Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?

I’m one of the millions of Canadians who uses a mobile device (two, in fact) to surf the Web. Twice this past week I was thwarted in my attempt to access a number of popular Websites because the sites weren’t designed to allow mobile surfers, like myself, in.

I have two observations to make regarding this:

1. Companies that continue to ignore (shut out) mobile surfers are going to start noticing that they are losing customers and, even worse, irreparably damaging their brands. As more and more people start to use mobile devices to access the Web, they are going to flock to the Websites of the companies that welcome them and their wireless brethren and avoid those that don’t. Even when mobile surfers are forced to surf through a ‘wired’ device (e.g., a desktop computer), which Websites (and brands) do you think are going to be top-of-mind to them? Certainly not the ones that spurned them in the mobile environment.
2. It’s not as difficult as you might think to make a Website (or at least some of its key content) accessible to a mobile surfer. You don’t even need to create a separate WAP Website. If you avoid the use of frames, JavaScript/Flash navigation, image maps, and tons of images, your main site will be more mobile-friendly. Sound familiar? Pat yourself on the back if you recognized that many of the same best practices that make a Website easily found by search engines also make a Website easily accessed by mobile users.

If you’re planning on launching, or re-launching, a Website, make sure you remember to consider the mobile surfer in your plans. Their numbers are only going to increase over time.