If you run a business with an online presence, having just one website is no longer enough. These days, you need to have both a desktop version and a mobile version (or just one version that works on both by being built on responsive design).
If you are about to launch a website and you are considering using WordPress, you can easily use this popular content management system to create a mobile site. This will all come down to the theme you use and the plugins you download. Here is a guide to your options.
Download a responsive theme
Responsive design is a type of web design that is becoming increasingly popular for mobile websites. When it is used to design your website, the website itself will shift and adapt in real time depending on the size of the browser.
This means someone viewing your website on a desktop computer will see one version of the website, and someone viewing it on a mobile device will see a slightly different design.
The advantage of a responsive theme is that you only need to worry about one version of your site. You will find many responsive themes to download and use on WordPress. Some of these are premium themes, which may be more suitable for your business website.
Download a mobile theme
If you do not want a responsive theme for your website, and would rather have two separate themes for the mobile version and the desktop version, you can simply download a theme that has been designed to work on mobile devices.
Again, there are many professional themes that are now available and which you can use alongside the desktop version of your website.
Mobile plugins
If you have a mobile theme and a desktop theme, you will want to make sure that the right version shows up for viewers. You can do this by downloading various plugins. Some of the most popular include:
- WPTouch is one of the most popular plugins, and it is available in a free or pro version. Download the plugin and you will quickly be able to set up a mobile version of your site based on your standard website. It also has a number of extra themes you can use in the pro version;
- Jetpack is another popular plugin, and it comes with over 30 features including the Mobile Theme feature. You can use this to optimise your site for mobile quickly and easily;
- WP Mobile Detector automatically detects the device being used to view your website and chooses the version of your site to display. It claims to be able to detect over 5,000 devices. It is easy to use, and it also includes analytics. A number of pre-installed themes are also included;
- Mobile Smart provides a very simple way to display a mobile template to mobile visitors of your site rather than using a responsive website. Users have the option to switch from this site to your desktop version, and you can also download the premium version to take advantage of a number of extra features.
Make sure your site is optimised for mobile
Even if you do not currently receive a large number of mobile visitors, it is still a very good idea to make sure your website is optimised for mobile.
More and more people are going to use mobile devices to browse the internet over the coming years, and you want to make sure you are prepared.
If you have a WordPress website, make use of the themes and plugins available to make sure you are providing the best experience for visitors from mobile devices, and ensure you are not missing out on leads and conversions.
