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Responsive vs mobile site

by AussieT
14 replies
If I have a responsive website is there any advantage in also having a purely mobile site?

Do the search engines (aka Google) give equal weight to both types of sites if the search is done on a mobile device?

Thanks
#mobile #responsive #site
  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    My opinion is that responsive isn't as good as a mobile site for brick and mortar businesses and I've held this position for a couple of years now here's why.

    For brick and mortar businesses consumers or potential new customers want quick information about a local business.

    Location
    Hours
    Phone

    Basic business info at the touch of the finger.

    So a business card type mobile site in my opinion is better for what users are looking for and they present less display problems as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gladiator
    IMO you should use both Responsive and mobile site within the same site.

    Maybe it's time to change the web design so that you get easy quick info!

    Look at DuDaMobile they now have where you can quickly get a responsive site. I believe that things are changing in the mobi website field.

    Responsive is getting more exposure and maybe even Adaptive.

    Andre
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  • Profile picture of the author akazo
    Everyone will have their own opinion, but I believe that responsive is best for the customer. One development charge, one hosting charge, ease of maintenance, plus you can easily do a site layout that shows hours, phone, location at or near the top so it is easy to find.

    Most consumers (at least the ones I interact with) want more than just hours and phone number, they want information. It isn't about just phones, people are using tablets as a primary web surfing device.

    My 2 cents...
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    • Profile picture of the author abnerhawkins
      Originally Posted by akazo View Post

      Everyone will have their own opinion, but I believe that responsive is best for the customer. One development charge, one hosting charge, ease of maintenance, plus you can easily do a site layout that shows hours, phone, location at or near the top so it is easy to find.

      Most consumers (at least the ones I interact with) want more than just hours and phone number, they want information. It isn't about just phones, people are using tablets as a primary web surfing device.

      My 2 cents...
      I do agree with this. Customers can save their money and time by implementing a single responsive website instead of developing websites for desktops, mobiles and tablets individually.
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  • Profile picture of the author AussieT
    Thanks folks

    Any comments on the second question?

    Originally Posted by AussieT View Post

    If I have a responsive website is there any advantage in also having a purely mobile site?

    Do the search engines (aka Google) give equal weight to both types of sites if the search is done on a mobile device?

    Thanks
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      My opinion is that responsive isn't as good as a mobile site for brick and mortar businesses and I've held this position for a couple of years now here's why.

      For brick and mortar businesses consumers or potential new customers want quick information about a local business.

      Location
      Hours
      Phone

      Basic business info at the touch of the finger.

      So a business card type mobile site in my opinion is better for what users are looking for and they present less display problems as well.
      I respectfully disagree, though I used to hold the same position as you Russ. Responsive websites do get preferential treatment in the search engines and it is Google's recommendation but I suppose you could take it as a grain of salt.

      Your points are valid, but you can select which content you want hidden under a certain screen size so you can make a responsive website just like you would a mobile site. You can hide content, modules, positions, etc. based on screen size so you can display certain content just for mobile or just for desktop.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
        There are valid points for both sides. With a responsive design you don't have to create extra content for the mobile version and then there are instances where a mobile version fits the need better.

        So the question to answer is what the goal is and design based on what type fills that need best.

        Just an aside, if using responsive design site speed/server speed is important due to the latency inherent with 3g and 4g networks.

        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        I respectfully disagree, though I used to hold the same position as you Russ. Responsive websites do get preferential treatment in the search engines and it is Google's recommendation but I suppose you could take it as a grain of salt.

        Your points are valid, but you can select which content you want hidden under a certain screen size so you can make a responsive website just like you would a mobile site. You can hide content, modules, positions, etc. based on screen size so you can display certain content just for mobile or just for desktop.
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  • Profile picture of the author JacobS
    Most of the Fortune 100 companies utilize mobile sites. Personally, I'm partial to adaptive web design.
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  • Profile picture of the author uklistingz
    Both responsive design and mobile site will optimize your site to be more likely for smaller screens; both will provide simpler navigation and faster load times. though responsive website graphically have more exposure and adventures as it looks great for other desktop users as well !
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  • Profile picture of the author amcg
    I think regardless of whether you have a native mobile app or not, you definitely should by now have a responsive design. Most cms templates and themes are responsive by design now. If you think about the ways people access the Internet now and the number of different screens, it's obvious.

    I think you also want a native app and there's really only two ecosystems offcourse, iOS and Android. Whether or not you have the resources to do mobile is another question - an app will most likely require continuous improvement in align with the development of the mobile OS's.
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  • Profile picture of the author mjbmedia
    Depends what the users want from using their mobile devices to connect with your business.

    There is no black and white concrete answer , the end user determines the correct course of action and you may find, as many businesses are, that going one route seems right at first but the end user soon tells you it's not what they want to engage with.

    Re Google , sod Google, sorry but they aint God, they think they are, but theyre just some people doing search a bit better than anyone else, far from perfect, develop for the end user, not Google , and your site will be found . Google change their tune on mobile every 6 months anyway and as new ways develop youll be constantly trying to please the big G and forgetting about the end users, and that is wrong.
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    Mike

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  • Profile picture of the author Adrian John
    See more opinions about this in the below threads:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/mobile-m...ve-design.html
    http://www.warriorforum.com/mobile-m...-websites.html
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  • Profile picture of the author Gladiator
    Adrian, I checked out the threads that you are referring to, But they are old threads and things are changing. I believe it is time to change the web design (Responsive) so that the information is easy to see and get all you want, map, phone address etc

    Another way is to make a mobi site only that looks good across many platforms, I have tried that - it looks ok but needs work!

    p.s. I like your work and maybe I will use your services.

    Originally Posted by Adrian John View Post

    I said this in another post too and all I can say is that you should focus on an user friendly design to help your clients get more customers.Forget responsive design for smartphone users.

    Stand Alone Mobile Website:     Focused on Call to Action (tap to call, specials, free quotes sign-up for newsletter), most important information concentrated within several paragraphs, layout can be fully controlled.
    This will get clients on the phone faster than ever and that's what every business want.

    Responsive Design: too much information available to read, no straight call to action , not focused on important information, broken layout, they don't look as good as an custom design, and they're not focused on an user friendly experience.

    What do you want from the mobile website users?
    To read the content of the website and get bored probably of too much information? content not aligned up correctly? not sure how to proceed? etc
    OR have them call the business to ask more information, talk to a real person who can respond LIVE to their needs?

    Stand alone mobile website is the way to go if you want your client use it and actually get some customers through it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve3214
    responsive websites are one of the most demanding websites these days. Mostly web development and mobile application development companies are giving their focus on creating responsive websites because of much number of mobile users.
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