I just got an iPod for Christmas. It’s a very cool gadget and the wi-fi connectivity is making me seriously think about giving ATT some money and finding a way to get an iPhone. Anyway, this isn’t about me, but rather about how far mobile browsing has come, and how much further it has to go.
If you haven’t looked at your site on a mobile browser, I suggest you do so. More people are going to start hitting your site with mobile browsers in a very short time. Apple and Google have it right by allowing you to see the page as-is, but zoom in on the important bits. Good for them. RIM and others may not be quite so forgiving. For the short lesson here, there are basically three things you need to worry about.
- Does my site use semantic markup?
Is everything in it’s proper tag? Paragraphs, H1-H6? List items? If you view your page with CSS turned off, it should still be readable, content up top and navigation below. Even on a smaller screen. - Do I have an alternate Style Sheet for mobile browsers?
Currently I have a special plug-in for Wordpress that allows mobile browsers to see a simplified version of the site that is easier to read. I recommend this highly. - Does my site rely on images for important bits like navigation or branding?
Your brand should be there in text as well as your logo. Good navigation is almost always text-based (or using a CSS replacement system) so that it degrades gracefully.
Talk to your designers/developers about this. More importantly… Take a look for yourself. Check your stats, see how many mobile visitors you have and act accordingly.
