Silly newbie question

frankhill · 20th Jan 2012, 06:46 PM

Hi.

I do not have a smart phone. Is there a way to tell if a business already has a mobile website or not? (...don't want to contact a business owner if he already has one)

Thanks
Frank

WillR · 20th Jan 2012, 10:11 PM

There is no 100% effective way without visiting the website on an actual smart phone device. The reason being there are various options in regards to mobile detection and redirection - some websites look at the screen width of the device, some look for the user agent of the device. This means none of the simulators out there will pick up every single redirection method.

For that reason the only way you can be certain a website does or does not have a mobile version is to test it on your mobile phone. Personally I would not worry too much about it. On the rare occasion you DO contact someone who already has a mobile site, it's not the end of the world. They might want their current mobile site updated or even other mobile services you offer.

rlhurst · 21st Jan 2012, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by WillR

Personally I would not worry too much about it. On the rare occasion you DO contact someone who already has a mobile site, it's not the end of the world. They might want their current mobile site updated or even other mobile services you offer.

I completely agree with this statement. Considering that close to anywhere from 90-95% of sites are not mobile optimized, you more than likely will not run into that situation too often.

It would be nice if someone came up with a code/script that could detect a mobile version, though!

You might find a redirect in the source code that would reveal a mobile version, but again, probably not worth the hassle.

And...... there's no "silly" questions!!

Quentin · 21st Jan 2012, 01:38 AM

One way you can do a basic test is to use firefox with a user agent. It not foolproof but it is pretty good.

Testing Mobile Web Sites Using Firefox | mobiForge

This is pretty detailed and you can just get the user agent extension for quick results

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...gent-switcher/

Quentin

amoladora · 21st Jan 2012, 02:04 AM

sorry to hijack the thread, but i just wanted to ask you quentin if I could sned you a couple of msgs on skype - my post count isn't high enough to pm you

james

Nail Yener · 21st Jan 2012, 02:10 AM

No question is silly especially if it comes from a newbie.

There is no surefire way to know if a business has a mobile website or not even if you check it on your mobile device. They may have a mobile site but if they didn't configure the redirection, in that case you can't tell whether they have a mobile site or not by checking their website on a mobile device or simulator. Also, they may be developing one at the time you contact them and you wouldn't know that.

Since you don't have a smartphone, you can check their site on a mobile simulator such as Mobilizer or Electric Mobile Simulator. If what you see doesn't look like a mobile friendly site, just contact them.

frankhill · 21st Jan 2012, 05:59 AM

Thanks for the responses guys...and the encouragement.

Frank

Sharon Trainor · 6th Feb 2012, 09:36 PM

I'm glad you asked, because I was just looking for the same info!
Got some great advice also... thanks!

Sharon Trainor · 6th Feb 2012, 09:39 PM

Thank you for this info, especially helpful...

Originally Posted by Nail Yener

No question is silly especially if it comes from a newbie.

There is no surefire way to know if a business has a mobile website or not even if you check it on your mobile device. They may have a mobile site but if they didn't configure the redirection, in that case you can't tell whether they have a mobile site or not by checking their website on a mobile device or simulator. Also, they may be developing one at the time you contact them and you wouldn't know that.

Since you don't have a smartphone, you can check their site on a mobile simulator such as Mobilizer or Electric Mobile Simulator. If what you see doesn't look like a mobile friendly site, just contact them.

Entrecon · 6th Feb 2012, 09:44 PM

I saw a phone service website the other day that had a mobile device emulator built into their website. I would think there are some other tools out there like that.

20th Jan 2012, 06:46 PM	#1
frankhill Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2011 Posts: 40 Thanks: 36 Thanked 48 Times in 35 Posts	Silly newbie question Share on: Hi. I do not have a smart phone. Is there a way to tell if a business already has a mobile website or not? (...don't want to contact a business owner if he already has one) Thanks Frank

20th Jan 2012, 10:11 PM	#2
WillR Digital Marketer War Room Member Join Date: 2010 Location: Australia Posts: 12,475 Thanks: 1,984 Thanked 8,187 Times in 4,079 Posts	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: There is no 100% effective way without visiting the website on an actual smart phone device. The reason being there are various options in regards to mobile detection and redirection - some websites look at the screen width of the device, some look for the user agent of the device. This means none of the simulators out there will pick up every single redirection method. For that reason the only way you can be certain a website does or does not have a mobile version is to test it on your mobile phone. Personally I would not worry too much about it. On the rare occasion you DO contact someone who already has a mobile site, it's not the end of the world. They might want their current mobile site updated or even other mobile services you offer.
	. ➨ Here's How to Make Your First $177 Online This Week Using the Piggyback Method... .

21st Jan 2012, 01:38 AM	#4
Quentin Web Marketing For Profit War Room Member Join Date: 2002 Location: Brisbane Posts: 2,895 Thanks: 8 Thanked 1,162 Times in 528 Posts Blog Entries: 10	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: One way you can do a basic test is to use firefox with a user agent. It not foolproof but it is pretty good. Testing Mobile Web Sites Using Firefox \| mobiForge This is pretty detailed and you can just get the user agent extension for quick results https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...gent-switcher/ Quentin
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21st Jan 2012, 02:04 AM	#5
amoladora Warrior Member Join Date: 2011 Posts: 15 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: sorry to hijack the thread, but i just wanted to ask you quentin if I could sned you a couple of msgs on skype - my post count isn't high enough to pm you james

21st Jan 2012, 02:10 AM	#6
Nail Yener You reap what you sow. War Room Member Join Date: 2008 Location: Sometimes you don't. Posts: 1,078 Thanks: 196 Thanked 411 Times in 243 Posts	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: No question is silly especially if it comes from a newbie. There is no surefire way to know if a business has a mobile website or not even if you check it on your mobile device. They may have a mobile site but if they didn't configure the redirection, in that case you can't tell whether they have a mobile site or not by checking their website on a mobile device or simulator. Also, they may be developing one at the time you contact them and you wouldn't know that. Since you don't have a smartphone, you can check their site on a mobile simulator such as Mobilizer or Electric Mobile Simulator. If what you see doesn't look like a mobile friendly site, just contact them.

21st Jan 2012, 05:59 AM	#7
frankhill Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2011 Posts: 40 Thanks: 36 Thanked 48 Times in 35 Posts	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: Thanks for the responses guys...and the encouragement. Frank

6th Feb 2012, 09:36 PM	#8
Sharon Trainor Little Engine That Can Join Date: 2011 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 31 Thanks: 4 Thanked 18 Times in 16 Posts	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: I'm glad you asked, because I was just looking for the same info! Got some great advice also... thanks!

6th Feb 2012, 09:44 PM	#10
Entrecon Voiceover Artist War Room Member Join Date: 2012 Location: Mt. Pleasant, MI Posts: 491 Thanks: 57 Thanked 139 Times in 110 Posts	Re: Silly newbie question Share on: I saw a phone service website the other day that had a mobile device emulator built into their website. I would think there are some other tools out there like that.
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