I can remember searching around frantically for a mobile theme to install on my blog. With all the smartphones that were becoming increasingly popular a few years ago, I saw the need to accommodate their limited browsing capabilities.
Periodically, I still see blog posts, such as on Famous Bloggers, encouraging bloggers to accommodate their mobile viewers.
Don’t miss out on mobile traffic! Don’t miss out on an opportunity to monetize your mobile theme! Blah Blah Blah!
What I’ve come to realize as a mobile browser is that I actually hate mobile themes! I dislike the limited functionality of these themes. I immediately look for the “switch to desktop” or “turn off mobile” options. All the while I’m losing the few precious moments that I had to check out blog updates.
As I’ve grown more frustrated with these themes, here’s why I believe mobile themes are no longer a necessity:
- It’s a waste of time for readers like me who quickly search for the “desktop” button.
- This should probably be number one, because it’s my biggest pet peeve – there is no Twitter button in the mobile theme! That means I can’t share your post without jumping through 50,000 hoops (which I don’t have time for, BTW). No sharing on Facebook, Stumbleupon, Google+ – nada! Most mobile themes remove the sharing buttons that are otherwise available on the regular version of a blog. I have no problem using the Tweet button from my phone otherwise, and in order to tweet a post, I have to first switch to the regular version if the option exists.
- The ComLuv plugin rarely works properly, if it’s even an option. So no “last post” benefit is available unless I waste time switching to the regular version.
- They are outdated! Many people have more updated phones now that are capable of viewing blogs in their regular state. And for those who can’t – there’s still the Opera Mini App that pretty much let’s you see a site in its entirety.
- It ruins your branding and makes your site look like everyone else’s. It’s visually uninteresting and most bloggers tend to use the same boring mobile theme. That’s right, even my favorite sites like Problogger and Famousblogger look alike in the mobile world. The visual elements that make those sites unique are no longer present.
- Mobile themes sometimes strip images from the blog post. Yeah, those cool images that usually draw the visual learners in are no longer there. All that time taken to format and perfectly size images, wasted on the eye of the mobile viewer.
- Videos may disappear in the mobile version. So if you skip the intro and explanation of your video, mobile users won’t even know what they’re missing. So much for optimizing your blog for mobile…
- Unless you have a major site, there are no real benefits to mobile monetization, Adsense for Mobile clicks are generally less than a dollar. Besides, when I view the regular version of a site, the regular Adsense ads display just fine.
So really, I don’t see a need for the mobile version anymore. Maybe last year this would’ve been still an essential component, but not anymore. With all of the tablets, iPhones, and Android powered devices, mobile viewing isn’t as limited as it used to be.
I opted out of creating a mobile version for WeBlogBetter. What do you think about this? If you view this blog via a mobile browser, are there any drawbacks I’m missing? What about you, have you optimized your site for mobile? What’s your experience with mobile monetization?
About Kiesha Easley
Hey,
I do agree, mobile blogging can be tedious work and some features do not even work. But it is also true that nowadays, people want everything at their finger tips.
Thank for sharing this with us.
I installed a mobile theme to give people the option. These things are also important to consider but the most important thing is to give importance to quality contents which really makes your and your web worth high in the sky.
Hi Kiesha,
you are right, mobile blogging is not that good as it sounds. However, if you are in the mobile casino games industry, than it is a must to get a proper mobile theme to cater your mobile visitors.
Regards. Tanya
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Great for me that I found your Blog… I just started with my own Blog, can I reference to this post? I want to write something on similiar topic!
Jenny recently posted..I got started to blogging!
I totally agree, for blogging, a mobile site is definitely not necessary. I’ve seen some occasions where desktop users somehow land on a mobile version of a blog and it’s not always easy to get back to the desktop version.
Hadn’t thought of the lack of sharing options a la twitter, etc. but yeah, it’s another compelling reason to leave it alone.
However, for a small or medium business website, I truly believe a mobile optimized website is key, or at the very least, some sort of mobile optimized landing page attached to those QR codes you see.
