The Three Essential Ingredients For Your Mobile Site

With the ever increasing popularity of mobile phones (Apple Inc just sold over 5 million iPhone 5′s in a few days), it is becoming essential for all local business owners to have a mobile friendly version of their website.

Unlike a ‘traditional’ website, mobile friendly sites are designed to display perfectly on the smaller screen size of a mobile device.  When a person visits your webpage, your site can determine if the user is on a mobile or desktop/laptop computer, and display the appropriate version of your site.

Contrary to popular belief, your mobile site does not have to be a smaller version of your regular site.  Mobile users are typically after specific information, namely; your contact information, location, and hours of operation.  Of course there is additional information that should be included on a mobile site, but these are the absolut must haves.

Here is a closer look at each element:

1. Contact Information
   This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at how many businesses blow this.  Your contact information needs to be front and center.  It needs to be on the home page and in the footer of every page.  Your phone number should be located in a ‘tap to call’ button so all a user has to do is tap the button and your number will appear in the phone dial pad.  If you have other contact mediums (email, social media etc…) these need to be easily found on the home page.
2. Your Business Location
   While many of your customers may know exactly where you are located, your new ones do not.  Having a interactive mobile map on your site fixes this.  The addition of a Google map will help your customers drive right to your front door.  The Google map will be able to ‘know’ the mobile users current location (provided this feature is activated on their phone) and display the exact turn by turn driving instructions to your business.  This is incredibly useful on many levels.   (1) When giving driving instructions via the phone, you can tell the customer about the mobile map.  (2) Users who land on your mobile site can easily get directions.
3. Hours of Operation
   Again, a ‘no brainer’ right?  Wrong.  Of the eight mobile local business sites I visited today, only three had their hours of operation on the site.  (Most of these sites were poorly translated versions of there regular site).  Very simple to add your business hours to your site in a place visitors can find it.

In addition to these tree elements, every business will have specific information that should also included.  A restaurent may want to have their menu and a towing company should list their service area.  Just be sure the three essential mobile site elements listed above are featured with the business specific information.