Google urges businesses to get mobile

Mobile phone

Google this week launched Get Mo a new website to help businesses make their own pages mobile friendly.

The internet giant claimed there were 23 million smartphones in the UK, or 50 per cent of the country's mobile phones, so not having a mobile ready website for your company was missing a major portion of the market.

"Just because you can see your desktop site on a mobile phone doesn't mean it's mobile-friendly," read a statement from Google.

"Mobile sites are designed for the small screen, with the needs of mobile users in mind. A mobile-friendly site can help your business connect with customers and drive conversions."

Just because you can see your desktop site on a mobile phone doesn't mean it's mobile-friendly.

The website howtogomo.com offers firms the opportunity to see how their websites currently appear on mobile browsers, then gives advice on how to build a mobile website, suggesting 17 partners which have won the Google seal of approval.

It also points companies towards extra mobile features they could use to boost both their own businesses and Google's profit margins. The website offers tips on mobile-only AdWord campaigns, Google + pages and Google Analytics.

A number of UK firms have signed up and are willing to be case studies for the offering, including Auto Trader, Carphone Warehouse and eBookers.com.

"In the old days, people bought an Auto Trader magazine and brought it with them to buy the car," said Nick Gee, mobile director at Autotrader.co.uk.

"We lost that a bit with desktop but now we're back in people's pockets. Mobile is growing and it's not going to slow down."

To visit the website, click here.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.