talk more about how you can make your web site or blog mobile user friendly. In this next article I will show you step by step on how you can quickly and easily make your blog or web site look absolutely amazing in a cell phone. So stay tuned! In the mean time, be sure to check out our unique blend of SEO Hosting Plans available. While it is important to have a web site or blog that is mobile friendly, it is equally if not more important to make sure it is search engine optimized. SEOHosting.com provides solutions to help you with that.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:08 am
People seem to underestimate the importance of SEO for mobile sites and blogs, but in time the sites not optimized for it are going to suffer. Great first post, Garry!
July 9th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Thanks for this. Mobile users are some I have completely ignored.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Definitely good advice to be heard here. A lot of blogs are not in the least mobile accessible, and I haven’t personally put any thought into it. Knowing that the U.S. is a huge market for mobile browsers, I’m definitely going to be having a second look. I even know personally people that tried to access my website and had some trouble… so its a smart move to make.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:17 am
I think the mobile web will redefine some parts of SEO in the near future. With the ability to determine the phone’s location through gps and wifi, like with the iphone, I think geotargeting will become more specific and sophisticated.
Going to college has changed how I look at mobile browsing. At UT, you can pick up wifi anywhere on the entire campus. This not only includes buildings, but all major outdoor areas. The internet is constantly accessible, no matter where you’re at.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Hey Garry,
Great first up post! To be honest, this is something I have never thought of. You have certainly opened my eyes to the technology that is available to everyone today and how to use it to gain maximum exposure from our sites. Your post has pointed out the ‘real’ benefits of mobile technology and I look forward to your next post to find out “HOW’ to actually make my site ‘mobile friendly’.
Keep up the great work.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:03 am
I love it Garry, very good information. I am looking forward to reading more in this series, as this is something I have a lot of interest in.
Placing your site in front of the mobile community is indeed a way to step slightly ahead of a pack and set yourself apart.
Keep up the good work!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Absolutely true, people underestimate the power of SEO-oriënted hosting and very few people actually realise that mobile internet use is rising spectacularly. Aiming at this part of the market is not just a good idea, it is a necessity. Especially with the new cell phones, like the iPhone, the further implementation of 3G networks and more and more people constantly on the go.
I have been neglecting to tweak my website in this aspect, but this post has reminded me again. Thanks Gary!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:55 am
WOW garry I never thought of mobile bloggers before, or even mobile blogging. Hey can I coin this new phrase? “berry blogging”. Man now I have to go get a blackberry !!!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:57 am
To tell yo uthe truth Gary, I have never even thought about it - still trying to get regular visitors using laptops and pc’s to visit my site.;-))
July 9th, 2008 at 5:02 am
I’ve been wondering how to make my blog mobile friendly. I have now subscribed to the feed, and am looking forward to your next post!
July 9th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Hi Garry,
A great post. It is a fact that mobile internet is catching up. Webmasters whose websites are mobile friendly stands out. Thanks you brought this in your first post itself. Looking forward to your next post in this series.
A good and timely topic to begin with Garry.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:10 am
ok garry, as now you will talk about seo very much here on this seo blog, i think you have to fix all things here on this blog first
here is a list of what i have found so far that need to be fixed.
1. meta tags. currently all page (front page and single page) have all same meta description, and keyword.
it’s broken isn’t it.
2. table layout. (it must be a piece of cake for you : )
3. that about US link down there
I didn’t do this to find what’s missing from the blog, it’s just naturally
congratulation garry, you’re a professional writer now.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Outstanding first post!
July 9th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Wow, Garry. I guess I will have to take HostGator more seriously. I am really impressed that they recruited you to write for them. Way to go HostGator!
Now, about your post.
You are right on the money. The era of the Main Frame Computer was followed by the era of the PC. Now, that era is clearly giving way to the mobile device. The world wide growth of hand held wireless devices is staggering. So, getting out in front of this is the right thing to do.
After your “mobile friendly” post, a post on “getting mobile traffic” would be great too.
Thanks, Garry.
Regards,
Mark
July 9th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hopefully as mobile browsers evolve I don’t think that making your blog will be as important as it is now. Already the Safari browser for the iPhone works just as good (if not better) than Safari for the desktop. It renders pages great has javascript support. The only things that are missing are all of the browser plugins. I have noticed an increase in hits from iPhones on the sites I run that are easy to navigate, load fast and look good. Not so much on big my big blogs that take forever to load on memory challenged systems.
