Mobile Websites - Better Than Apps

It's no secret that the mobile sector is booming. Over the past few years there has been recorded a sharp increase in the number of mobile users and this has caused the sector to skyrocket. To top that, more and more people are using their mobile phones and other hand held devices to access online services.

Connecting with friends, making purchases, browsing for general information and sending messages can now be accessed through these smart devices.

These developments have certainly been a great milestone when it comes to communication. However, there has been some controversy when it comes to deciding between mobile sites and applications. To end this tug of war once and for all here are some reasons why mobile web designed sites are the better option when it comes to mobile marketing.

Perhaps the most obvious of them all is that mobile sites are device independent; this means that any mobile website can display and function on any device provided it is internet enabled and supported by a web browser. Mobile applications on the other hand are not. Different applications run on different devices. What works on the iPhone will not necessarily work for the blackberry and definitely not for an Android operating system, hence different applications must be developed separately for each.

When it comes to marketing, we cannot dispute that mobile applications are in the thousands, if not hundred thousands. That said; getting a user to download or even be aware of your app is another story all together. On the flip side, users can easily locate websites by using search engines and links posted on other sites.

Of course we cannot ignore the cost factor. The cost for developing mobile applications is substantially higher depending on the type of application that is to be developed. In extreme situations, one application can cost more than five sites combined not including the task force that might be needed to ensure its success.

Consumer preference is another factor that has to be taken into consideration. Statistically speaking, it has been proven that more users prefer mobile browsers that enable them to access virtually all internet content over complex mobile applications. Users particularly showed very strong bias towards the mobile design as they accredited it with accomplishing most, if not all, shopping and browsing tasks. The same case applied to social media. Preference was exhibited for the mobile browser over the applications.

On a closing note, apps tend to be highly complicated due to their device-dependent nature. In this respect, a lot of time is spent by developers or development teams in an effort to focus on technological issues. Marketers believe that such time could be better spent in understanding the consumer and focusing on how to create mobile strategies that work and support business oriented objectives.

Either way you look at it, these are the only two options for businesses that are gearing up to launch marketing programs for mobile devices. The mobile website design is the preferred and better option.

By: RayJames

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Author Ray James has been involved in the advertising business since 1985. For a limited time you can get a free mobile mockup version of your website designed with no obligation. Just visit Mobile Website Design and if you need a web design to incorporate online scheduling into your website, visit us at www.rjwebsitedesign.com today.