It is predicted that by the end of 2011, global smartphone sales will surpass global PC sales – reaching 400 million a year. This milestone isn’t surprising. Take one look around any airport or coffee shop and you’re bound to find more people on their smartphone than talking to the person beside them. Yeah, this is quite the bummer for mankind, but what does this mean for our clients?

Simple. Every site we create must be mobile web friendly.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well let’s think about that for a minute. There are over 15 different smartphone manufacturers, each with dozens of different smartphone models. You do the math. Eventually we’ll land on a pretty impressive triple digit estimation.

At TrendyMinds, our job is to ensure that your new website, the one you spent thousands of dollars and countless hours on, is accessible to consumers on the go.

This is why we:

• Plan clear navigation that guides user to the most relevant information
• Write meaningful content that ensures readers can get right to the point
• Create beautiful designs that enhance your content
• Take pride in writing clean code, so your website will reach the largest audience possible

Think of all the ways a consumer uses their smartphone to access your company website:

• Shopping. Obviously, this is something I have tons of experience in. So, I can say for myself that if a consumer finds the product they’re interested in – there should be clear organization, an easy checkout process and the essential product information. 
• Location based services. In a strange city? Looking for something new tonight? Your smartphone can lead you to the answer, just use Foursquare, Yelp, UrbanSpoon or any social app. But what if you want to check out the hours, a few photos or tonight’s menu? You’re going to need a mobile site that offers more robust content.
• Advertising. Looking to launch a mobile campaign? You’ll need a mobile site to drive traffic to.
• Email, QR Codes, Social Media. The list goes on.

According to data released in July of 2011, 40 percent of the U.S. population owns a smartphone. This number is expected to rise to 50 percent by Christmas.

Moral of the story?  Update your site for mobile web or you run the risk of missing out on 50 percent of the U.S. population. That’s a large audience to neglect.