Did you know that in the world today there are more than 2.4 billion mobile phone users, and a thousand more are added every minute!

About 30% of these mobile phone owners (more than 700 million and growing) have browsed the Internet through their mobile phones. This is the reason why mobile Web browsing is predicted to become the next predominant Internet platform.

Many consumer-driven companies have already seen how promising the mobile platform is and have already equipped themselves with a mobile Web site. A mobile Website today is not simply a passing fad. It is predicted that in the future mobile sites will prove to be a necessity, even the new Internet standard. Right now, there are millions of WAP mobile users browsing the Internet. But, there is an unfortunate disparity when it comes to the number of consumer-focused mobile Web sites that actually load properly on phones.
This is because there are special procedures involved in designing a mobile Web site. The following article is meant to help you learn how to design and build a mobile website.

Here are the tips you should keep in mind when designing and developing your mobile application, regardless of platform.

Consider Where Your App Will Be Used
Once you’ve decided to make a native mobile app, you’ll want to consider where your application is most likely going to be used. This is important because where and how an application is used can directly impact how it can be designed.
For instance, if you have an application that is going to be used while walking around — a geo-location app or an app that takes advantage of a device’s GPS — making sure that core app functions are easy to see and access is very important.

Be Aware of Various Screen Sizes
Even on the same mobile platform, screen sizes and resolutions can vary based on device type. For instance, the screen size and resolution on the HTC Incredible is different than that on the HTC EVO 4G. Consequently, for an application to have a consistent look and feel across both devices and across a variety of other devices, user interface elements and graphics need to be scalable.,/p>

Is Your Website WAP Friendly?
A number of online resources provide mobile phone simulations, which enable you to view your website as it appears on standard mobile phone screens.

Some of them are listed below:
Google Mobile Proxy
Palm OS Emulator

If your website does not render correctly for mobile phone browsers, you should seriously consider modifying your site to attract the growing population of mobile web savvy users that search, browse, book and buy services and products from their mobile phones.

Principles of Mobile Web Design
1. Websites using tables for layout will not render well on mobile handsets. The site must use CSS for layout
2. The site must be coded using either XHTML or XML
3. Character encoding should be UTF-8
4. Bear in mind different screen sizes of mobile users. The largest screen size available is probably 640 x 480, whereas the average is closer to 120 pixels
5. The most important information of your site must be right at the top of the page as it can be very time-consuming for browsers to read through
6. Text entry can be quite difficult. Users prefer to select values from a list of choices, such as radio buttons or lists
7. Images should be jpeg or gif
8. Always provide a ‘back’ button or link, since many phones don’t include a back button
9. The maximum total page size recommended is 20 kilobytes
10. Remember that your users are paying a lot of money to access your site, so make sure it is definitely worth their money!

As you can see, there is a lot to consider to design and build a mobile website. The principles of mobile design are different than those of conventional Web site design. If you do not have the time or patience to learn new coding practices, then consider hiring a firm that specializes in mobile Web site design. Many firms also offer mobile SEO and PPC services as well, in anticipation for the growing need of instantaneous information.

If you currently do not have a mobile Website, you are potentially losing out on extra business. Consider getting one today!

Contact us for Mobile Programming and Mobile Application Development