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Promotion of Mobile Domains for Clients: m.companyname.com vs company.mobi

by pplicon
16 replies
Just closed my 1st mobile site client. Wanna, say Thank You to everyone who has added input, shared advice and has helped me along the way. I really appreciate you fellow Warriors.

So I give the client the redirect code, but they can't insert it as their site is built around a template that came with the domain and hosting. They're debating on letting my team redo their entire site just on this premise alone. Meanwhile, I am also building a FB fanpage for them as well.

Their main concern, is that they won't be able to promote the mobile site, now that they can't add the redirect code immediately. I explained that the mobile site is an extension of their main site, just as FB, Twitter, etc and we will be incorporating the promotion of the mobile site with no problem.

My question, is this:

I was taught that it's always a good thing to register their .mobi, even if they may think that they don't need it down the line. I do have the .mobi registered, but I'm thinking that I should register m.comanyname.com in addition to companyname.mobi, and push and promote the m.companyname.com.

Don't ask me why, but I saw a big corporation (in the same niche) list m.companyname.com on their FB page as their main website, and just thought it was odd that they didn't promote companyname.mobi

Scratching my head ...

Any thoughts?
#clients #companymobi #domains #mcompanynamecom #mobile #promotion
  • Profile picture of the author myob
    You don't need to have a separate .mobi domain. Just have the redirect code point to an internal mobile-optimized page or subdomain within the primary domain. Most of my "redo's" are eliminating the .mobi sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author vndnbrgj
    If it is based on a different platform like WordPress, then they can just add a plugin that will make their site mobile ready.
    This should help you sell them on the redo as well. Then they own the site, and it isn't tied to the hosting. Then you can offer the hosting as an additional revenue stream.
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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    m.companyname.com is the best according to Matt Cutts from Google as he said it will not be considered duplicate content.


    And here is the blog post he mentions.

    Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Help Google index your mobile site

    Quentin
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    • Profile picture of the author etrin
      Hi Quentin/Myob,

      If we put it in their subdomain (m.companyname.com), that means we can't charge for hosting then - if they decide to remain with their current hosting company.

      So, do we just charge for maintenance fees once we upload it to their host? I'm trying to figure out how to make it a recurring thing, not just one-off.

      Thanks for any advice!
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        @etrin

        By eliminating the redundant .mobi domain, you are saving your client money upfront. You then are first up for providing other services like QR codes, SMS texting, NFC equipment, telecom services, software, and on and on and on...

        Just by fixing this one problem with so many companies I am now servicing major fast food chains, retail store chains, auto dealerships, real estate, insurance, cable companies, manufacturers, transportation companies, hospitals, medical clinics, lawyer firms, etc.

        If you look for companies that have a .mobi site, you're going to perhaps have more business than you can handle.
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        • Profile picture of the author etrin
          Interesting myob, leading with cost savings!

          What would be a good fee to charge for this service?

          Perhaps if their current mobi site doesn't look to good, one could even offer to redo it as well, while transferring to a subdomain.

          Now, I have to figure out a way to find all these .mobi sites efficiently.


          Originally Posted by myob View Post

          @etrin

          By eliminating the redundant .mobi domain, you are saving your client money upfront. You then are first up for providing other services like QR codes, SMS texting, NFC equipment, telecom services, software, and on and on and on...

          Just by fixing this one problem with so many companies I am now servicing major fast food chains, retail store chains, auto dealerships, real estate, insurance, cable companies, manufacturers, transportation companies, hospitals, medical clinics, lawyer firms, etc.

          If you look for companies that have a .mobi site, you're going to perhaps have more business than you can handle.
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          • Profile picture of the author myob
            Originally Posted by etrin View Post

            Interesting myob, leading with cost savings!

            What would be a good fee to charge for this service? ....
            It depends on your market. But the solution is so simple, just putting a mobile redirect code is hardly worth charging for it unless the mobile pages need fixing up as well. I'm one for doing packaged solution proposals instead of itemizing individual services.

