Mobile Websites vs. Mobile Apps FAQs: Part 1

There's no doubt about it: it's a mobile world these days. Folks are getting away from their desktops and even their laptops and accessing more content than ever through tablets and mobile phones. The jury is no longer out on this assertion, and we can be relatively confident that this trend will continue to grow.

When you're ready to create a presence that is more geared towards mobile users, a question that may come up is, "Should I build a mobile website or a mobile app?" This series will help get you up to speed on the most fundamental concepts when it comes to comparing the two choices.

Today, we start by asking this question:

What are the Differences Between Mobile Websites and Mobile Apps?

A mobile website can be built to behave much like a mobile app, and vice versa. And although mobile websites are viewed through a phone or tablet's browser, icons can be added to home screens that make them behave even more like native apps. So the differences between the two application types are sometimes not that easy to discern.

A mobile website is built using the same technology as other websites (typically being built with HTML, CSS, and Javascript), and is rendered through mobile browsers. Like all websites, they function across multiple platforms. The same mobile website can reach customers and patrons who are using iPhones, Blackberries, Androids, etc.

Where a mobile website differs from a traditional website involves the presentation. Mobile websites are designed to be best viewed and interacted with on a small screen, such as those found on mobile phones. They also tend to "perform" more like native apps, often replicating the look and interactivity that would be familiar to, for example, an iPhone user.

Conversely, a mobile app is not a website, but an actual piece of software that is downloaded and installed on a user's device. Some of these apps function entirely "self-contained" where an Internet connection is not required. Other apps do, like the mobile website, pull information from the web, which may be necessary, depending on the nature of your content. 

Mobile apps can also be uploaded and distributed for free (or for a price, if desired) to device-specific distribution hubs, such as Apple's iOS App Store or Google's Android Market.

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So, in summary, mobile websites and mobile apps can be designed to behave similarly and, often the difference may be indiscernible to the user, but they are two different animals, particularly with respect to how they're built and accessed.

Next week, in Part 2 of this series, we'll look into what some of the advantages and disadvantages are to each.

Mobile Websites: The Time Has Come…

If you think you can put off designing a mobile website for yet another year, think again.

In 2011, there were 835 million smartphone users and 5.6 billion feature phone users.

By 2015, global Internet usage will more than double - and most of these users will be mobile.

Any mobile website development should include the following considerations:

• When people access sites using mobile devices, their measured usability is much higher for mobile sites than for full sites.
• Consider a mobile app in place of a full mobile website for cost-effectiveness.
• If mobile users arrive at your full site's URL, provide a re-direction to your mobile site. Some search engines still don't rank mobile sites favorably enough for mobile users, so users unwittingly arrive at a full site.
• Or, offer a distinct link from your full site to your mobile website (or app) for those mobile users who may be directed to your full site.
• Similarly, offer a link from your mobile website to your full website for those few users who require special features only available on the full site.

Usability: An Ongoing Part of the Website Design Process

A website is intuitive only if it behaves in a predictable manner, and it can only do that if the designer of your website anticipates what assumptions site visitors will make about how your website functions.

The good news is that visitors already have helpful expectations of how your website functions. They will expect a mouse click to take them to information they are looking for, they will expect icons they've seen on other sites to behave in a similar fashion on your site.

Here are a few important things to consider to make your site more user-friendly:

Remove Obstacles
Allow site visitors to directly interact with content and provide "express routes" to additional information they are looking for.

Minimize Effort
You can make life easier for visitors to your website by keeping related links close together and by placing frequently used links in a prominent position on your page.

Be Explicit
Make content on your site that is clickable obvious to the visitor and try and use conventional names for  navigational elements. If you cannot think of a better way to say "About Us" then don't even try. These types of conventions work because people are familiar with them.

Be Flexible
Visitors will expect you to provide shortcuts to content so they can skip the information that is not of interest to them. If you have video or sound on your site, make it easy to quit or shut off. People want to feel like they are in control when they are surfing the web, so allow them to make their own choices.

Be Forgiving
Most visitors to your site do not choose the best option, they choose the first reasonable option, a strategy known as satisficing. While visitors often play the guessing game when searching for information, don't make it difficult for them if they change their minds, use breadcrumbs and/or omnipresent navigation to allow them to find their way around your site.

