Mobile Optimized Websites Are No Longer An Option

Just under a decade ago, phones were for calling your friends, and computers were for accessing a rapidly growing internet.  The distinction was clear.  Today, computers are still in use, but the smartphone has changed the way the web is used.  A couple years ago, having a mobile optimized site was a luxury, but today it is a requirement to have a site designed for mobile users.



Statistics: Numbers Never Lie

The numbers are clear in showing that smartphones are used twice as muchto access the internet compared to the amount of time spent making phone calls.  In fact, by the end of 2012, there will be more mobile phones than people.

The only problem for an online business is deciding how to optimize a website for mobile users.  Recently, the trends have shifted towards responsive website designs, but some still prefer a dedicated mobile website that looks and functions differently than the desktop version.

The Case For Responsive Designs

Responsive website designs are designs that respond to any screen size.  Regardless of the screen size or device, the design of the website will shift to best fit the screen and maintain the user experience.

Many prefer responsive designs due to the fact that the only requirement is usually an addition to the existing design code.  The URLs stay the same, and the design remains close to the same from device to device.

Additional coding is often used in the argument against a responsive design.  On each page load, the responsive code is also loaded, which can bring down page speed.  This can have a negative effect on search engine rankings and take away from a positive user experience.

Is A Dedicated Mobile Site The Answer?

A dedicated mobile site can work through redirecting traffic from mobile devices to a different version of the same website.  The two main advantages are that the site often loads faster, and a dedicated mobile site may be easier to use than a responsive design.

The main drawback of a dedicated mobile site centers around the URL.  Mobile designs often redirect from "http://www.yoursite.com" to "http://m.yoursite.com", or something similar.  From a search engine optimization and indexing standpoint, this may be a problem, but is likely overblown.

Where to Put Resources?

For companies trying to weigh the benefits of choosing a responsive design or a dedicated mobile site, it may be helpful to look to big brands.  Sites like the BBC are implementing responsive design in favor of mobile versions of their sites more and more.

Quite a few large and recognizable brands are moving towards responsive designs, which is a strong indication on where the future is headed when it comes to designing for mobile users.  For the company on a budget with no room to test between the two, responsive designs are cheap and simple to implement.

Larger companies with larger budgets for research and testing purposes should take the opportunity to test different design options while monitoring user engagement and feedback.

The Answer: It Depends

The consideration that has not been discussed is the type of site considering each design option.  A blog that does not do any direct sales and relies on search engines for most of its traffic would do well with a responsive design.  An ecommerce store that may rely on various forms of traffic and needs the ability to carry out sales transactions may prefer a dedicated mobile site.

What is not up for debate is the need for a mobile design of some sort.  The rest is situation specific.

Byline:  Alex Gordon has worked for many websites in the past, including  professional sites, social sites, and sites that offer online dating for free.