            You really don't need to go searching specifically for businesses with .mobi sites. The ones that do have it are absolute gold, however. It's actually getting more common to see these botched up all the time because many web designers don't have a clue of what they're doing.
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        • Profile picture of the author Jay Rhome
          Originally Posted by myob View Post

          @etrin

          By eliminating the redundant .mobi domain, you are saving your client money upfront. You then are first up for providing other services like QR codes, SMS texting, NFC equipment, telecom services, software, and on and on and on...

          Just by fixing this one problem with so many companies I am now servicing major fast food chains, retail store chains, auto dealerships, real estate, insurance, cable companies, manufacturers, transportation companies, hospitals, medical clinics, lawyer firms, etc.

          If you look for companies that have a .mobi site, you're going to perhaps have more business than you can handle.
          Really ? Damn! I thought it was the thing to get mobi sites...

          m.domain.com simply means m is a subdomain? Nothing special besides it's the new norm?

          I thought too that it was better to have them "rent" the mobi space and hosting from us if we can't have (or don't want) to be the webmaster for their regular site.

          In fact, I had though of using a PAGE on MY mobi site for smaller companies that don't need mobile sites that bad. A QR Code leads to the page - which includes their logo, phone number, address, link to their "desktop" site if they have one, Google Map, and an ad for my services (which is also featured subtly on the QR code).

          A sort of entry point for those still shy to mobile.
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  • Profile picture of the author AdBankPro
    Or you could use a wordpress site with a mobile detection plug-in...the sites we build for our clients use the same pages, and information (no duplicates) to serve on desktops and mobile devices! Plus, we use mobile sitemaps with general sitemaps to solidify a mobile presence...
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    Phil Benham

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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    We build the recurring using Qr Code tracking service.

    And yes you can use a wordpress plugin but in many cases they will want customized solutions that simply do not fit with wordpress.

    Quentin
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  • Profile picture of the author I.M.Retired
    I'm missing something here. If you have an m.domainname.com and you are using Wordpress (and the wordpress mobile plugin) when you redirect the domain the domainname.com website, how does it pick up the mobile site?
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      I never use Wordpress, but I assume as others have mentioned elsewhere there is a plugin to detect a mobile device. With html, there are hundreds of php redirect codes available that you just insert into the main page. The redirect code detects smartphones and points to the mobile subdomain.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Rhome
    Most redirect I've used for html sites have not worked all the time. The WP plugins did, but the thing is I'd want only SOME pages to redirect to the mobile site. For example, we might want to redirect from our mobile site to a page inside the main site. With generalized redirection, that can't be done. Any tips on how to do that?
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Maybe I don't understand your question completely, but you can put a different redirect code on each top level page. I can't imagine why you wouldn't have all mobile phones redirected to a mobile enhanced directory or subdomain though.

      If you don't do any php programming, you can use this solution for Web Designers and Developers Package ($100/per month for up to 50 sites) (not affiliated)

      Detect Mobile Browsers - Mobile User Agent Detection

      This php source code has an online generator to set up customized function parameters.

      If this doesn't work for you, then in some cases you may have to just continue to use your mobi site.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jay Rhome
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        I can't imagine why you wouldn't have all mobile phones redirected to a mobile enhanced directory or subdomain though.
        Well most mobile sites will be a LOT simpler, with less content than the regular sites. So for a few topics, sending browsers to the regular site might be easier to handle than putting all the content in mobile version.

        And many big sites do show a link to go to the main site as well - yet on these when I was browsing, I had been detected as a mobile user and sent right away to the mobile version. My guess is the redirect is only in the home page.
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        • Profile picture of the author myob
          Those sites you visited looks like perhaps may have been poorly designed. I've never experienced any problem putting the redirect detection code in "companyname.com". When a mobile phone is detected it is redirected to "m.companyname.com" where the site is duplicated in a format as if it were a mobi domain.

          You can just as easily redirect to any url, including a mobi domain, completely transparent to the mobile user clicking on "companyname.com".

          If the initial visit is from any pages other than "companyname.com", simply put a redirect code on all such pages to point to the mobile version in the subdomain.

          This of course may not be a solution for all cases, and a separate mobi domain may be needed without the redirect.

          Hope that helps.
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