Loading...The context
Internet users connect more and more to the internet via their mobile phones or tablets but without abandoning their computers. According to one of Deloitte’s 2013 reports, 50% of today’s population owns a smartphone and 23% a tablet. Between March 2013 and March 2014, the traffic on mobile applications increased in average by 44% …while the traffic on websites dropped by 10.5%. The classic website is not dead yet but it should be adapted to new needs (which are no longer so new if we remember that the first smartphone was designed in 1992, IMB Simon). Each terminal (laptop, classic computer, smartphone, tablet) has its own features (size, display technical constraints, design, ergonomics, SEO, use) that we have to integrate in order to have a readable site on all these supports. In this context, do we really have to develop a mobile application, mobile website or a responsive design site? Each solution has its own benefits and constraints but most of all its own objectives:
- Responsive design: adapted to mobile, Responsive Design is a real philosophy as we have to rethink the whole approach for the creation of an Internet site.
- Mobile site: display and browsing are developed and optimised for mobile display, reduced size and touchscreen browsing, if possible. A mobile site can be very interesting from a commercial point of view as it offers the possibility to suggest content to a whole new audience and in a completely different context.
- Mobile application: solution designed exclusively for mobile use. Display and browsing are developed and optimised for specific use. Just think of SEO for mobile applications, which is sometimes forgotten, neglected and almost always deceiving for those who don’t master its subtleties and techniques. Nothing more wrong as application SEO can bring considerable benefits!
According to the chosen solution, you must know that there are several factors to take into account before launching:
- first of all, choosing the best technology (framework, etc.) according to the targeted device (Android/iOS, Blackberry, etc.): your service provider will know how to advise you but consider requesting him a comparative study.
- then the design: don’t neglect the design or ergonomics related costs.
- and tracking (analytics..)
- What service provider?
- Within what timeframe? (development + design, publishing on Google Play and Apple Store…)
- What will maintenance cost me?
- What will hosting cost me (security, scalability, backup…)?
- In the end, what will be the total cost of the chosen solution?
One of my clients, for example, a startup in the field of eCommerce, chose to build a mobile website in Sencha Touch. Initially, it wanted a native Android application and an iOS application but he had a limited budget. He then chose an intermediate solution based on the Sencha Touch tool. Sencha Touch is a JavaScript framework especially designed for developing mobile web applications. The peculiarity of this platform is that it is developed exclusively in JavaScript and is therefore compatible with Android, IOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch..), Blackberry and adapted to all screen resolutions. By contrast, Sencha can only be run on webkit browsers: Chrome, Safari, Opera… (mobile-specific browsers). And most importantly, it is free. To put it in a nutshell, using Sencha enables you to improve your mobile website. I invite you to consult this very good tutorial: Sencha Tutorial
The issue
When it comes to optimising your mobile website at SEO level, there are certain rules to respect: unique URLs, unique text or well correlated to the desktop site, design adapted to mobile browsing. The use of Sencha Touch is quite problematic since as the tool uses only one URL:
This way, Google cannot interpret the URLs and only one page is indexed. Everything after “#” is not taken into account by Google.
The solution
To solve this problem, we have identified 3 solutions:
- Google suggests using the Hash bangs #! We have to rewrite the URLs by embedding these Hash bangs in order for the search engines to read them correctly.
- Create a Sitemap for mobile and register it with Google (via Webmastertool for example)
- If possible, make the necessary configurations to link the web pages with the mobile pages
Pentalog has the necessary resources and qualified collaborators to meet 100% of our clients’ mobility needs: adapted design, site optimization for search engines specific to mobile applications (ASO – Apple Store Optimization and GPO Google Play Optimization) or for classic search engines (Google, Yahoo !, Bing – SEO) for the development, testing and maintenance of your mobile project. Looking for Android, IOS, SenchaTouch developers or for another mobile development specific technology? Contact me! Don’t know yet what solution to choose? No worries: a Pentalog Institute consultant is always here to help you find out!Other articles you might enjoy reading:
