7 Questions To Ask Before You Hire A Mobile Website Designer
Why a Mobile Website?
Consumers are now using smartphones and mobile devices to search for products and services just as much as those who use laptops and desktops. Experts predict that within a few years, mobile users will dominate the online world, searching and browsing more than any other type of Internet user.
How far is your smartphone from you right now? Not far, right? You are not alone. Consumers around the globe keep their smartphone or mobile device at the ready, using it to search for products, businesses, services and organizations. Studies show mobile will soon outpace desktop access to the Internet.
A major advantage mobile users have is searching for local businesses while on the go. They can look for local phone numbers, addresses, and business hours with a few swipes of the screen. If a website is too difficult to read, or loads slowly, or they can’t find the information they want quickly, they rapidly look for a site that looks good and is easy to use on a mobile device.
Consider these statistics:
• Almost 74 percent of mobile users leave a site if they have to wait 5 seconds or more for it to load.
• Almost half of mobile users are not prone to come back to your site if they have a poor experience viewing it on their mobile device.
• 61 percent of consumers give high marks to a brand if they have a great mobile experience.
• Almost three quarters of mobile users search online for more information after viewing a TV commercial, print ad or online ad.
• Almost 60 percent of users visit businesses after locating them on their mobile device.
These results demonstrate how critical it is to establish a mobile-ready website to win more clients and sales. Without it, you risk losing a tremendous amount of potential sales and new customers. Because of smart phones and mobile tablets, consumers have total control how they research and shop for products and services.
Mobile friendly websites provide your company with:
• More website traffic.
• More prospects, clients and sales.
• Better brand awareness.
• Increased social media interaction.
• Enhanced convenience and service for your target client.
Without a mobile website, you are losing out on additional sales and new clients.
Why Do You Need a Mobile Website Designer?
At this point, you may be starting to consider establishing a mobile website for your firm. There are some mobile programs that allow you to design your own site. However, a professional mobile website designer has the experience and skills to build an effective site you need quickly and efficiently. Many do-it-yourself programs require programming skills, not to mention the time commitment to organize the correct components. In addition, you’ll need to budget enough time to test and make adjustments until you get the mobile site perfected.
Many business owners find they do not have the time for all of these changes, and several end up not doing anything at all due to the hassle. The truth is that most business owners don’t have the experience or skill to build and test a professional mobile website on their own. You should get help from a professional. A pro website designer can get it done much faster than you can on your own, and they can focus on getting the results you need to grow your business.
In order to do it correctly, you should seek the help of a professional mobile website designer. Not only will they help you get it done a lot faster than you could on your own, but they can build a mobile site for your business that is focused on getting results. The advantages of using a professional website designer include:
1. Mobile Website Design Experts. Different than traditional websites, Google website has many different facets that make it unique. The navigation, layouts, load specifications and graphics require knowledge and experience from a dedicated professional. Each mobile site must be built to be compatible with a wide variety of platforms including android, iPhone and BlackBerry. A mobile website designer knows create a theme that will match each of these unique systems.
2. Current With Technological Changes. The technology in mobile marketing is constantly changing. A dedicated mobile website designer keeps up to date with the most current developments, innovations and marketing strategies. They know and understand mobile coupons, apps, QR codes, SMS texting and more.
3. Beat Your Competition. Since so many mobile users immediately go to their device to research local products and services, a mobile website is vital to being found. Mobile users make quick judgments about the practicality and usability of different sites. A poor presentation will make them leave your site rapidly, and seek out your competition.
4. Maintenance and Support. Technical challenges are inevitable for any website or mobile installation. A good mobile website designer knows how to make tweaks and adjustments to fix bugs and glitches. They keep updates current so you are sure to have the latest software at all times.
5. Tracking and Monitoring. Once your unique, specialized mobile website is up and running, a good designer will offer to track and monitor its ongoing implementation. They can provide analytics on how many people land on the site, how long they stick around and other critical metrics.
6. Solid Investment. A powerful and productive mobile website will pay for itself many times over. In the past, putting together a mobile website seemed like an unnecessary added expense. Now mobile has moved to center stage.
Rather than tackle a mobile website on their own, smart brands are working with professional website designers to save them time and maximize their sales opportunities.
Mobile website design is a specialty. Regular web designers often lack the skills and experience to design effective mobile sites. The same is true for using in-house technical or internet specialists. Usually they don’t have any mobile training. You’ll end up paying them more for the same productivity a dedicated designer can provide in a fraction of the time.