My homepage redirects to m.bayareaseo.net when a mobile user visits my site, but every internal page, including the blog, I leave alone.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
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I agree mobile browsing kind of sucks, but take a look at my Mobile theme for the iPad 2 and compare to my site theme itself. It loads so much faster and puts the content in the readers eyes instantly by comparison. The problem is bulky images just hurt a reader on a small screen and mobile device, you have to put content first. Sidebars are useless as are header images for the most part when you don’t have screen real estate.
I don’t think it is easy to monetize a mobile version of the site, as much as you want readers to see you have good content and it comes up instantly and is easy to read on a small mobile screen without waiting 5 minutes for it to render correctly.
Commenting on mobile devices sucks having to type the form fields manually on small typing or worse touch typing so I don’t expect many comments from mobile devices. On a tablet the social buttons can render fairly well and Safari on iPad can store sessions so Twitter/Facebook stay logged in making sharing easier but this same luxury doesn’t exist as much on smartphones.
Ironically I have yet to hit your site from a mobile phone, or even my iPad yet I should try that later.
Justin Germino recently posted..YouTube Marketing: Smarter Ways to Market Your Business through Videos
Thanks, I needed that push to delete my WP Touch plugin. I hate mobile themes as well, but it was fun setting up WP Touch and making a mobile theme, so it was sort of a selfish project for me, haha. I remember making a WML version of my blog back in 2003 for those old crappy cell phones lol! Wow, things have changed. It really isn’t necessary…
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What mean by mobile theme for a blog? Any good guidance?
I agree that blogs don’t need mobile theme because not all viewers use mobile phones to view blogs. Most of the people are using computers and I think that some are compatible for viewing even in mobile phones. Thanks for your post. I’ve learn something.
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I installed a mobile theme to give people the option. Speaking from personal experience mobile themes tend to simplify navigation around sites. Most mobile themes have a link on them allowing the user to visit the “normal” site and I believe choice generally isn’t a bad thing.
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I didn’t bother getting a mobile theme because i don’t like browsing the web from the mobile. Sounds strange, but i always believe my readers think like i do. I only use my mobile for browsing when i need some quick info or i have to show something to a friends.
So getting a mobile theme just seemed too much of a bother.
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Kiesha,
At first, sometimes ago, someone actually gave comment in one of blog post, she asked me, if she can view my video on her iPhone..
I was thinking, do I need this mobile version for me blog? but then after several days, I decide not to get the mobile version, because I don’t want it, and I think most people use their mobile to surf online for entertainments, youtube, etc.
I myself, do not use my mobile to surf lol..
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Do you feel the same way about mobile versions of websites too, or is it just mobile versions of blogs?
You are absolutely right. Most of the time we are able to get our desired result without using mobile version of the theme. If we use mobile theme, there will be a possibility that it will make blog totally unreadable. It hardly make sense to me to use mobile version theme.
John | Lump Sum Profits recently posted..Lump Sum Profits Review
Twitter: WVeasley
says:
Kiesha: I would like to add that now all the phones are smart phones, and there only getting smarter. The internet downloading speeds are increasing with every new phone made so loading up desktop version should be no problem. I myself am a apple user so I have no problems. Navigation for mobile sites is always a headache.
Thanks for the wisdom & keep working hard!
God bless,
William Veasley
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Keisha, I so agree with you. Of course, I don’t use my cell phone for on-line. Just not one of my necessities.
Nevertheless, I started looking at the mobile themes in WordPress. I almost gagged. I figured people who read from their phones can get a plain text version like email and didn’t look at it any farther.
These things are also important to consider but the most important thing is to give importance to quality contents which really makes your and your web worth high in the sky. nice post
Kiesha,
I really enjoyed reading your perspective on this. Although I don’t entirely agree with everything you mentioned I do strongly believe that you raise some good points. In a way it’s like a catch 22 in the sense that the number of mobile device users is on the rise at an exponential rate, but mobile specific themes and functionality is still quite limited compared to what can be done with typical PC compatible layouts.
