metrocafe311

Search & Analytics

Optimising A Website For Mobile Devices

• Aindreas Phelan
• May 10, 2011
• 0 comments

2011 is the year when mobile internet will exceed the number of desktop users globally depending on who you talk to with 2013/2014 the more likely year. Having said that, the popularity of mobile is growing at an exponential rate and businesses need to adapt. Already, almost 20% of bets with Paddy Power occur on a mobile device with a bet occurring every 3 seconds on a mobile device. Read on after the jump... The main reasons behind this tremendous growth is down to a number of factors.

1. Computing Power is getting more powerful
2. Portable media devices and smartphones are (excuse the pun) getting smarter :)
3. 3G and connectivity nationally is on the increase
4. Costs are decreasing *cough* Law of accelerating returns *cough*
5. Mobile Cloud Computing - Essentially refers to an infrastructure where both the data storage and the data processing happen outside of the mobile device from which an application is launched i.e. this is basically the future of mobile in a nutshell.

Ok so you get why mobile is something to pay attention to but how do you know if it's worth your while optimising your site for mobile devices? You're going to need to do it in the future (regardless) but how do you know if you should do it right now? Below are four steps you can take to see if you should optimise your website for mobile devices. Step 1) Check your Analytics ! You can access this data by clicking on the Mobile button under the Visitors drop down in Google Analytics as seen below. Of course you can also run an Advanced Segment within Google Analytics to get this data. Step 2) Check your AdWords You can segment your clicks in AdWords by device easily and quickly to give you a quick indication. Step 3) In the Google Keyword tool you can check the keyword volume for searches performed on mobile devices. Step 4) Borrow a smartphone if you don't already have one and see what your site looks like. If you've flash on the site then it won't work on an iPhone which is a pretty big deal considering they make up a huge chunk of the mobile and media devices market at present and since they toppled Google as the number 1 brand, you can expect this domination to continue. So there you have it, you've now got the information you need to make a decision as to whether or not your business needs to get a mobile optimised website or if you can afford to wait a while. My advice on the matter would be that there's no such thing as too early and to get involved and start testing what works and what doesn't so you're in the best possible position for the future. Aindreas Phelan works in the Search and Analytics team in metrocafe311 and is a Google AdWords Professional and Google Analytics Qualified.