Most consumers who use mobile phones to browse the internet these days have phones that are capable of more than the crappy “OpenWav” restricted WAP. Therefore it is better to forget about the older style “mobile internet” and move forward with the new.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I agree… mobile web usage is only going to grow with both mobile phones and the so called “MIDs” (mobile internet devices) becoming more and more important. I would be interested in seeing some of the techniques that work best for helping mobile users find your site, as well as what monetization strategies work best for mobile users. Anyway, I look forward to the rest of the series.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Hello Mr Conn,
Thanks a million, there is some great advice here that I really should take on board.
I am looking forward to learning a bit more about this subject and getting my site ready for the mobile web.
In some ways it feels like we are taking a step back. Just as we get used to having quick loading killer graphics we have to take a step back and make our graphics simple again!!
July 9th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Nice post! Gary.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Thanks for opening up a whole world I would not have thought of.
Since I’m not a mobile phone user myself (one of the 8 people left in the world), I completely blocked-out this avenue in my SEO efforts.
That changes TODAY!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Excellent post Garry. I definitely need to be more in tune with MT. As the kids get older - it will only get bigger.
Keep up the excellent writing - will enjoy seeing you regularly!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Great post Gary!
Just want to congratulate with you for jumping on this new challange.
I wish you all the best, you really deserve it!
Francesco.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:19 am
This post was so timely for me - I have been trying to figure out what to do about making content useful for mobile readers without minimizing the visual impact for a full-screen reader. I hope your next post clues me in on how to do this! (By the way, COOL that you are here, I am now subscribed to SEO Hosting since they have such good taste in writers!!)
July 9th, 2008 at 10:27 am
It seems that everything is going mobile. I guess I need to get on the bandwagon and start doing more to promote Mobile. At first I thought, why go mobile if I don’t even use it, and then it was something along the lines of, because everyone else is and this is why it is such a great investment to get your website or blog or product up and running at it’s full potential. Great post.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Great first post Garry! And something I have never thought about either. You have just opened my mind up to a whole new world for my business. Thanks!
July 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Great! One more thing to do now. I agree, mobile phones have been transformed so much that you can do most anything from them and surfing the web with them is now one of their major functions. Will my site load well on one? probably not, I have not paid attention to this little factor and I’m not really sure how much it affects me but I know I have to take the steps to make sure it does eventually. There’s just so much to do.
Thanks Gary.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
@Garry,
Great post. This is something I have ignored other than putting my site on MobiSpine.
@Charlie,
I feel the pain man.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
so you don’t reply comment anymore garry?
July 9th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Ha Ha!! Yes Jacky, I do reply. I am going to ask HostGator.com if they would install the threaded comments plugin so that I can do what I normally do and reply to the comments individually.
Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to read my first published article here on SEOHosting.com. You guys are very kind and I absolutely love the comments. I have read everyone. Very happy that you guys all found it very useful to. So much more to come. I will continue this series and further explain how you can get your web site or blog mobile Internet ready. So stay tuned.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Garry, besides some tips on how to do it, providing links to some tools that may show us how it displays would be good too. Than we can change and test.
I’ve heard some Mobile browsers actually do some of the work for us (as far as re-sizing, etc.)
Looking forward to the next post. Congrats. Hostgator is luckey to have you.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
As always fantastic informative posts from you Garry
Will be waiting for the next article from you
PedroG
July 13th, 2008 at 1:45 am
[...] Conn начал сотрудничать с HostGator. В рассылке он рассказывает о своем первом посте для [...]
July 16th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
[...] one new article every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Today, I wrote my first article titled, Is Your Web Site or Blog Mobile User Friendly and I would love for you to read it and drop me a comment on that post. I will be doing a complete [...]
July 18th, 2008 at 2:33 am
As mobile devices become more sophisticated, it’s inevitable that we’ll continue to see improvements in the way we communicate with people and to see how important it is to have an online presence meant for the medium.
You’re off to a great start here, Garry! Of course, it comes as no surprise to me given all the great content you’ve been providing readers for the past couple of years.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I am first time visiting on this site SEOHosting.com. It’s amazing to think that cell phone popularity is surpassing computer popularity, so making your web page not only search engine friendly but mobile friendly will be a huge market. I will subscribe to your RSS feed to stay up-to-date. Thanks!