Community Forums › Forums › Archived Forums › General Discussion › Mobile websites, what are you using?
Tagged: create mobile websites, mobile web design, mobile webdesign platform, mobile websites, response design
- This topic has 19 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 2 months ago by hairrazor.
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January 29, 2013 at 12:21 pm #16046netviperMember
For those not doing responsive sites, what are you using to build mobile websites?
January 29, 2013 at 7:17 pm #16229RonnyMacMemberThe right font size.
Seriously, for iPads and other tablets I don't do anything at all. Even Apple says not to bother with mobile sites, and iPads render most web pages as intended. The only issue for iPhones and smart phones in general is the extra need to double tap to bring a column of text up to size.
That said, I'm moving plenty of Genesis sites to the responsive design. It's a bit of a pain, and it's not necessary to do a complete redesign (even setting up a site to have a slightly larger font in responsive is worthwhile), but that seems to be the future of webpage layout and design for most blogs and basic sites.
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/January 29, 2013 at 7:45 pm #16236AnitaKeymasterI am just using the Jetpack plugin for my clients who don't have responsive themes and it works out great for them.
Love coffee, chocolate and my Bella!
February 4, 2013 at 2:09 pm #17973RevMemberI am using the Scribble theme and have not found a good plugin to make my site mobile. Any suggestions?
Julie Revelant
http://www.revelantwriting.comFebruary 4, 2013 at 2:34 pm #17981netviperMemberI have been checking out dudamobile.com. I like it a lot, but you never own the site, so I don't like that at all. Basically you are renting a mobile site. Its really cheap though, so it might be a good option.
February 4, 2013 at 3:01 pm #17991RonnyMacMemberAnother good question to ask is, 'Why make a mobile site at all?'
For the most part, it's completely unnecessary for most tablets, especially the iPad.
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/February 4, 2013 at 3:03 pm #17993netviperMemberBecause people access their sites on their mobile phones, not just ipads. Thats why.
February 4, 2013 at 3:10 pm #18001RonnyMacMemberYes, I'm sure they do. And I'm not trying to be snarky. It's a legitimate question.
Why go to the extra trouble to create a mobile site? What's the benefit? What value does the user get from a redesigned mobile site that differs from simply viewing the full site on a cell phone screen (and often has fewer features)?
With a responsive design, the site's URLs remain intact and don't double up as they do with many mobile sites (Google doesn't like doubled up content). With a WordPress plugin that recreates the design and layout to a mobile version much of the flavor of the site is lost (though navigation is easier) as the site simply looks like all other mobile sites.
However, with a completely redesigned mobile site, specifically made for cell phones, there seems to be a point of diminishing returns. Lots of extra effort and management, but only for small percentage of visitors. I've had some site visitors grumble and complain about a mobile site's inadequacies, but never had anyone complain about the standard sized site on a smaller device.
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/February 4, 2013 at 3:26 pm #18016RonnyMacMemberI like the option to make quick changes (vs. a responsive site; which requires a lot more planning and testing), but recreating a completely new site, even one smaller for cell phones, is not a simple, easy effort which involves little time. It's a lot of work and the URL penalty could be severe. Has anyone had trouble finding out how to contact a site using a full site on a cell phone?
I don't see a silver bullet here.
For website developers, it's great to have to build a mobile site because there's extra billable hours involved. Site owners might think a mobile site is a requirement in the mobile age but a mobile site carries some baggage of its own.
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/February 4, 2013 at 3:34 pm #18020netviperMemberYes, a responsive site is better, but if you are dealing with someone with a small budget, that is not an option. Having a simple mobile site, with minimal content to avoid duplicate content issues is a good alternative. Especially for 10 a month.
February 4, 2013 at 3:37 pm #18025RonnyMacMemberI hear you. That's why I like the idea of the responsive site vs. a separate mobile site. Responsive can be tuned to the device yet still provides a full site experience (simply rearranged). One thing I didn't mention is advertising revenue. For bloggers, an extra expense of $10 a month can be prohibitive. For sites with plenty of ads, say, three or more per page, cramming them into a layout designed just for mobile is difficult.
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/February 4, 2013 at 3:42 pm #18029AnitaKeymasterLike I mentioned early, the Jetpack plugin gives you a mobile version at no cost. It provides a link for the visitor to see the FULL version on whatever mobile device they are on. I have several clients who didn't want responsive design - but they love the Jetpack mobile feature.
Love coffee, chocolate and my Bella!
February 4, 2013 at 3:47 pm #18031netviperMemberThat moved.mobi site looks really awful. Its hard to take it seriously.
For bloggers, I think they have no need for a mobile site, just turn on the WP plugin. Bloggers is not who I am talking about.
February 4, 2013 at 3:55 pm #18036Robert NeuMemberUse responsive design. Period.
There are some cases where a separate mobile site is still the best option, but as web technology advances these situations are getting more rare every day.
For most people on this forum, there's no reason to create a separate mobile site. This is especially true when you consider that there are so many great responsive Genesis themes already available.
Responsive design is the future. As we continue to develop the technique, it will be combined with server-side technology more and more. The goal is to create a seamless user experience that is device agnostic. You may as well get used to working this way now.
February 4, 2013 at 4:07 pm #18043RonnyMacMemberAmen.
And that moved.mobi site is awful.
😉
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/February 4, 2013 at 4:19 pm #18048MovedmobiMemberRe: That moved.mobi site looks really awful. Its hard to take it seriously.
We updating and redesigning the main site, we know it does not meet the web standards as we need, however its build on responsive design template in a background and it has limitations!
Technology we use for Custom Mobile web Design has far more advance features than responsive design templates will have anytime soon, however responsive design is not bad option if you can afford, but it still has lots of limitations
If someone want to try out our platform and build a custom mobile website for themselves and see how that would bring them step ahead of competition, than you welcome to ask us for a free testdrive.
regards
February 4, 2013 at 4:20 pm #18050Robert NeuMemberFebruary 11, 2013 at 12:19 am #19538MattGMemberI am using an instant mobile builder called
<a href="http://www.instantmobile.com/" title="InstantMobile">.
It is a user friendly CMS that adapts well to anyone using blackberry, android or any other iOS and smartphones of any size. I am getting a good analytics after using this platform with less bounce rate. I think our customers are happy to view our mobile website with this CMS. There are options to customize the mobile website according to one's requirement.
February 11, 2013 at 1:01 am #19539RonnyMacMemberSmells like an advertisement for an incredibly expensive product.
ronnymac
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Ron McElfresh
Honolulu, HI
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http://mac360.com/
http://mcelfresh.org/
http://mcsolo.com/
http://pixobebo.com/
http://noodlemac.com/February 17, 2013 at 11:59 pm #20934hairrazorMemberI have used http://www.onemobi.net. a very good and powerful mobile site creator. Easy to use.
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