On an iPad, click here to see the first of several iPad designed web sites from Dog Star Media. Last year, mobile web sites were one of the most in-demand web modifications we saw. The reason was the explosion in the use of mobile devices such as iPhones, Androids and Blackberries. iPads, which were new that year, were being used but at a much lower rate of use than smart phones.
In the last year and a half, the use of mobile devices to surf web sites has steadily increased. Many of our clients’ web sites received more than 12% mobile traffic now with some reaching as high as 18%. And, it‘s climbing. Since March, we have also seen a strong, sustained bounce in the use of iPads to view web sites. This has necessitated the development of an iPad-specific web site presentation.
Here is how it works. A user selects your web site and this “call” is made to the server where your web site resides. The server can tell what sort of hardware is being used. When you have a mobile site, templates are placed on your server for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Depending on which hardware is identified, the mobile site information is placed into the proper template and displayed. For iPads, the iPhone template is displayed but it looks small and proportionate for the iPhone. When clients were getting a nominal number of views from iPads, this was not a problem. But, now that iPad use is growing, the need for a specific template to maximize the size and graphic benefits of the iPad is necessary. So, with an iPad-specific template, your mobile site info is displayed best for that hardware is made.
So, what assures that everyone viewing your site sees the best presentation for the devices they are using? You need a standard web site that makes a great visual first impression. You need a mobile site with templates for iPhone, Blackberry and Android. You also need an iPad template to make the best presentation on iPads. At Dog Star Media, this is two packages mobile/smartphone and Ipad. The cost for both are comparable and affordable. Our mobile/smartphone and iPad sites are easy and affordable to expand as the need arises. Oh... and we can make your video play on these sites by re-encoding it for mobile devices.
The time is now to bring your mobile strategy up to speed. If you do not have a mobile web site for smart phones or iPads, you are losing ground. More than 50% of Internet traffic occurs on mobile devices and that percentage has been growing past 50% for more than a year now. If you are ready to show your best presentation on the web no matter which hardware is being used to view it, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.
