I have been a member on the forum for a little while. I have experience in real estate as a mortgage broker, agent and software sales. I noticed this topic and thought maybe I could offer some insight on mobile websites.
I'm simply offering info on something that's going to be important in the very near future.
89% of people use their smartphones throughout the day.
93% of use is while their at home.
87% of use is while on the go (no surprise)
Smartphones Serve As Pocket PCs and Extend Desktop Experience
Excluding calls in the past week 81% of users browsed the Internet.
77% used a search engine while on their phone ( How well does your website look on a mobile device? )
72% use their smartphone while watching TV.
59% use their smartphone for Internet search while waiting in line somewhere.
Consumers Seek Quick and Convenient Information When Searching
72% say they look for information while on the go. Maybe you want a mobile website showing your featured listing and they can't see it on their phone while navigating a non optimized mobile website.
65% say they need their smartphone to find stuff when they are not near other Internet connections. Smartphones are the new computers-No surprise
9 out 10 searchers have taken action as a result of a search from their phone.
Local Information Seekers
61% call as a result from looking for local information
59% visit the establishment or hmmmm...Maybe an open house?
This is just the tip of the iceberg on stats and if you made it this far then keep reading.LOL
For those that are technically savvy you have a multitude of choices. BUT please don't spend a ton of money with a subscription service that retains all your files and or traffic flow. You want the people coming to your website not some subscription service.
WORDPRESS-By far is the most user friendly and customizable tool if your wanting a mobile website. If your not using a Wordpress website you can still have a mobile wordpress version of your website on your (for example) bestrealtor.com website. Just make a subdomain like m.bestrealtor.com and link the two websites. It's a great solution if you don't want to pay someone and you control your website. If you have a Wordpress website already then there are so many plugins that can help you go mobile.
HTML-This is usually a little tricky because you need some experience BUT the cost can be a lot lower then you think if someone builds you a useful HTML mobile website to compliment your desktop version. Don't let people tell you it will cost $1,000 or even $600 for a nice mobile website.
The differences are HUGE when delivering a better consumer experience to a potential home buyer.
For an example if you have an iPhone, DRoid or whatever then visit this example mobile website from your phone.
http://www.realestate.bradroark.com/
Good Luck
