Times are changing and so is the way we access important information. Less than a decade ago the idea of searching for something as simple as movie times via your phone was unheard of. Now more than seventy two million people access the mobile web and sixty nine million used mobile apps. Cnet is reporting that by 2013 users for each platform will be over one hundred million.
So which platform do you choose? Both have pros and cons but what will work best for you will depend on your company, audience and goals. For example, what user experience do you want to provide? Do you already have an established brand following?
Mobile Sites:
_ Will work on 100% of devices that have mobile web (with flash elements not currently working for iPhone users)
_ Can be optimized through SEO
_ You can publish or change information on the site whenever
_ Better for delivering content, catalogs and shopping
_ Much easier to drive advertising to site than app store
_ Mobile sites don’t always have the feature-rich functionality and often navigating content on these sites is harder than it would be with an app.
Mobile Apps:
_ Offers a more rich experience without affecting data speeds
_ Can take advantage of the features the phone already has such as: GPS, camera and voice
_ Features can work offline
_ Can be integrated with other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter
_ Have a “cool” appeal
Mobile app cons include that the app must be downloaded, all content changes must be approved by the app store and must be made device specific.
While both of these are effective our hope is that we can help you choose the platform that will work best for you. Maybe it’s both!
