The initiative tackles mobile readiness from two sides: test the current website to see how mobile-friendly it is and offers help in developing a mobile-friendly website by offering an easy to search database of developers and DYI services.
The blog post announcing GoMo provides a clear definition of what a mobile-friendly website is: “It’s a website designed specifically for mobile users and mobile devices. It’s fast to load and easy to use—no pinching and zooming required.”
The mobile culture has been rapidly growing over the past 10 years. Mobile devices are no longer communication devices exclusively. People use their mobile devices to access information, search for what they need, play games, and even shop.
Event planners have been reluctant, in most cases, to use mobile devices to their advantage, which is the case for any new changes that come to the event industry.
If you fall in that category of event planners that still do not heavily use mobile technology to your advantage, you're in for a rude awakening.
Over 5.9 billion people, up from 5.3 billion in 2010, have a mobile-cellular subscription, where global penetration reaches 87%, and 79% in the developing world, according to the latest The World in 2011: ICT Facts and Figures report by the International Telecommunication Union.
Making your business and event website mobile-friendly is only part of the game. The other part is using mobile technology to extend event participant experience through event apps, QR codes, and location-based marketing.
The GoMo initiative should serve as a wake-up call to event planners that are still hiding from the mobile technology.
If you're new to mobile-friendly websites, GoMo offers lots of tips and advice on what makes a website mobile-friendly. Some tips include:
- Minimize scrolling and keep it vertical
- Create contrast between background and text for better readability
- Keep users in the same place when they change orientation
What Should You Do Next?
Test your website on howtogomo.com. You simply enter your website URL and GoMo will display a mobile version of your website, at least what your visitors will see on the mobile devices. If you're lucky, it will look OK. But in most cases, the desktop browser version is too large and too complex for mobile browsers to render correctly. Get it fixed!
Once you finish testing your website, GoMo offers a detailed PDF report customized for your website to help you learn more about mobile-friendly websites.
The last thing that GoMo offers is a database of mobile developers, full service as well as DIY services, which will help you create your mobile-friendly event (and business) website.
Remember, 5.9 billion people use mobile devices. Why wouldn't you want them to see details about your business and your event on the mobile device? Make it easy, make your websites compatible through all mobile devices: smartphones and tablets.
