Is Your StartUp Website Mobile-Friendly?
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Yomi Adegboye, who runs a mobile news blog at MobilityNigeria.com
With all the news of the staggering growth of the mobile web worldwide, and especially the statistics of its growth here in Nigeria, one should be surprised that very few entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this phenomenal opportunity.
The latest State of the Mobile Web report from Opera says that Nigeria was the second fastest growing user of the mobile web in the world in 2008. The country’s growth rate for that year was 1854%! That is staggering.
But note that Opera’s report gives figures only for mobile users accessing the web via the Opera Mini browser alone. There are many more users using just the built-in browsers on their mobiles, or another of the various mobile browsers like TeaShark, UCWeb, NetFront, Iris, and new entrant Bolt, among others.
Why are Nigerian startups turning blind eyes to the mobile web? I see great looking and great functioning websites coming out from different corners of the country, but most have paid very little attention to mobile users. Here are a few tips:
- It doesn’t take much more than a little knowledge of CSS to make your business website mobile-friendly
- Remember that mobile users often are on a Pay-as-you-use plan or limited in some other way
Lastly, note this: The total number of mobile Internet users: 1.05 billion, which in 2008 for the first time surpassed the total number of PC Web users (1 billion). Source: Tomi Ahonen Almanac 2009.
You do not want to make the mistake of regarding the mobile internet as insignificant any longer.
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Yomi Adegboye is one of Nigeria’s foremost mobile data and mobile web specialists. In 2004 he started DomainStandard Networks as a simple partnership with about N20, 000 and grew it into a formidable web hosting business.
Following on this success, he promoted the incorporation of a bigger and financially stronger company, Alireta Nigeria Limited, transferring the existing web business of DomainStandard Networks to it for a majority holding in the company. Today, he is Chairman/CEO of Alireta Nigeria Limited, a multi-service organization covering Web Development and Hosting, Mobile and Mobility, Human Capital Development, Graphics, and Events.
Yomi and his wife continue to run DomainStandard Networks Ventures in their private time as an investment vehicle for providing startups with funds and advice to grow their ideas. Visit his personal homepage at YomiAdegboye.com
Impressive stats! I always knew within myself that the future is mobile… And I am working on a mobile startup that will be open soon…
Nice post. With this stats, i can’t imagine why a newspaper site wouldn’t have a mobile site.
Nice post. With this stats, i can’t imagine why a newspaper site wouldn’t have a mobile compatible version…or why JAMB/WAEC don’t av mobile sites.
Did I hear somebody say “Impressive?” That’s even an understatement. I wouldn’t have thought that Nigeria Mobile Web usage would amount to such a staggering number with the level of mobile Internet currently obtained. Yomi, was wondering why most Nigerian startups have paid very little attention to mobile users. I think the main issues is that most of those sites might not be aware that the Nigerian mobile web market is this huge, like I for one never knew until now.
Great post. Thank you so much for sharing this and reminding me to get on this, immediately. I had planned to make Nigerian Curiosity mobile friendly early 2008, but that project fell by the way side.
@ Loy: Just giving you a headsup - Nigerianstalk.wordpress.com is new site that will be “a weekly review of posts written by bloggers of Nigerian extraction, bloggers living in Nigeria and bloggers who blog about Nigeria.”
The bloggers that created it are Loomnie (loomnie.com) and Nneoma of Pyoowata. Would love to know your thoughts on this initiative. I am sure it is bound to be interesting.
BTW, I am curious to know your thoughts on the various classified sites that are now up. You introduced me to the one from Nairaland, and the guys at 9jabook have one as well. Can’t remember the name. I have been meaning to ask for your comparative analysis on these various sites, so if you ever have the time, I will be waiting.
take care and have a great weekend.
NIGERIAN CURIOSITY
IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER WHEN I ONLY HAD ONE…
@sollomonsydelle - Thanks for sharing the link. I’ll check NigeriansTalk soon and maybe review it here.
About the classifieds sites, I’m amazed at the sudden drive into that arena. It seems with the success of craigslist, Nigerians are tapping into that market and I think it’ll be more lucrative than social networking.
I’ll endeavour to do a comparative analysis soon. Just keep watching;-)