The MarCom Strategist: A Free B2B Marketing E-Newsletter

April, 2008
Published by Dianna Huff
Volume 8, Number 04

Welcome!

Everyone remembers their first kiss and the first time they fell in love . . . well, it's the same for first cars, too. A number of you sent in your stories about your first cars -- how much they cost, their quirks, and most important, why you loved them and still remember them fondly. Take a few minutes to read people's car stories, and if you have one of your own, send it in to me and I'll add it to the others.

A number of months ago I received an email from GoDaddy telling me I could now register .mobi domain names -- and I had better hurry to do so. Of course I did -- and spent hundreds of dollars -- only to find out later that I didn't need to buy .mobi domain extensions because my Website was configured for mobile devices. Really? I had no idea.

This issue I interview Website expert Del Maxwell of Sonora DesignWorks about mobile Websites and how to ensure your site is "mobile device-friendly." (Full disclosure: Del works on my site and Sonora and I work together on multiple client sites.)

Regards,
Dianna's signature
Dianna Huff

Expert Interview: Develop a PDA-Friendly Website

PDAs and Smart Phones are ubiquitous, given the fact that they're also a required business tool. If you're like many professionals, you hooked into email and phone 24/7.

Mobile device use is so pervasive, IDC predicted there will be "nine times more smart phones, PDAs and BlackBerries in use by 2011 -- or a 54% growth rate -- with 82 million devices in use," according to a story on Network World.com.

With more people accessing email and Websites via these handheld devices, it behooves you to ensure your company Website is "mobile friendly." Del Maxwell of Sonora DesignWorks took some time to answer questions about this topic.

Dianna Huff: Del, what's the first step a marketer or business owner should do with regard to developing a Website for mobile devices?

Del Maxwell: First off, look at your site with a handheld device. If you don't own one, borrow one, or invest in one. See if you can navigate from your home page to other pages within the site. Also track how long it takes to download the site. If you can't navigate to other pages, the site takes forever to download, or it looks terrible, then you have problems.

DH: What causes these problems?

DM: Large graphic files can make it very difficult to download pages. Various features requiring technology not available on a handheld Web browser, such as Flash and Java Script, can cause real problems. An animated Flash intro page, for example, may not work on a handheld device.

DH: Can you recommend workarounds?

DM: Each designer / programmer will have his own preferred method, but I recommend creating a secondary style sheet that is used specifically for handheld devices. Using this style sheet allows me to disable certain features and elements from handheld devices. This means that a site you view on a desktop or laptop is much different when viewed via the handheld, but the content is the same.

For example, if you look at the code on your site, there's a callout in the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) that is a handheld browser command. The browser sees it and renders the site according to the handheld style sheet.

DH: What about a link to a page or section of the site developed specifically for handhelds? I've noticed that eBay does this -- although the "eBay Mobile" link is hidden at the bottom of the home page. When you click on it, you get taken to another page that tells you which URL to use if you're on a mobile device.

DM: I prefer not to do this because it's possible to garner duplicate content penalties from the search engines. Plus, as you just stated, mobile users have to access the unwieldy home page first and then hunt around for the mobile link.

DH: I've heard that companies should design sites for mobile users that make it easy to find directions and contact info. Is this true?

DM: Yes, unless you don't want customers to be able to find or contact you!

DH: So does this mean people don't need to rush out and buy .mobi domain names?

DM: That's correct. Save your money and ensure your site is designed for mobile devices first. If it's already designed using CSS, then adding in the handheld style sheet command is not a lot of work. I would also add that you don't want too spend too much time or money on developing a site for mobile users if you're a small mom and pop accounting firm. You really need to look at your audience and why they visit your site.

Technology is changing all the time and one day our current handheld devices will be replaced by something better -- rendering the current "is my site mobile friendly?" question moot.

Due to integration with other devices, systems, and software, the next generation of devices could potentially stick around longer and therefore be worth more of an investment for a Website owner, if it's even necessary at that point.

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Thanks, Del! To learn more about Sonora DesignWorks, visit their Website at www.sonoradesignworks.com.

How to Tell if Your Site Doesn't Suck

In this blog post from my MarCom Writer blog, I note a number of free tools you can use to determine how your site compares to similar Websites. Get your site graded, determine the number of inbound links, and use Google Analytics' new benchmarking tool to see if your site is "sticky."

What can Dianna Huff do for you?

Are you redesigning and/or rewriting your corporate Website because your company has grown or you're changing direction? Don't struggle with defining who you are! As a professional and experienced Web-based marketer, I'll help you:

Determine your Website's objective (i.e.: what do you want prospects to do once they get to your site?).
Develop your messages by interviewing key people within your organization and researching your competitors and industry.
Determine the right keywords for your site and optimize it accordingly.
Write clean, energetic copy that compels site visitors (your prospects) to take action.

To learn more, take a look at my Web Content and SEO Copywriting Services pages to see how you can put my award-winning expertise to work for you. Dianna Huff has won Gold MarCom Awards for her work with the Inca Gold Products and Helaine Smith DMD Websites.