What Qualities Should You Consider When Looking For a Mobile Website Designer?
Too often business owners hesitate to use a professional mobile website designer because they don’t know the qualities to look for. The result is they drag their feet because they don’t want to lose time and money.
A positive note is that the majority of professional mobile website designers have high credibility and want the best for your mobile website. However, selecting one can be a challenge. Here are several tips to keep in mind to avoid any problems finding the perfect designer for your projects:
• Should put your goals first. A credible mobile website designer will demonstrate that they put your company’s goals and needs first. They will commit themselves to learning as much as possible about your products, services and company background. With this research, they can build a mobile site that is most effective in achieving your goals.
Make sure they ask questions about the “most wanted” outcomes you have or your site. In other words, what action do you want your mobile visitors to take? Do you want to grab their e-mail address via an opt-in box? Or do you simply want more foot traffic in your physical locations?
Consider what type of information and data in your target audience wants when accessing your website on their smartphone or tablet. Would a Google map be the perfect item to enhance your value?
All of these factors are considered carefully by a professional mobile website designer. Make sure you select someone that demonstrates they want to focus on achieving your goals and meet the needs of your primary audience.
• Branding is important. When you establish a mobile website, it is more favorable to maintain the branding colors you’ve established in your other marketing channels. That way, your branding is consistent and will be recognizable by potential prospects and customers who already know you from your other marketing. Quality mobile website designers know the importance of consistent branding, and will not try to change your entire look and feel with the mobile site.
• Will Keep it Simple. Avoid mobile website professionals who try to implement flashy technology and garish color schemes. Your main goal is to provide information quickly to mobile searchers that want to know important information about your company.
Your mobile site should be clean and free of distractions. It should be simple to navigate and provide the exact data mobile consumers want. For example, key features for powerful mobile websites are: quick loading times, tap-to-call features, effective calls-to-action, easy-to-find contact details and useful maps.
• Demonstrate Know-How Creating MOBILE Websites. While a regular website designer may be able to learn how to build a mobile website, in truth they are a completely different ballgame. Regular websites and mobile websites are different in very fundamental ways. That is why traditional websites usually look so bad on mobile tablets and smart phones. Unless someone has built several successful mobile installations, they don’t have the depth of experience to create the best outcome for your company.
7 Questions To Ask Before You Hire a Mobile Website Designer
1. Can I see other websites you have designed? Looking at a portfolio of other websites a mobile website designer has created gives you a great idea of what you can look forward to for your own site. Quality designers are eager to share their past experience. One good tip is to ask if they have done any sites in your particular industry. This will give you a strong indication if they are a good fit for your company.
2. Can you tell me about your accomplishments? Ask potential website designers which websites they are most proud of, and which sites do they get the most compliments from? Which has proven to be the most productive and profitable? What client gains were achieved?
3. How would you handle updates to our site? Find out how updates will be taking care of. Once the site is finished, updates and maintenance are critical. Determine from potential website designers how they handle these important tasks. Will they monitor your mobile website? What is the charge for updates and maintenance?
4. How many mockups do you provide? It’s unlikely that you will agree completely with the first design a mobile website designer creates. Find out in advance how many revisions to the original mockup are included in your fee. They will charge you for revision requests beyond this number, so it is important to know how many changes you can make without extra charges. Working together, you’ll be able to determine the most effective features, graphics and functionality. Set aside enough time to go through this process.
5. Can you provide testimonials and references? Make sure to review testimonials and verify references. You’ll learn a lot from the experience of others who have worked with this particular designer. In addition to reviewing samples and testimonials, contact references and get first-hand knowledge of the designers working style and ability to follow through. Ask them if they would hire the same designer again. If they are happy with the work provided, the chances are you will be as well.
6. How are your fees determined, and what is included? You definitely want to avoid any surprises in billing and fees. A professional website designer will make sure you are on the same page by providing clear information about their fees and services. They should make sure to explain how any minor or major design change is handled.
7. Do you provide training? If your staff will be tasked with day-to-day operations of the mobile website, will the designer provide training to get them up and running smoothly? Is the training an extra fee?
Conclusion
Reliable, professional, high-quality website designers can help you take your business to the next level by providing an useful service for your customers. Your mobile site is the best way to bring additional prospects and clients into your business.
Whether you are a startup or an established company interested in capturing more market share, a quality website is an important strategic asset. Creating a professional website is an intense undertaking that should be given to an expert who knows the ins and outs of mobile marketing.