Many people are viewing websites on mobile devices, such as iphones. Not all websites are compatible with the mobile format, which will make it difficult for your customers who view your website on a mobile device to access your content.
Are people really viewing your site on an iphone?
If you use Google Analytics you can quickly check your visitor stats. I checked mine just now and in the past month I’ve had 661 views from mobile devices. I don’t want to ignore those 661 individuals by having a site that isn’t user friendly for a small screen.
WPtouch Plug-in
I’ve found the WPtouch plug-in to be easy to install. Here are your steps to set up this plug-in.
- Login to your WordPress Dashboard.
- Click ‘Add New’ under plug-ins.
- Search for WPtouch.
- Install WPtouch.
- Activate WPtouch.
That’s it. Check your mobile device and you’re wordpress site is not formatted correctly. However, you may want to go one step further and adjust your settings. You can do this within your WordPress dashboard under Settings select WPtouch. This is where I uploaded my favicon, adjusted the colors to match my website, and indicated which pages I want visible on the menu.
I have an iTouch and took a few pictures for you to see the difference. (FYI – WPtouch is not specific to an iTouch. Just a coincidence in my case.)
This is a simple fix to make your content easier to read and accessible to the grow number of people that access the web from a mobile device with a small screen.
There are other plug-ins that perform this same function. WPtouch just happens to be the one I am using.
Let me know if you want this set up for you. I’d be happy to assist you.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson
Thanks! It didn’t even cross my mind to worry about this; but you are right, this is an age when most people have mobile devices and regularly surfe the web on them. I installed the plug-in in each of my blogs [now I have to figure out how to make my website mobile-friendly]
Good info,thanks
It sound like those of you who have your websites setup with a WordPress back end have it much easier than those with HTML websites.
I found an emulator on a mobi website before I received a response from GoDaddy. To change an HTML back end, I am under the impression that you have to buy a domain that is for a mobi site and use or setup a browser for a hand held. I have not had a chance to go through this website, but I think I am close to the end of my research. http://mobiforge.com/Starting/dotMobi-Compliance
So after all my research I sent in a help ticket to Tech Support. This is part of their response from GoDaddy:
“While you are not required to script a different site for mobile and handheld devices it is recommended as any devices loading the regular site on a handheld screen will shrink the site to a very small display. Scripting a second site specifically for smaller screens and handheld devices will make it easier for your visitors to view the site on those devices.
goMobi™ automatically converts your website text and images, maintains your logo and color scheme, and adds features for use on mobile phones, such as clickable phone numbers and Google® Maps hyperlinks.”
I hope this helps someone who’s been in my position. Good Luck!
Regards, Lori Ann Nolan
Anywhere a phone number displays, visitors can dial the number by clicking it using their mobile phones. Likewise, anywhere an address displays, visitors can click the Google Maps hyperlinks to view maps of the locations.
It sounds like those of you who have your websites setup with a WordPress back end have it much easier than those with HTML websites.
I found an emulator on a mobi website before I received a response from GoDaddy. To change an HTML back end, I am under the impression that you have to buy a domain that is setup for a mobi site and use or setup a browser for a hand held. I have not had a chance to go through this website, but I think I am close to the end of my research. http://mobiforge.com/Starting/dotMobi-Compliance
+++++++++++++++++++++
So after all my research I sent in a help ticket to Tech Support. This is part of their response from GoDaddy:
“While you are not required to script a different site for mobile and handheld devices it is recommended as any devices loading the regular site on a handheld screen will shrink the site to a very small display. Scripting a second site specifically for smaller screens and handheld devices will make it easier for your visitors to view the site on those devices.
goMobi™ automatically converts your website text and images, maintains your logo and color scheme, and adds features for use on mobile phones, such as clickable phone numbers and Google® Maps hyperlinks.”
Anywhere a phone number displays, visitors can dial the number by clicking it using their mobile phones. Likewise, anywhere an address displays, visitors can click the Google Maps hyperlinks to view maps of the locations.
I hope this helps someone who’s been in my position. Good Luck!
Regards, Lori Ann Nolan
TY I’m gonna do this!