It’s expected that over 50% of computers purchased worldwide this year alone will in fact be smartphones and tablets. This is a big audience to simply shrug off as not important, but you are absolutely right about certain plugins and features needing some much needed changes/improvements when it comes to mobile platforms.
I hope you are not offended, and this is not an attempt to discredit anything you mentioned in this article. I read your blog frequently and love your articles, this is just my 2 cents on this particular subject is all. It’s always healthy to see other perspectives and the truth is I found this to be an interesting article and do in fact respect your views.
Darryl Burma recently posted..5 Reasons Why Bloggers Should Pay Attention To Their Readers
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Darryl,
Are you kidding? You have NOT offended me at all :) I wanted to open up a discussion about this so that I could hear other perspectives. So this is good.
Of course, I’m in no way suggesting that bloggers ignore their mobile viewers, I’m simply saying that I no longer see the need in installing limited mobile themes. I’ve browsed the web with several current mobile devices and they all do fine without the help of mobile plugins or themes. If I’m missing something, I’d love to hear about it. :)
I think you are right about the 50% computers purchased will be smartphones or tablets, they are all capable to view any website as it would be on a computer.
And imo mobile themes, was something you made when mobile phones had slow Internet speed. And they therefore needed a faster website for them to be able to load it, hence the mobile themes.
So don´t you rob the users the opportunity to see the whole page, when smartphones and tablets are able to handle the entire website.?
Or is it just me, that hates when I get a mobile theme instead of the whole page.?
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Hey Kiesha & Jimmy,
You guys are both right. Mobile devices and their browsers have certainly come a long way even in just a short period of time. They will continue to advance too, making full featured themes easier to view and use. It seems a lot of people share the same view and I do notice a lot fewer new mobile themes becoming available these days compared to before. So I guess you are right in the sense that the whole mobile specific theme trend is becoming a thing of the past.
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I happy that someones shares the same point of new as I do as I see little future and not use a lot from having a mobile version. We have desktops or laptops and this is the best way to enjoy the blog world.
I read A LOT via mobile and always switch it off. I used to install the mobile plugin on sites but took it off most. I had people telling me the mobile version showed on PC occassionally :/. I agree I really don’t see a need with today’s phones. I wish you could offer the reverse so they could opt to see mobile only if they want it.
it really comes down to how smart your users can be with your full site, I always use the full site on my mobile but it thought to tell how a user will interact on their phone, especially with slow load times.
Although I agree with you, our users are big fans of our mobile site, since we present a lot of information, it makes it much clearer.
I kind of not agree with you. Mobile browsing is a trend. You know iPad, iPhone and Andriod are hotcakes. And comscore’s data shows 17% users brows via mobile. Although there are a lot of flaws of mobile browsing, we still should hug it. If you don’t use it, other will.
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Tisha,
I remember frantically trying to find a mobile theme that worked properly, but I kept getting errors. When I discovered that my mobile plug in had interfered with and changed the way some of my pages displayed in desktop mode (on my computer) I quickly disabled it and haven’t looked back since.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Hi there. yes I agree with you,there’s no twitter button in mobile theme and I don’t like that. I want to share them in Facebook, Twitter etc. This is informative post. I will also inform my friends about this.
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi there!
Yeah, it frustrates me when I have to go through too much just to share a post. That goes for when I’m viewing via the computer also. I think the mobile themes just complicates things. I’m ready to see them done away with really.
Twitter: techwalls
says:
I used the plugin WPTouch to create the mobile version for my site before but now I’ve removed it. Actually, there are the share button in which you can share the post on Twitter or Facebook easily. However, the problem is many many people are using this plugin, so my blog looks quite similar to them.
Actually, I think the best solution is make it enabled just for old mobile phone users. For users are using Android or iOS, showing desktop version should be more ideal.
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Tuan,
You’re right, I forgot about those grey icons. I can’t remember if they work properly with my phone. I think some people forget to configure them. And I know for a fact that Tweetmeme doesn’t work. But yes, every site with that plug in looks the same with the exception of color.
I also agree it’s a huge waste of time! Thanks! great post!
