Is a dedicated mobi site necessary

[AliWil]

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice please. Have been approached by some guys who want to do a mobi site for me, which apparently works in tandem with normal site - their company is http://www.mobiwebdesign.co.za/ and apparently:

"When a someone visits your website it can tell if they are on a cell phone or a computer and they will be automatically redirected to the correct website."

Price sounds fair - with monthly hosting of about R160. I just can't find any reviews for the company - their website only provides about 2 jobs they've done? And one testimonial? Does anyone a) know of company and b) recommend than a dedicated mobi site is necessary (rather than a responsive design WP plug-in?

Would value your comments!

Thks

 

[shadow_man]

Yes. You can tell from the user agent string in the browser if its a mobile device or not.

That being said they'll probably just give you a Wordpress Theme that has a mobile layout already...

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice please. Have been approached by some guys who want to do a mobi site for me, which apparently works in tandem with normal site - their company is http://www.mobiwebdesign.co.za/ and apparently:

"When a someone visits your website it can tell if they are on a cell phone or a computer and they will be automatically redirected to the correct website."

Price sounds fair - with monthly hosting of about R160. I just can't find any reviews for the company - their website only provides about 2 jobs they've done? And one testimonial? Does anyone a) know of company and b) recommend than a dedicated mobi site is necessary (rather than a responsive design WP plug-in?

Would value your comments!

Thks

 

[TehStranger]

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice please. Have been approached by some guys who want to do a mobi site for me, which apparently works in tandem with normal site - their company is http://www.mobiwebdesign.co.za/ and apparently:

"When a someone visits your website it can tell if they are on a cell phone or a computer and they will be automatically redirected to the correct website."

Price sounds fair - with monthly hosting of about R160. I just can't find any reviews for the company - their website only provides about 2 jobs they've done? And one testimonial? Does anyone a) know of company and b) recommend than a dedicated mobi site is necessary (rather than a responsive design WP plug-in?

Would value your comments!

Thks

First off, you need to find out whether the amount of site visitors from mobile devices justifies the cost of having a mobi site. Google Analytics can offer insight here, so play around with that. If you then feel like you need a mobi site (i.e. you have a significant amount of mobi visitors and your existing site doesn't render well on mobile devices), do research into who can create a site for you.

Good luck.

 

[shogun]

In my opinion, having a dedicated site for mobile is a thing of the past. Responsive design and a single domain is the way things should be done. Why would I want to redirect a client based on user agents etc (which sometimes fail for opera users for example)? My HTML should change automatically on the same site, based on screen size and browser ability (i.e. depending on what features the browser supports).

 

[Darko]

In my opinion, having a dedicated site for mobile is a thing of the past. Responsive design and a single domain is the way things should be done. Why would I want to redirect a client based on user agents etc (which sometimes fail for opera users for example)? My HTML should change automatically on the same site, based on screen size and browser ability (i.e. depending on what features the browser supports).

Exactly. User agent strings are never reliable. You most definitely don't need a mobile only version of your website.

 

[Saajid]

In my opinion, having a dedicated site for mobile is a thing of the past. Responsive design and a single domain is the way things should be done. Why would I want to redirect a client based on user agents etc (which sometimes fail for opera users for example)? My HTML should change automatically on the same site, based on screen size and browser ability (i.e. depending on what features the browser supports).

^^ This. All you need is single domain. Do not create confusion with multiple domains.

 

[MagicDude4Eva]

Depending on your business / content, a responsive site can add a huge amount of payload onto a mobile client. As others said, analyse Google Analytics and look at mobile devices hitting your site and the bounce rate (if it is high, your site is obviously not mobi-friendly). In some cases it is necessary to offer a trimmed down mobi version (for smart phones and possibly another one for feature phones). And then you will also arguably look at native apps if you do any sort of e-commerce.... bottomless pit of money your business can spend.

 

[adam_g]

Yes. You can tell from the user agent string in the browser if its a mobile device or not.

That being said they'll probably just give you a Wordpress Theme that has a mobile layout already...

What jsheed said its also called a responsive template or theme that detects what platform you are using if you either using a tablet, phone or pc or it looks like they would put your mobile site on a sub domain like m.domain.com or mobi.domain.com