Optimizing Websites for Mobile Users

The number of people using cell phones and smart phones for accessing the internet is growing rapidly. According to the Pew Center, "use of the Internet on mobile devices has grown sharply from the end of 2007 to the beginning of 2009". The study further finds that 32% of Americans have used a cellular or smart phone to access the internet for e-mailing, instant-messaging or information seeking which represents a growth of 73% growth in the 16 month interval between surveys.

The problem is most websites, including most travel/tourism sites, are not designed for or optimized for use on such devices. These sites are likely to display poorly, be very difficult to navigate or not display some content at all. As a result, the user is likely to search elsewhere for the information.

To view how your site appears on various mobile devices, you can find emulators online such as this dotMobi site: http://mtld.mobi/emulator.php

W. A. Fisher Interactive can optimize websites for use on mobile devices to ensure our clients don't miss out on significant sales to users of such devices. After optimization, the web site essentially reads what browser is calling up the site and displays the content accordingly. On a desktop device, the user sees the regular full-screen web site, but on a mobile device, they would be redirected automatically to a separate site that has been designed for the most common mobile screen sizes and browsers.