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Larissa,
Thanks for dropping by!
Thank you!!!
I thought I was the only one tired of hearing about mobile versions of this or that. There are some things we have to consider in terms of mobile diversification from desktop, such as seo, but even that is questionable.
Are we really going to create mobile versions of our blog for the few still on phones without a full browser?
Instead of creating an app-like experience for mobile users, why not create an app? Let the user decide whether or not they want an app experience — apps are great, but sometimes users just want the full website, especially if they’re regular readers and want to navigate to a specific area.
Create a free app instead.
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Chris,
I like the idea of creating an app for those users. I just never thought of it because there are very few site apps that I enjoy. I think it’s the limitations that get me, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t work for someone else. Nice solution!
Hi Kiesha,
No, I do not view this blog (or any) via a mobile browser, nor do I ever plan to.
I think you’re right on as to why mobile themes for blogs are no longer necessary.
I had no idea about all of the things that could change when creating a mobile theme for your blog, i.e. videos and images disappearing. If you want people to see your blog in all of its glory, why would you create a mobile theme that will make it look less than stellar?
-Petra
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi there!
Like I said, if this was a couple years ago or even a year, I could understand, but now, I think it’s time to reevaluate things.
Twitter: TrafficColeman
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It’s just not important people..just focus on the content and people will love you for it..that’s all..
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Antonio,
I totally agree. People are focusing on every thing but quality content these days.
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I have to admit that I have had Mobile themes up until recently, I noticed that revenue was falling due to a loss in the Adsense hits and clicks, so I’ve removed mine and will be keeping a close eye on the latest stats.
But as you say, the newer tech that is out there at the moment is quite good enough to view a blog without a mobile theme ;)
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Hi Karen,
I hope you’ll see a difference in your earnings soon. But yeah, with the exception of a few things, I’m pretty much able view and do almost everything from my phone, including narrating and editing comments. I’m on my phone right now because I just moved and still waiting on my internet to transfer – not bad at all!
The first on is enough, It´s a waste of time.!
This is also why I don´t make any mobile versions of my websites, there is absolutely no use for them anymore.
My own phone is a HD2 and it really pisses me off, when i get redirected to some mobile theme and there is no way back to the “real” website.
Btw. Your blogs looks great on my HD2 with opera mini 10.! :o)
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Jimmy!
Glad to hear you’re able to view things perfectly. That gives me confirmation. I can’t see my share bar right now, but at least Twitter & FB are accessible.
I have the same thoughts. It was needed years ago, now with all these tablet-phones everyone can see your blog in full layout.
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Julia,
Yeah, I think it’s time to move on. :)
Well, that a pretty strong statement. I would personally go with seeing Google Analytics data first as some niches get more mobile searchers then others (shopping related). If i don’t see enough mobile searchers landing on my pages, i don’t bother switching to a mobile theme. If i do otherwise, i try to test first if these searchers are worth risking to ruin my brand, if they do i’ll go for it. That’s why i advise people every time to not go after something just because it looks cool. If you don’t have data, don’t risk it!
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Why switch to a mobile theme, when you already have the users using your website from a mobile.??
I don´t think that changing themes would be a good idea, because the users will loose a lot of the website with it. The users from mobile searches, might be on your site do to the fact that you don´t have a mobile theme.
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Edgar,
I agree that no one should go off making major changes just because one person says, but at this point, I fail to see the benefits in mobile themes anymore. You’ve definitely got an intelligent approach-I like that.
The mobile themes can be slightly too simple I would say and because of this simplicity, it makes your readers lost their touch of user experience
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Hi Kiesha!
You know, I bought into the hype of needing to create a mobile version of my site and I never even used it when I visited my blog via my phone. Like you, I was frustrated that all of my sharing options were gone – and tweeting or sending stuff to FB is usually the main thing I’m looking to do when I’m browsing on the go.
When I started my new site, I didn’t bother to get mobile-optimized. And it seems the regular version is working just fine.
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Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Tisha,
Yeah, I’ve noticed that – even on my old Samsung Eternity I was able to view everything just fine.