Is mobile version for a website required?
Every organization wants to make its business mobile responsive to their customers then deciding factor would be whether to go for mobile app or mobile website. Here mobile websites and mobile apps looks similar at first glance, and determines which will be best suits your business will majorly depends on certain factors like target audience, budget available, purpose of your business and necessary features
benefits of having the mobile website:
firstly it can be accessed by using handheld mobile devices such as smart phones( e.g. phone, android and blackberry mobiles) and tablets. A mobile website look and feel wise it looks similar to browser based HTML pages that are linked and can be accessed over the internet ( for mobile or tablet typically we use Wi-Fi or 3G 0r 4G networks).
The differentiating between a mobile website from a standard website is that mobile is designed in such a way that it should work on handheld devices like touch screen mobile and tablets. it should be compatible to touch screen interface. Like normal website, mobile websites can display videos, data, t ext content and images. they will configured in such a away that it can access special features like click-to-call( to dial a phone number) or location based mapping.
If our business goal is to offer our customers a mobile friendly content to reach larger audience then we should go for a mobile website. Generally companies first goal is to develop a mobile based website to give customer better user experience. Mobile website has a number inherent advantages like accessibility, compatibility and cost-effectiveness.
Advantages of having mobile website:
Immediacy:
A Mobile website can be accessed insatantly via browser across wide range of devices like Iphone and android and tablets etc.
Compatability:
A single mobile website can reach end-users across different handheld mobile devices, Furthermore, mobile website URL’s can be integrated into other mobile technologies such as SMS,QR Codes and Near field communication(NFC).
Upgradability:
A mobile website is dynamic in terms of pure flexibility to update content. If you want to change design of the mobile website and content of the website you simply publish the edit once and the changes are immediately once.
Findability:
Mobile Websites are easier for users to find wheather their pages displayed in search list in industry specification directories are not because to make easy for the qualified visitors to find you easily.
Shareability:
Mobile website URLs can be shared easily between users via simple link like email, facebook, twitter or a simple text message. The publishers can be easily direct the mobile website users from a website or a blog.
Mobile Website can be a Application!
Mobile website can be developed as database which is driven by the web application that which it acts like a native application just like a standard web application. It also can be alternative to the native application development.
Time and Cost:
Mobile website development is a cost effective and more time than developing a native application. If you want to have a presence on the different platforms it is required to develop a multiple applications.