If you’re designing a website, it’s no longer an option to consider your mobile design strategy as an after-thought. According to a study by Gartner Research, there will be 1.2 billion smart devices purchased worldwide in 2013. That means that there are 1.3 billion potential mobile devices ready to access your company’s site, and more importantly that you need to be ready for them to see what you have to offer.
As Business Insider points out, companies from The New York Times to Facebook are optimizing their design experience with a focus on mobile users, inspired by mobile apps. It’s no longer a question of whether or not you should have a mobile site, but instead how you should be designing this site.
Nick Saber, President of The Pulse Network, has over 30 years of experience in the technology space. Focused on TPN’s delivery excellence, Nick works every day to stay at the forefront of advancements in mobile technology. Watch Nick’s Top 5 Tips on Creating a Mobile Website: 
Building a mobile site is an immensely important element of your company’s marketing strategy, and no part of it should be taken lightly. Some analysts expect mobile web usage to eclipse desktop usage by 2015, so the need for you to provide a fantastic mobile experience for your users is only going to become more important over time.
Key Takeaways:
1. Use Responsive Design
One of the most talked-about trends in the web design industry is responsive design, and for good reason. Responsive design allows you to design one site to work across multiple platforms. TPN teamed up with Bridgeline Digital to create this video outlining reasons why you should consider responsive design for your mobile site.
2. Prioritize Your Content and Menu Items
The same rule that applies in storytelling applies in mobile web design: “Don’t Bury The Lead.” Simply put, the most important content needs to be up front. Specifically when you’re working on a smaller screen, you need to make sure that the content you want your user to see is the first thing that your user sees.
3. Remember Calls to Action
80% of the first impressions of your website will come from a mobile device. So how do you want to make sure you make the most of these visitors? Provide them with a clear action item, and place it above the fold so that they see it immediately upon opening your site.
4. Focus on Functionality
It’s important to make sure that you provide you mobile users with a full experience. As Nick says, “people want to be able to do everything they can on your full site within your mobile environment.” Just because people are visiting from a smartphone or tablet doesn’t mean that they want a watered-down experience, so make sure you don’t limit functionality on mobile.
5. Make It Easy
You want to make sure to provide an enjoyable experience to mobile users, and the consequences for not doing so can be staggering. A recent Google study tells us that “50% of people said that even if they like a business, they will use them less often if the website isn’t mobile-friendly.” You don’t want to push away potential business because your site isn’t ready to please them across all devices.
Feel free to Tweet to Nick, @ThePulse and join the conversation with Nick and other digital marketers using #My5.
