Features of mobile versions of websites

Mobile devices that you can use to connect to the Internet, we now have a one in six people on earth. Mobile Internet is growing in popularity - many analysts believe that the percentage of users connecting to the network from your smartphone or tablet, in the next couple of years will be very rapidly. If only a few years ago, "the Internet in your pocket" was a gimmick and burzhuystvom, now millions of smartphone users communicate inmobile sites social networks, read the news, look for all kinds of information and even make purchases in online stores. In the United States in late 2011, more than 18% of visitors to online stores came from mobile devices.

Version of the site for mobile devices

Imagine watching a normal page on the device's screen that has a resolution of 320x480 pixels, but the site is optimized for a typical laptop display - 1366x768. Visit this page can become a meal: the screen will be visible only part of the information or the need to reduce the page to the point of "can not see anything." Out of this and many similar situations have long been found - the mobile version of the site.
What is this site will be different from the usual?

• Page layout - provides comfortable viewing site with devices with small screen resolution.
• Simplified code and the lack of scripts that require high performance device for processing. Smartphones are rapidly evolving, but still lag behind on this parameter from desktop computers and laptops. Apple devices do not support Flash, so from this technology should give an orientation to the mobile CA.
• A small amount of pages - is necessary for fast loading in case the Internet connection via 3G and earlier, which imply (especially after the fact, in real Russian realities) on low speed. Besides, part of the user pays for the traffic, which will ultimately determine its choice in favor of a more "light" of the site. One solution to the problem - how to download Lazy Load, when the content of the page is loaded progressively as the scroll-down - for example, it is implemented in Twitter and "contact."
• Type I , too, plays an important role: if the mouse is easy to fall into a small area of reference, the touch screen it will be a problem, especially large male fingers.

Creating a mobile version of site

The development version of the site for mobile devices - a complex process. If the necessary knowledge and skills not, you can turn to a professional or a special agency. But there is another, less expensive way - special projects on how to make a mobile version, with no special skills in the field of web development.
Assistant to adapt the site for smartphones and tablets may be a special addition Mobilize, designed for WordPress. This plugin is very easy to use, it does not require any routine work - it is betting on simplicity. Some say not quite work properly with specific themes website design, but this deficiency is quite decide.

Wirenode service allows you to create a site in a mobile application. Fairly wide toolkit enables to realize many different solutions and make functional site for smartphones. Free mode Wirenode for inspection, and to complete the work will approach the paid versions for around $ 7.

Perhaps the most popular way to create mobile versions of the site is a service MoFuse. So he made a wide range of settings, which is combined with the relative ease of use. MoFuse arsenal of tools allows you to make a full website which will be convenient to view a small screen smartphone. The service costs $ 8, but there is a free trial mode, which would be sufficient to assess the feasibility of its application.

There are many tools to convert an ordinary website into a mobile version for the popular CMS is usually not difficult to find a special plug-ins. Recommend a particular service is difficult, it all depends on the specifics of the site. Most tools have in common is that they can handle any newcomer.

Compatible with a variety of devices and browsers

Before you create a mobile version of the site, you need to decide what will work with devices and browsers is important to you. The specifics of the site may require a full cross-browser compatibility and cross-platform, but as if the audience is narrow, the compatibility (or rather, optimized display) must be achieved with only a few types of devices, and three or four of the common browsers. The more devices and browsers will be listed in the compatibility list, the mobile version, the harder and more expensive to develop such a site.
How does the recognition of the device and download the latest version of the site? There are various ways: for example, writing a special script, which is based on the data on the device and the visitor's web browser will redirect the user to an appropriate version of the site.

Mobile website or application?

In addition to the mobile versions of websites, there are special applications that perform their function. They target iOS and Android. These solutions are often used for online stores, by their example and discuss how it works.
The main difference lies in the fact that the website into a program you want to download and install on your device. The advantages of this solution are associated with enhanced functionality, the ability to implement various services using 3D-graphics, and more. The user need only set once this app on your smartphone or tablet. Owners of online stores use the application when they want to better demonstrate the product and increase loyalty. Widely used three-dimensional models for the selection of furniture, services for fitting clothes and other attractive features for users.
The development of this application will cost the owner of an online store is quite expensive: the application in addition to the site is not always justified, depending on the specifics of the business.

Testing

After the process of creating a mobile version follows logically testing phase. The most obvious and effective way to test the functionality of the site - download it to those mobile devices for which it is intended. But this method is costly, as not always able to find the owner of the site, much less buy to test all of these smartphones and tablets. But the simpler - use one of the online services for testing.
One of the most popular is W3C mobileOK Checker. For the dough enough to enter the site's URL in the space provided, and then after checking explore possible mistakes to correct them later.

Another effective way of testing - mobiReady, which works similarly to the first. Service is free, but for a full inspection site requires registration.

Special mention should be services for iPhone and iPad - these devices have recently gained immense popularity in the development of their mobile website with a few exceptions can not be overlooked. Version for the iPhone can be tested on site TestiPhone. This service allows you to see right into the browser, the page will look like on the iPhone. In the same way works for the tablet iPad Peek Apple.

Even for standard site you should take care to display it correctly in different browsers. To test for cross-browser compatibility is also a lot of services that can help out developers to install the routine provisioning.
To test in the most common browsers fit free Adobe BrowserLab, and you can visually assess your site. Again free service Browsershots delight huge set of browsers for testing, it is especially useful when cross-browser issue is very serious. There are also more serious charge services that have greater functionality. One such means is to test the Multi-Browser Viewer Use it to evaluate the performance of the site in more than 80 browsers (mostly, of course, is the old version of the popular browsers - not all stay tuned.)

Findings

Before you create a mobile version of the site to carry out preparatory analytical work. First, make a list of devices and browsers, with what must be compatible, and then analyze all available tools to transform the site. Of all the services necessary to choose the right according to your capacity and budget. If the objectives are modest, do not try to buy the full cross-browser and cross-platform, it is expensive and often does not have to.
After creating a mobile version of the site have to follow its testing, which allows to identify and fix the problems and achieve excellent display the site on smartphones and tablets. Do not forget that visitors using mobile devices, usually well secured and promoted, that is willing to buy on the internet and have done it before.