Major Websites Should be Mobile Friendly
Posted by John Durbin | November 25, 2008
Last night I was trying to track some NHL games via my mobile internet and went to NHL.com to get some scores. The amazing thing is, the NHL didn’t automatically send me to a mobile site. After a few minutes and a gradually rising eyebrow, it just dropped me off on a beat up version of their website. Maybe they have one that the iPhone doesn’t automatically send you to it but I stood looking at my phone with a face as though I had just gotten an e-mail saying “the entire royal family has been electrocuted and you are the rightful heir to the throne”, a la King Ralph. Side note for anyone who doesn’t think product placement works, I remember these things from King Ralph: The family being electrocuted during a picture, Ralph sneezing and his crown falling into the bathtub, Ralph bowling, and Burger King. As an added note, thinking about this is making me crave a Whopper.
The lack of mobile site for the NHL caught me off guard because really, at this point, shouldn’t all major websites, especially ones you would hit for frequent updates have a mobile version for those on the go? So I did a mini-experiment where I went to some sites to see if I got bounced to a mobile version automatically.
NHL.com – No
NBA.com – No, not only that but it seems to be totally Flash so I couldn’t even see anything on the site. By far the worst.
MLB.com – Yes
NFL.com – Yes
Foxsports.com – Strangely, not if you go to the site directly. But if you go through MSN mobile you do get to the mobile version.
TVGuide.com – Unjustifiably no
Rollingstone.com – Negative
At this point I felt I had enough evidence to continue on with this post (I also needed a nap). I am just amazed at the lack of mobile friendly websites out there. As the CEO of Sprint says (paraphrased), “It’s amazing what these [phones] can do”. I don’t understand how corporations can avoid accomadating them. The difference in navigation and load time make a HUGE difference when choosing where to get what you are looking for. In the above example, once I snapped out of my shocked trance I went immediately to ESPN.com where they have an extremely usable mobile site.
I realize there are logistics that go into these things and with the economy as it is many places are trying to expand their expenses by only what is necessary. But this just seems like a basic way to build brand loyalty and even a way to generate revenue through ads. In a climate where setting yourself apart from competitors is more important than ever, this seems like a simple way to make sure people are putting your name above the rest. Of course, you could have tried product placement in King Ralph, but unfortunately that ship has sailed.
