Understand that It's a Mad, Mad Mobile Device World
The tricky part about mobile is that it's a moving target – new platforms, screen resolutions, and devices seem to arrive on the scene every day. Realistically, you'll never be able to keep up with all of it, so you’re going to need to make a compromise between having your website work well on the broadest array of devices possible, and what makes the most sense for your budget and target audience.
Remember that pixel-perfection on every device is not the goal. However, by looking at your website analytics to determine what devices people most commonly use to access your site, surveying your customers and enlisting the help of a professional web designer or developer, you can make an informed decision about how to best optimize your website for mobile.
Get Past the Jargon
Don't worry – you don't have to be tech-savvy to understand your options for making your website more mobile-friendly.
You essentially have two choices. The first is to have a web designer or developer build you a stand-alone mobile-optimized website (or websites as the case may be) that is completely separate from your existing website. The second is to have your site redesigned "responsively." A “responsive design” simply means that you have one website that will automatically refactor itself to different layouts based on the width of the visitor's browser.
Alternatively, if you use a content management system such as WordPress you may be able to install plugins that will make your website more mobile-friendly with a few simple button clicks. There are trade-offs though – most of your branding will likely be lost if you use a canned mobile plugin, and the plugin may not be able to accommodate certain aspects of your website such as an online store area.
There are pros and cons for each approach – once again, a qualified web professional can help you make the best decision for your business.
In Closing
While it may be tempting to brush-off mobile as yet another thing to worry about, the reality is that your customers are already looking for you on their mobile devices. By making a small investment to get your website more mobile-friendly, you’ll be better equipped to meet your customers in those spaces, capture their attention, and convert that attention into a sale.