1. What is the best way for your business to go mobile?
Mobile is becoming main stream these days and it is no surprise. According to Various data
shows that Internet accessed from Mobile is going to outpace others devices, 30.4 percent of all
global web traffic came through mobile devices and this number will continue to grow in 2015.
So if you want your share of this pie then, it’s time to for you to step into mobile world.
Which of the following mobile optimization methods is the best for your particular business?
1. Responsive Web Design
2. Mobile Website
3. Native App
Let us first understand what exactly is Responsive Web Design / Mobile Website and Native app
and then Let’s understand the Pros and Cons of each Method.
What is Responsive Web Design?
Responsive web design allows you to have a single website that automatically fits the screen size
of the device on which it is being viewed. This is achieved by adapting the content, design,
navigation and method of interaction to deliver the same comfort and usability to the mobile user
as to the desktop user.
This means that you have just one website that looks equally well on all types of devices.

2. What is Mobile Website?
A mobile website is designed specifically for mobile devices considering all the limitations and
opportunities. While developing a mobile website you should keep in mind following points :
The small screen size,
Interaction methods (touch)
Limited connection speed (2G/3G).
Content must be easily accessible, fast-loading and readable. As there are a bunch of mobile
devices with different screen sizes and interaction types, it is impossible to create a website per
device type. That means even your mobile website has to be a little responsive to fit every
screen.
What is Native App?
A native app is a software specifically developed for mobile devices. Native apps are not
common among all devices, because they are made for a particular operating system. Users have
to download the app mostly from a specific OS store, like Google Play or the Apple Store and
install it on the mobile device.
The greatest thing about apps is that they are flexible and let you have not only the same stuff
that is on desktop website, but also employ awesome mobile-specific features such as use of
camera, click-to-call buttons, Location Data, contacts or galleries and many more.

3. The Pros:
Responsive Design Mobile Site Native app
A single website. It’s easier
to administer just one
website for all devices.
User
experience. Congratulations!
You have a website that is
specifically optimized for
mobile devices, considering
all benefits and limitations of
the platform, so you have a
good ground to create a
beautiful and usable UX.
User experience. Native
apps can have better UX
than any other mobile
optimization solution.
A single URL. This makes
sure your users will find
you on mobile devices
without having to wait for
redirects, especially helpful
on slower connections.
Speed. Your website will
load fast and easily on
mobile platforms.
Accessibility and
speed. Applications can
operate even without
internet connection making
all your information
available at any time. And
if you are lucky enough to
have an experienced and
virtuous coder, your app
will also load fast and
smoothly!
Easy SEO. There is no
need to create specific
content for mobile devices,
while you still enjoy the
benefits of your desktop
website SEO on mobile
Cost. Building a mobile
website is not a cheap option
as compared to responsive
web design, but still you can
get a very reasonable price
for the value.
Everything you can
imagine. Here’s where you
can and should think out of
the box and get creative.
Mobile platform, especially
with touch screen

4. devices. navigation, gives you mass
of features to work with in
order to provide excellent
UX.
Easy marketing. No extra
work for the marketing
department is required to
promote your website on
mobile.
Benefit from local
search. Search engines tend
to provide good UX nearly
as much as you do, so in
local search results mobile
optimized websites have
better chances to rank.
Visibility. Once a user has
installed your app on a
mobile device, it stays
there, showing up with its
unique icon in apps menu.
Low cost. Simple math —
one website is cheaper than
two.
Immediately
accessible. Though not an
extra advantage over
responsive websites, but it
still plays its role compared
to native apps, where users
have to pass through
download and installation
processes.

5. The Cons:
Responsive Site Mobile Site Native App
A single website. Having
just one website for all
devices may be easy for
you, but not always for your
users. You will often need
to put different emphasis on
the same page in order to
maximize conversions using
the advantages of the
platform.
Multiple URLs. Your
customer has to remember
at least two URLs, or
otherwise be redirected to
the mobile website, which
takes several seconds. The
mobile website will need
additional SEO work as
well.
Not accessible on all
devices. Your app is built
only for a particular
operating system and this
means it will not operate on
devices with different OS.
Technical. As responsive
web design is a relatively
new technology, there are
still some outdated devices
with old browsers that will
load the website too slowly
or even not fully.
Maintenance. You will
have to maintain two
websites.
Goodbye flexibility. All
application updates will
have to be submitted and
approved by the app store
every time, which can take
up to a few weeks. Not
every user will be happy
with frequent updates and
some will stay with the
older version anyway.

6. User Experience. Mobile is
a completely different
experience than desktop, so
having a single, even
responsive website, may
harm your overall UX on
both platforms. If you try to
satisfy both mobile and
desktop users with the same
user interface, you may end
up satisfying no one.
Not Universally
Compatible. You have to
consider that there are two
different types of mobile
devices: touchscreen and
keyboard navigation. A
single mobile website won’t
look and work the same
way across all device types.
It’s quite costly. Native
mobile app development is
clearly the most expensive
solution.
Marketing and SEO. A
completely different
marketing strategy must be
applied for your mobile app
promotion and you may
need help from a mobile
marketing professional.

7. So which solution is the best for your business?
There is no single answer to this question. One should consider ones business goals. You can
have both a mobile website and native app. Or you may choose to have a responsive website for
desktop and tablets, a mobile website for mobile phones and a native mobile app for loyal
customers.
This basically depends on the aspiration of your business and the budget you are willing to
allocate for capturing the Mobile Market-share.
So when making a final decision on which of the mobile optimization methods to choose, keep
in mind three keystones:
 Your Customers Preference and Maturity
 Your business goals,
 Your budget
All these solutions can very well work together and complement each other. But one thing is
clear:
The best solution is the one that works for your customer the best.

8. Jeetendra Joshi (JJ)