Mobify has a very clear purpose: it’s a service for optimizing existing websites for mobile users. Not just an RSS feed – the whole thing! Here are some issues mobile users encounter when navigating to familiar locations:
1) Pages take too long to load. It’s not uncommon to see front pages (not even talking about entire sites) of 500kb and up. This is slow even on 3G. Mobify reduces page size by up to 90% thanks to resizing images to fit the mobile screen and letting the webmaster eliminate content unsuitable for mobile (eg. Flash).
2) Desktop site is difficult to navigate on mobile. On mobile, priorities of content change. Things like directions, phone numbers and content downloads are often what’s needed upfront. This content is probably present on the full site, but buried deep inside. With Mobify you get to “remix” existing sites for mobile, creating new navigation without duplicating content (it gets auto-synced with the source site).
3) Mobile site (if it exists at all) is separate in terms of content management flow and URL structure, creating SEO challenges. Unless a site has a dedicated tech team or is using a framework with decent mobile functionality (aside from WordPress, there isn’t many), this is difficult. Mobify supports DNS redirects, allowing for sites like http://m.yoursite.com and fully maintaining URL structure across the mobile site. We also provide our users with a JavaScript snippet that detects mobile devices, driving your existing users to the mobile URL.
4) Developing a mobile presence is a lot of work. Device detection, image resizing, content syncing… Mobile used to be difficult. Mobifying a complete site takes from 5 minutes (a blog) to several hours (a complex portal like TechVibes).
These are just some of the issues addressed by Mobify. Try it on your website today and tell us what you think!
