How to Approach Multi-Device Sites
From smartphones and tablets to laptops and television, 90% of all media interactions today are on a screen, and businesses that allow users to interact with their brand across all platforms and on all devices are able to generate more engagement. So how do you get started?
Whether someone is using their PC at work, their tablet in the evening on the couch, or their smartphone during commute hours, constant connectivity means that people are going online on many different devices throughout the day. Businesses that allow users to interact with their web presence in all circumstances and on all devices are able to generate more engagement. Here’s how you get started:
1. Understand how customers currently interact with your site
Analyze the traffic on your website and get an understanding of where your customers come from; at what times they visit your site, what types of content they consume and especially what devices they use. A solid analysis will give you a good understanding of the status quo and will help you identify what areas to prioritize.
2. Adapt your value proposition to customer needs
An analysis of your current website might give you hints—e.g. what a smartphone user is looking for versus a visitor on a computer or a tablet. You might learn that prioritizing specific content on the mobile-friendly version of your website will improve conversion rates and drive incremental revenue for your business. The goal here is to tailor and rearrange content for specific audiences rather than removing it and offer a stripped down version of your website. Keeping the user in mind when designing device specific content is key to crafting a positive experience for your customers.
3. Decide which implementation option works best for you
There are three approaches commonly used across the web that address multi-device users and allow for content customization based on user context. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and every business has different requirements, available resources and existing technologies. It is recommended to discuss the pros/cons for each option with your webmaster / agency. Here’s a summary of three implementation options:
Responsive web design
Responsive web design (RWD) enables you to optimize your site experience across different screen sizes without creating multiple websites. With flexible templates, CSS and JavaScript, a responsive site immediately adjusts images, template layouts and content according to the screen size of a device. Using a single URL for a piece of content makes it easier for your users to interact with, share, and link to your content. Also, no redirection is needed for users to get to the device-optimized view, which can reduce load time. In order to create a truly great experience with RWD businesses need to have device specific strategies and design web content with the end user in mind.
Dynamically serving different HTML on the same URL
When a customer visits your website, it’s possible for your webserver to detect what kind of device they are on and present a custom page (HTML + CSS) on the same URL. These custom pages can be designed for any kind of device—mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers and even Smart TVs. Detecting the user’s device and changing the content you serve requires some customization (e.g. style sheets) that need to be maintained on a per device basis.
Separate mobile URLs
Another option to customize your site experience based on device type is to build a separate site for mobile traffic, independent of your original desktop site. The browser detects if a visitor is on a mobile device and redirects them to the mobile-optimized version of your site (e.g. mobile.nytimes.com). A dedicated mobile site allows you to tailor the site specifically for mobile users and is often independently built and hosted.