An official of a publicly listed IT company said businesses or ordinary website owners may no longer see the need to have a separate mobile site ? or even mobile apps ? with the emergence of responsive design technology in Web development.
Kristian Noel A. Pura, head of the digital media group of the Information Capital Technology Ventures (ICTV), said new Web design tools such as HTML5 allows a website to adapt or adjust to the screen of their devices, be it a tablet or a mobile phone.
?This saves website owners from the trouble of creating a mobile version of their sites,? said Pura, who helps run WebsiteExpress.BIZ, ICTV?s digital media brand.
Pura said creating mobile sites is an extremely expensive exercise since one has to develop mobile apps as well for at least two mobile operating systems ? Android and iOS.
The executive said responsive design technology allows businesses and consumers to reach their target audience with a full website and not a stripped down version of the site.
He said WebsiteExpress.BIZ?s objective is to make websites accessible and affordable to not just large corporations but also SMEs, micro-entrepreneurs, and even professionals like doctors, lawyers, dentists, and architects.
?Our objective is to design and develop websites for those who need it quickly, whether big or small companies, the mass consumers or perhaps anyone in need of a website to showcase their product or service offering to the world,? he said.
A good quality website, Pura noted, can be done in as fast as 5-7 days.
?Websites don?t just provide information anymore. It has become a channel or avenue for people to know you, to contact you and to find out what you can offer to them,? he said.
?If you do not have a website, then Google and eventually people who are potential customers will not find you. That is lost opportunity right there. Websites are now a channel for virtual interaction,? he added.
Pura said websites gives a semblance of legitimacy to a business and will serve as a tool to avoid being branded as ?fly-by-night? or dubious.
Pura also said websites are fast becoming an acceptable sales channel, thanks to social media. ?Through social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, one can easily share his or her website to a network of friends or even friends? friends. It is now very easy to advertise and be able to interact closely and more effectively with possible clients, all through a website.?
But should anyone have a website? Pura said if one?s business is a small sari-sari store, it is probably not recommended, not unless the owner wants to expand and make it known to more people.
?Even if you are a smaller budgeted enterprise, you seem to appear big in the eyes of others, whether for potential clients or business partners. A website provides an image of you being an aggressive business,? he pointed out.
Pura, however, said that the website is just a tool and not the business itself. It may perhaps help increase sales but it really depends on the kind of content the website has.
?If you have a good website but with a bad product or service, the website won?t matter. Plus, there?s still the need for a little ?push? marketing and not rely on the website totally.?
