How can you tell whether a website needs a mobile version?
To decide whether a website needs a mobile version, first consider whether users need to browse it on mobile devices, then assess the nature of its products, its target audience, user habits, and the website’s current state. Mobile visitors accounting for only 10% of traffic is not enough to conclude that a mobile version is not worth building; nor does the ability to zoom in and out on a phone mean that users’ needs have been met.For websites in general, including corporate websites, the point is not simply to make the mobile version look good, but to ensure that users can find the information they need on their phones. As for whether the budget should go first toward a mobile version, SEO, or visual design, the material offers no one-size-fits-all answer.
Start by asking who will visit on a phone and what they are looking for
The PTT discussion brings the focus back to whether users actually have a need, while another comment recommends assessing the nature of the products, the target audience, and user habits. This is more specific than simply asking whether a company website should have a mobile version. Three questions can help frame the assessment:
- What products, services, or content does the website offer, and who are its main users?
- When and in what circumstances will users visit the website on their phones?
- What information do they most want to find, and is it easy to locate on the current pages?
For example, the source author lists news and content websites, restaurants, and local businesses that need to direct people from online channels to physical locations as examples of sites that need mobile versions. The reasoning is that social and local needs may be connected to mobile use. This is an approach to assessment proposed by the author, not a general rule that only these websites need mobile versions. Nor does it imply that other corporate websites have no such need.
A 10% share of mobile traffic is a clue, not a cutoff for ruling out a mobile version
In a 2012 discussion about a corporate website, the original poster said that mobile visitors accounted for roughly 10% of all visitors. They therefore leaned toward investing in SEO or visual design first and considering a mobile version once the mobile share increased. These were that website’s figures at the time and the poster’s personal judgment, not a universal investment benchmark.
Other comments offered a different explanation: a low share of mobile visitors could also be related to difficulties browsing the desktop version on a phone.This is only a possibility; the material does not establish that the website actually lost visitors for this reason. Current visitor numbers alone therefore cannot establish that demand is low, but neither can anyone guarantee that building a mobile version will increase traffic. The assessment still needs to consider the target audience and existing browsing difficulties.
If you are worried about losing information, review the content rather than abandoning the idea outright
The original poster worried that a small screen would limit visual presentation and the amount of information, potentially even harming marketing efforts. However, they also explicitly stated that they had only used a vendor’s free module and had no experience paying to have a mobile version built. The belief that information would inevitably be reduced was their personal assumption.
This concern can be turned into an assessment question: can users still find the information they need? If the mobile presentation aims only to look clean and attractive while omitting essential content, it does not meet users’ needs. But that does not mean a mobile version is necessarily incomplete. Responses in the discussion also noted that a mobile version is about more than appearance and completeness, and that concerns about presentation are not, on their own, sufficient grounds for deciding against one. First clarify the usability problems to be solved, then discuss investment priorities.
Whether a website needs a mobile version: perspectives from across the web
Does the discussion establish what the company mainly sells or what information visitors want to find?
No. The material does not specify the company’s products or target audience, nor does it provide information about what visitors actually want to find. Participants suggest assessing the nature of the products, the target audience, and user habits, and considering when and why users use their phones. These are areas for further clarification, not substitutes for actual information about the company.
If everyone around you frequently browses on their phone, is that enough to decide to build a mobile version immediately?
That observation alone is not enough to make the decision. One commenter noted that people around them browsed more often on their phones and argued that, since a mobile version would be needed sooner or later, it would be better to negotiate a price and have it all done at once. But this reflects their experience with people around them and does not necessarily represent a particular website’s audience. Another approach is to consider the nature of the products, the target audience, and user habits before deciding whether to invest.
Could a web app be considered instead of building a separate mobile version?
It can be included as an option for discussion, but the material only shows that one commenter thought a web app was also a good option. It does not compare its costs, functionality, or suitability for different situations with those of a mobile version, so it cannot establish that a web app would be more suitable for the company’s official website. Any decision to adopt one still needs to take into account the nature of the website’s products, its target audience, and user habits.
References
- Re: [討論] 公司的Website真的需要手機版嗎？www.ptt.cc — Discusses: Does the discussion establish what the company mainly sells or what information visitors want to find?
- [討論] 公司的Website真的需要手機版嗎？www.ptt.cc — Discusses: Does the discussion establish what the company mainly sells or what information visitors want to find?; If everyone around you frequently browses on their phone, is that enough to decide to build a mobile version immediately?
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