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When most of us working in technology businesses are aware of the mobile World wide web tsunami, various companies have however to embrace the technology by publishing a mobile version of their own web site.
Here's how to design a website for the Apple iPhone.
1. Preparing
Get out the scrapbook or a new Google Doc and jot down why you are building a mobile app, who is it for and what you want the app to do.
2. Content Creation
Then jot which pages are needed and flesh out the content material by copying the text from your main web-site into the Google Doc. To start, think about the following pages:
- Mobile Dwelling
- Goods
- Services
- Blog Feed
- Podcast Feed
- About Us
- Contact Us
3. Setting Up the Subdomain
The standard convention for mobile websites is having a subdomain referred to as "m", which is brief for mobile. Ask your server administrator to do this for you. I accomplished this in less than three clicks in Plesk.
4. Wireframing
There are a lot of web kits out there such as iWebKit that will offer the standard framework, requiring you to merely edit the HTML by replacing the dummy text with your own company specifics.
5. Adding Functionality
Now that you've got a barebones mobile web page up, you can explore other functionality like getting a click-to-dial feature by using the tel: hyperlink (works on mobile browsers, but not normal internet browsers). Furthermore you can integrate with Google Maps producing it very easy for prospective clients to come across your workplace.
6. Alpha Testing
Soon after generating the standard structure and adding the content, publish your pages to the internet using any FTP program. I located loading "http://m.yourdomain.com" in Apple's Safari a fantastic way to test the mobile app rather than waiting for the pages to reload on my iPhone. As soon as you are happy with how it looks in the desktop browser, boot up the iPhone, iPod Touch or BlackBerry and see how it looks on those devices.
7. Beta Testing
When you're confident all the pages load and there are no broken links, ask a few of your friends or colleagues to view the web page on their smartphones. If your pals are willing, have them answer a couple of questions such as:
- What device and network did you access the mobile web site on?
- Did the mobile web-site load? Was it slow or fast?
- What was your 1st impression?
- Did we articulate the purpose of the mobile website clearly?
- Did you obtain any broken links or elements that had been confusing?
- What functions would you like in a future version of the mobile website?
8. Answer Your Beta Testers
If you've had the privilege of getting other people today take time out of their day to deliver you with feedback, be certain reply to every single of their comments, suggestions and recommendations with class. This is beneficial feedback and really should be acknowledged as such.
9. Mobile Sitemap
For the mobile version of Voices.com, I've developed each a simply HTML sitemap located in the footer of the site, but also a mobile XML sitemap which was then submitted directly to Google working with Google Webmaster Tools. Doing this will support Google, as effectively as other search engines, discover your mobile web-site a lot faster, and be conscious of changes in internet site structure, updates to content or the addition of new pages.
10. Going Live
When you are ready, announce your mobile webpage on your blog, podcast, Facebook Fan page and as a Twitter status update. Take your publicity efforts 1 step further by writing and distributing a press release.
Final Remarks
The advertising and marketing of your mobile web site is undoubtedly an ongoing effort, but now you can move forward in this fast-altering technological landscape with the confidence of getting a mobile web page and remaining relevant to your most advance clients - and you accomplished all of this in just ten actions.
