Is your photography website scalable from Desktop to Mobile?

60 Percent Of Internet Access Is Mostly Mobile

This was the headline and graph showing how the rest of the world is consuming the web excluding the UK and the USA. Here is a link to that story.

I pulled the report on my website.

This is some of the numbers of visits to my website and the main discovery is that 56% are using a laptop or a desktop to look at my website.

My website up until this past weekend worked great for anyone using a desktop/laptop to connect with my website. However, 44% were visiting using mobile or a tablet. On the mobile the website wasn't very friendly.

Now if you are viewing this blog on your mobile device then you are already seeing like the above photo. I realized I needed to make my main website mobile friendly, but also still a great experience if using a larger device.

Now my website looks like this on a mobile device.

Now in the corner I have a pull down menu which is being used widely through the web.

Many times people may go first to your website with their mobile device and then come back later on a larger screen laptop or desktop. I still need to engage them because sometimes they are looking for someone like me and I don't want them to pass over me because my website isn't mobile friendly.

IMPORTANT FACT

In February 2015, Google announced that the mobile-friendly update will boost the rankings of mobile-friendly pages -- pages that are legible and usable on mobile devices -- in mobile search results worldwide. (Conversely, pages designed for only large screens may see a significant decrease in rankings in mobile search results.)

The role out of this change was April 21st this year.

Are you mobile friendly with your website?

I am using the website builders from Godaddy and PhotoShelter to build my websites that makes them scalable from desktop to ipad to mobile device.  You can do this using a more traditional approach like Dreamweaver, but I have found these online designers are simpler to use.

Here is the link to see PhotoShelter website templates and designs. $10 a month for a mobile friendly website.

Here is the link to see Godaddy website templates and designs. $6 a month for a mobile friendly website.

Updating My Websites

I am in the process of updating my websites and thought I would share some of my thoughts about this process.

You can click on the thumbnails of the websites I have posted here to see them in action. I still have to change some domain names and make a few more administrative changes to make it all work, but I am almost there.

My website www.StanleyLeary.com works pretty well, but the main thing it lacks is the mobile design that the new website has built into it.

My blog has been hosted by blogger and has had the mobile function for a while. I see no real reason to update this, except I will decide if I want to redo the links on it or just eliminate those and point people back to my main website.

With websites, blogs and even social media the navigation is extremely important. I need the function to work or the form [Design] will be totally useless.

I have been told and read many opinions on when you should have a separate website. Most recommend it when you start to add too many services. The website does better for brand building to have it simple.

I created my workshop website separate from the main website. You can get to it from the main website, but this helps build these workshops as a separate business that I am running.

I am also maintaining a social media presence in a few spots which you can find from my main webpage on the lower left hand corner or by just searching for me on most of the social media outlets.

It is taking a while to build a brand presence throughout the web. The more places I am located the higher my SEO making it easier for me to be found by those looking for my services.

A few things I am learning slowly is how important it is to keep all the websites simple and clean. Find the niche for each of these websites and then feed them content to help drive more potential customers my direction.

SUMMARY

While I am not changing my websites everyday, they are always being updated. The only thing constant with being relevant today as a professional communications expert is continuous quality improvement. This means I am always looking for a way to improve. Sometimes I take risks that fail and other times I see the positive results.

Those who are truly successful are those who embrace the need for continuous change in their lives.