Mobile | Life of Thea

: So You’ve Been Dumped Mobile Site

This past weekend I did more work on mobile sites. This time the So You’ve Been Dumped mobile website though.

While there are a few things I’d like to add/change, I am super-pleased with how it’s come out thus far.

Heck, I think everyone should have one!

What happens now though? I am finding it very difficult to find mine (or any of the other mobile site’s I am indirectly related to) in Google or anywhere else.

So now it’s a case of – “OK my dot mobi site is made – now what?”

At risk of pissing the big G off – Google is absolutely rubbish at showing mobile sites. I struggle to find any – even when searching on my Nokia, Blackberry or iPad…

To me, if someone is searching on a mobile, Google should deliver mobile sites first (just my amateur opinion).

It truly surprises me that it doesn’t…and to read this article (Has Google Killed the Mobile Web) about it from some years back.

So here, in my unbiased opinion, are some mobile sites worth a gander on your handset.

NSDesign – the first mobile site that I saw in action.
Sure Lock Homes - our first Californian client’s website. Alarm Company in San Jose.
The Glasgow Chauffeur – arguably the first, independent chauffeur in Scotland to have his own mobile site (I’ve certainly not found any others – though I did find one other large company that had one)
Rattray Motor Spares – Glasgow based car parts, spares, accessories with products selling world wide for classic-to-current cars!
So You’ve Been Dumped - my new mobile website for SYBD.

If nothing else maybe the blog mentions will help get the above sites noticed in Google through the back door.

And I guess I’ll continue to search for ways to promote these sites, and read some mobile SEO articles/blogs and so forth. Where there is a will, there is a way. Right?

With more and more people buying iPads, iPhones, Blackberry and Android Handsets – (handsets outnumber desktops for to one) – there has to be a better way to search and promote mobile websites.

In the meantime I guess I also ought to familiarize myself with this thread about mobile search engines and directories and see if I can find some gems to submit the above sites to.

Any thoughts? If you want a mobile site – get in touch with NSDesign or through me! If you have one – tell me your experience about it. I am very curious! GoMobi….

Hooray! It’s February the first….Thank God we’re out of January, eh?

: MOBILE: NSDesign.mobi

Actually to be fair, there was one really good thing about January – we have begun selling mobile websites (as in mobile versions for “normal” websites).

I’ve been really excited about this ever since I saw the technology some months back.

MOBILE STATS

Handsets now out number desktop computers 4 to 1.
.
80% of Americans own mobile phones & 50% of those will be connecting to the net with it by the end of 2011.

Among consumers aged 18-29, 65% are already accessing the Internet on their phones.

In the US the viewing of videos on a mobile phone is already approaching the time spent viewing online on a desktop computer.

That’s some pretty incredible stats if you think about it…

So if you’re not thinking mobile – you’re not thinking business.

For 2011, I’m willing to wager that mobile will be where it’s at.

Do you have a website? Are you a business? Then, you really will want to consider having a mobile site too.

: surelockhomes.mobi

The first mobile version of a website that I sold was to a Silicon Valley burglar alarm company called Sure Lock Homes.

They had an existing website which has been up for years and had absolutely no TEXT on the entire home page! As such it wins, hands down, my “worst website (ever)” award, I think.

So Greg, Sure Lock’s proprietor, said “Ok, sure it’s time I jumped into the 21st century” and we set him up with a new, simple, cost effective, efficient mobile website (for less than 100 pounds!).

See right. >>

Now people can find his site, call him directly at the click of a button, leave him a message, book a service call or estimate, email him, and so forth.

The only challenge now, from my standpoint at any rate, is getting the search engines to find these new mobile sites.

We’ve been running a lot of searches at NSDesign (or if you’re reading this on a mobile, then check our mobile version: NSDesign.mobi) – trying to see what Google sends back when we search various words on different devices. It’s been fun and a little interesting.

Though it’s not there yet, I do believe that once Google really gets a handle on these mobile (dot mobi) sites – it will be a case of, when you’re searching on your iPhone, Blackberry, or any other web enabled phone, it will deliver up mobile versions of the websites first.

It’s not quite working that way yet, in my own experience, but I believe it will change over the coming year or two.

So now it’s all about discovering ways to get these mobile sites appearing in searches. Manually listing them.

Our second client (bear in mind we haven’t “officially launched” these mobile sites yet) is James “The Glasgow Chauffeur” Walker.

James has a full website already, which does pretty decent in the search engines, but it’s awful to read on a handheld device. (Sorry James)

Now though, James has a lovely, clean, simple site for those customers of his who are searching for his chauffeur/executive travel/airport transfers. Many of his clients do find him via their phones and so that experience will be even better for them.

So you might have guessed that I am pretty excited about all of this…?

I can’t help it. Mobile is where it’s at.

Get in touch with me @nsdesign.net if you’re interested in getting one for your site!

Speaking of mobiles, I’m also looking at the feasibility of the soyouvebeendumped.com iPhone app (and later Blackberry and Android).

Have just had a marathon chat with James the co-founder at mVenture via Skype hearing about their wonderful, affordable DIY iPhone App platform. Definitely worth considering.

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