Tag Archives: Content for Mobile Devices

Should mobile be your 1st priority when writing content?

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The writer of this LinkedIn post says that (probably he owns or works in an SEO company) 50% of their clients are receiving more than 45% non-PC organic searches. He also makes a rough prediction that over 65% of their clients may receive more than 50% of their traffic from mobile phones and tablets rather than conventional computers and laptops.

This is not one single isolated incident of an online marketer showing data indicating that more people are using mobile phones to carry out searches and use the Internet in general. If I’m not mistaken, around 60% Internet users in India have never used a computer or a laptop – they are using their mobile phones to access the web. In small towns and even in villages, there are some shops that charge Rs. 10 to set up a Facebook account on a mobile phone.

So as a content writer, should writing for mobile devices be your 1st priority while writing and formatting your content? Undoubtedly your content must be scalable. It must be easily accessible on devices of different screen sizes. But it has got more to do with the layout of your webpages.

What makes your content mobile-friendly?

Personally I believe every sort of content that is reader-friendly is also mobile-friendly. If possible, create shorter sentences and shorter paragraphs. Confine one paragraph to one idea – a couple of sentences. Keep your images easily scalable so they can contract and expand according to the screen size. Use a font type that adjusts itself according to the screen resolution. But again, these are technical aspects.

As a content writer you should know that an average mobile user is more distracted than an average PC or laptop user. You can carry your mobile phone anywhere. You might be travelling in a train. You might be having a chat with a colleague in your office. You might be rocking your kid. For all I know, you might be reading this blog post sitting in a restaurant buzzing with activity and noise while trying to make sure that your coffee doesn’t spill over your screen.

Unlike with a computer or a laptop, you rarely see people using a mobile phone as an exclusive exercise. It is always done while doing something else. So there are greater number of distractions. Your content needs to compete with these distractions in order to keep your readers hooked.

Drab, uninspiring content naturally goes out the window. Your writing needs to be crisp, interesting, compelling and highly useful. But how is it different from writing content for computers and laptops? Not much.

Anyway, if you want to create content specifically for mobile devices like smart phones and tablets, here are a few things you can keep in mind:

Writing content for mobile phones and tablets

  • Use smaller sentences and paragraphs
  • Avoid using lots of hyperlinks
  • Focus on one message or one thought per page or blog post
  • Present the facts within your content rather than linking to them
  • Make your language interactive in the sense that you use lots of “you”, “I”, “me”, “we”, and “us” – in a sense that a person feels that he or she is having a conversation rather than reading a monologue
  • Link to extra pages at the end
  • Use visual formatting to highlight certain sections and expressions
  • Use simple language and don’t try to use lots of synonyms for your main keywords

Creating content for mobile devices

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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.