Creating content for mobile devices

Browsing the Internet via mobile devices no longer remains a fad of the geeks. With more and more people using smart phones and tablet PCs to access the Internet and browse websites, creating content for mobile devices no longer remains an option – it is a necessity.

There are two ways you can create content for mobile devices: formatting existing content so that it looks good and presentable on various mobile devices, and creating new content from scratch specifically for mobile devices.

Creating content for mobile devices is totally different from creating content for laptops and PCs. For that you have to understand why people would go to your website via their mobile device?

The “why” in the above-mentioned question can also be divided among two types of devices: cellphones and tablets PCs. Whereas tablets like the iPad can be used to read lengthy articles, reports and even complete novels and books (I do that), it is difficult to read long streams of text using mobile phones due to their size. The screens are smaller compared to tablets and people might be doing scores of other things while using their mobile phones.

According to a 2011 Nielsen study around 86% people in the USA watch TV while using their mobile phones for various activities. Just observe people around you carrying their mobile phones and you will notice that there will be very few people who specifically sit down somewhere and use their phone. They are always in the midst of something else. They are conversing with somebody, travelling in train or bus, waiting for their turn in a restaurant or a clinic or waiting at the airport, to name just a few. What does this tell you?

Although people might be visiting various websites using their mobile devices, they might also be doing scores of other things simultaneously. That needs to be kept in mind. Long chunks of text or indirect references will definitely confuse them or distract them. No paragraph should be more than a sentence or at the most a couple of sentences.

When people are visiting your website through their mobile device they are not interested in the nitty-gritty of what motivates you and how you feel about your business. They simply want to know what you can deliver, how you can deliver, by what time and at what cost. They’re looking for information that can help them decide in a clear-cut manner.

Does it mean the information needs to be totally drab? Not necessarily. You can engage your reader through your mobile content but you just need to keep in mind that there should be less text and more message.

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