Mobile internet is an explosive trend that shows NO SIGNS of slowing down for the foreseeable future. The question many people may be asking is, “What is ‘mobile internet’?” Simply put, “mobile internet” refers to how hundreds of millions, and possibly BILLIONS of people worldwide, access the internet through their mobile devices (smartphones and tablet computers).
In this post, I want to cover three crucial topics confronting business owners today:
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The FTC’s recent “recommendation” that ALL business have a mobile-friendly website,
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Two major reasons why having a mobile-friendly website is a CRUCIAL part of a business’ future success
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How to remain compliant with the FTC’s “recommendation.”
First and foremost, I want to summarize the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) most recent “recommendation that ALL businesses obtain a mobile-friendly website. In March 2013, the FTC made a decision that it is crucial for all businesses to have some sort of mobile website. The FTC knows that it is virtually impossible for small businesses to have a fully functional mobile website, like the ones used by Sprint and Amazon, up and running right away, so they are giving small business owners a grace period to at least BEGIN the transition to a fully functional mobile website.
Many conspiracy theorists have said that this ruling is just the government’s way of exerting more control over every possible aspect of our lives. That is NOT the case. The FTC came to this conclusion based on the mind-blowing statistics that reflect how EXPLOSIVE mobile internet is. Here’s a quick stat: there are 300,000 babies born each day in the United States, but there are approximately 1.2 MILLION android phones activated each day.
Given just this statistic, it’s very logical that the FTC should make this ruling.
Let’s discuss WHY the FTC would make this ruling. First, there is absolutely NO DOUBT that smartphones (like the iPhone or Galaxy S4) and tablet computers (like the iPad) are taking the world by storm! As of 2013, there are approximately 4.5 BILLION mobile devices used worldwide and by 2015, that number is expected to EXCEEED 7 BILLION! These mobile devices have considerably smaller screens than a desktop or laptop computer, so it makes sense to encourage all business owners, but especially small business owners, to get in front of this trend.
Knowing that smartphones and tablet computers have smaller screens than a desktop or laptop computer, having a high-quality mobile website is an invaluable investment in your business. There is one major reason why the FTC made this decision and that is to try to AVOID as much confusion and potential litigation over misinformation as humanly possible. When you’re browsing the internet on a desktop or laptop computer, warning signs and disclaimers are easily visible, but a website designed for a desktop computer WILL NOT load correctly on a mobile device.
Here’s a great example. Whenever someone visits WebMD’s website (on a desktop or laptop computer), they can EASILY see the disclaimer that the information provided on the website IS NOT meant to replace the advice given by a medical professional during an in-person visit. Rather, the information is meant to help patients get a better idea of what they think might be ailing them so that they can have a much more thorough conversation with their doctor.
When this desktop website is queued up on a mobile device, it will appear as a big blob, filled with too many links that are too close to each other. Every time this happens, the user must pinch their screen to zoom in to make the link they want easier to click, and more often than not, the user will still hit the wrong link because of the cramped nature of the desktop website. Not having a mobile website will spell big trouble for ANY business that needs to have the ability to display a prominent disclaimer about what their website can offer the consumer.
A second reason why the FTC recommends that ALL businesses obtain a mobile website based in statistics. As I mentioned earlier, mobile internet is EXPLOSIVE and shows absolutely NO SIGNS of slowing down for the foreseeable future. Consider this, every business owner wants to get the message out to the world that they are open for business and can provide great solutions for their customers, but they don’t have a mobile website. By not having a mobile website, that business owner is shunning 66% of young adults, ages 18 to 29 and 54% of adults, ages 30 to 49. Those two percentages represent the number of people in those age brackets that have AT LEAST one mobile device. Turning away that many potential clients is UNDOUBTEDLY DISASTEROUS for a small business.
Now that you have a better understanding of WHY the FTC made the ruling they did concerning mobile websites, we can now look at how to stay out of the FTC’s crossfire.
In their report in March, the FTC said that it is imperative for all business owners to make the transition to having a fully functional mobile website as part of their business plan. What they did not fully explain is how they plan to enforce this ruling.
After the grace period is over, the FTC will randomly check the website of a given business to see if they’ve started the transition to a fully functional mobile website. Knowing that obtaining a mobile website similar to the one that Amazon has, is a HUGE undertaking, the FTC will only go after a business is making it blatantly clear that it has NO INTENTION of being mobile-friendly. You can avoid this by breaking down the transition into small pieces. There are many options available to small business owners e.g. responsive websites, cloud-based solutions, and custom mobile websites. I will not go into detail about each of these options now, but it is important to know that as a small business owner, you DO have options that will help you ease into the mobile website era that fit your budget and schedule.
If you are interested in learning how you can start developing your mobile website, fill out the form below and we will contact you to schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation.
As you consider how to make mobile internet work in your favor, rather than against you, remember that a mobile website does NOT have to built in one sitting. When you find the right designer, they can help you break the project down into smaller, more affordable pieces.
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