Usability is not a step in the website design process—it's not something you do only once and never think about it again. It's an ongoing part of the design process.

The Importance of Search Engine Optimization for Your Site

Search Engine Optimization is important because it helps to make your website easy for both users and search engine robots to understand. Although search engines have become increasingly sophisticated, it is difficult for them to process a web page the same way a person does. SEO helps the search engines determine what each page is about, and how it may be helpful to a user.

All major search engines operate on the same principles—automated search bots crawl through your website, follow links and index content, and store this information in in massive databases. The data is retrieved and displayed when a users initiates a search.

Consider these facts:

• 70-80% of users ignore the paid ads, focusing on the organic results.
• 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
The rules of SEO and organic search marketing are constantly changing. In the past, SEO specialists focused their attention on keyword-rich content, meta title tags that accurately describe your product or service, and inbound links from other relevant websites. Today, SEO is driven by fresh, updated content where search engines are giving more credit to those who demonstrate authority and expertise in their industry which is reflected by certain keywords, and by articles and blogs.

The Importance of Social Media
One of the most neglected components of SEO is the alignment of your search engine optimization strategy with social media activity. Google analyzes Facebook "shares" and Twitter posts for determining search rankings, so a powerful online social presence is important for your business to get noticed. Social Media Optimization is not a one time process, but an ongoing campaign that constantly drives quality visitors to your site.

In order to work, SEO must be a continuous process. It's not enough to build and optimize a website, you need to commit to a strategy that includes an on-going plan to regularly add original content and integrate social media sites.

Web Site Design: Planning Your Home Page

A well-constructed home page will project a good first impression to all who visit your website.

All websites are organized around a home page that serves as a logical point of entry into the rest of your site. The home page sits at the top of the hierarchical chart of pages, and helps to divide your audience and provide clear pathways to their particular area of interest.

It is important that your home page clearly communicates your site's purpose, and provide all of the major options available on your site. Information on your home page should be visible "above the fold", and the content should focus on what your site offers that is of value to the visitor, and how it differs from your competition.

When a visitor arrives at your site, the first thing they do is scan your home page for links and major headings. Requiring visitors to read large passages of text can slow them down, or frustrate them to the point of leaving your site, so your website home page should enable easy navigation so that visitors can quickly browse for information they want without any hassles.

Invest a little time planning the organizational structure of your home page and think about who your audience is, and what they would expect to see on your site. Successful sites inform, engage and meet visitor expectations.

How Vital Is Brand Consistency?

Consistency is one of the most important cornerstones in maintaining brand strength, but it can be compromised easily. Often, consistent branding falls victim to uncertainty during organizational change or shifts in marketing strategy.

Your brand is the component of your company or product that resonates emotionally with your customers and prospects. Strong, effective branding helps customers build an attachment to your company or product beyond features, benefits or price.

A well-defined and consistent brand, then, allows the marketplace to rely on your brand to deliver a specific, consistent experience during interactions with your company. And that results in stronger customer loyalty and ultimately, consumer trust.

But brand consistency isn’t limited to how a product should look, or how it’s perceived.

Brand consistency is all about the touch points of your brand. It requires constant monitoring and response in the following areas:

•        Employee-customer exchanges, whether in person, by telephone, fax or e-mail
•       Website
•        Social media Video
•        Product attributes, such as packaging, product functionality, features and benefits
•        Warranty/customer service policies
•        Advertising – all forms
•      Print collateral (print matter and stationery)
•        Product manuals, inserts, directions
•        Physical locations of headquarters or offices
•        Trade show booths and graphics
•        Distribution sources
•        Public relations

When branding vacillates toward inconsistency, consumers report a sense of uncertainty and a lack of confidence in products and services attached to that brand.  

In fact, experts maintain that poor branding is more detrimental than no branding at all.

Elements of a Good Website

A good website has well-written, relevant content that is regularly updated, and a design that is intuitive and easy to use. However, many businesses struggle to build and maintain a strong web presence because they do not fully understand what makes a website successful.

A Good Website Has:

• A tagline clearly identifies what you do
• Consistent design and navigation on all pages
• Clear hierarchy of information
• Footer links at the bottom of every page
• Keywords that identify what your business does
• Easy-to-find contact information
• A method for gathering user data
• Content that is relevant, informative and motivates a visitor to act
• High rankings with major search engines

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