HTML, XHTML & CSS

Chapter 18: Mobile Web Design
One of the most common uses of mobile phones is still the most obvious —
making phone calls. Be sure your phone number is easy to find on the first
screen of any mobile site, and include your street address and links to maps
for those who might be lost and trying to make their way to your location.
Include a link to a Google map on your home page. This makes it easy to find
you. For best results, link to Google Maps for Mobile at www.google.com/
mobile/maps.
Both Yahoo! and Google let you prioritize searches for local matches on
their mobile sites. Take the time to optimize your mobile site and be sure to
include location-specific keywords: the names of the cities, states, or even
local neighborhoods that you serve.
Don’t make users type or click too much
Even on the best mobile devices, typing and clicking links can be a challenge.
Always make links big and easy to click for mobile visitors, and don’t overload
any page with too many options.
The best approach is to lead users through a series of simple choices, limiting
options to no more than five to seven big links at any stage. Directing
visitors to increasingly specific sets of links is best until users can choose the
information they want or need.
Avoid drop-down lists, or anything else that uses AJAX or JavaScript around
links. That’s because many mobile devices don’t support these Web technologies,
therefore making these links impossible to use.
Some information, such as contact information, should never be more than
one click away. In nearly all cases, including your phone number on the main
page of your mobile site is good practice — after all, you know your visitor
has a phone handy!
Mobile Frameworks
After reading our various lists of mobile design considerations earlier in this
chapter, you may feel inclined to jump into your modified DeLorean and head
back to simpler times with Marty McFly. However, before you hit 88 mph and
activate the flux capacitor, you might want to check out some interesting new
approaches to Web and application development based on HTML, CSS, and
JavaScript. Just like Doc Brown in Back to the Future, the following frameworks
aren’t perfect, but they do provide a good indication of what the future is
likely to hold when it comes to mobile Web design and related technologies.
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