Mobile Media is trending for those who live on Internet Marketing. If you create a website but forget to test it on various mobile platforms then you simply ignored a huge chunk of your visitors. Users using mobile phones to visit various websites and catch up with the latest updates online has resulted in a new business focus which runs solely on Mobile compatibility of websites. An industry that grew simultaneously along with the increased mobile traffic was the App development industry. Today, there is an app for almost everything. I mean you might even stumble on an app that helps you search for dentists in your city. Crazy!

This discussion will focus more on the advantages of having a mobile app for your blog. Later, I will introduce you to few online services that help you generate a mobile app for your blog. Remember, an app for your blog is important because you cannot afford to scare away your blog’s visitor just by pushing a crappy looking mobile design of your blog.

Keeps the readers engrossed

I agree that most readers use RSS feeds, but your updates tend to get lost in between the multiple feed updates. This is when a dedicated app for your blog will keep the readers engaged with your blog only.One can design an app which pushes updates to a reader’s mobile after every new blog update which multiplies the user engagement level with that app.

Increase blog’s visibility

All that you have to do is generate engaging content and then let your app do the rest for you. Options like recommend the app to a friend increases the visibility of your blog if current users start recommending the app to others. This will increase your blog’s visibility among those readers who will stick with you for long.

Another added feature of having an app comes in when your app is listed in various app worlds (like that of Apple, Android and BlackBerry). Users usually tend to search for new apps in such app worlds and if your app is listed then be rest assured that it will be downloaded by many. Remember, after the download it is good content that will prevent the users from uninstalling the app. So, make sure you generate great content.

Give readers the “special” feeling

There are zillions of blogs and soon there will be an equivalent number of apps. This is when you get to do something different in order to keep the readers engaged. How about you give away special content only for those who use your app? Push content which will be visible only to readers who use your app. This will keep your readers engrossed and make them feel special. Remember to make that special content actually special.

Recognize readers for special suggestions

Request reader feedback to improve your blog’s app and, if possible, implement those suggestions. After successful implementation push a message to all the users of the app which will recognize the special contribution of one user. It will surely make the user feel important and increase your credibility in the community.

It is wonderful to see what we can do if we have an app for our mobile readers. It is just a matter of time before having an app for a blog will become as normal as having a custom theme designed for a blog. Just a matter of time. You can choose to flow with the tide or get ahead of it.

Now, let me list a few services that will help you generate an app for your blog. We haven’t tested them all but we can (hopefully) rely on their words. Let us know your view in comments below.

App Maker for Android^[1]

I thought that I should start with something android specific as it is the best known mobile platform (or not?) at present. Also, I don’t want to start the Apple vs Android (and if possible add “vs BlackBerry”) war here so please keep such comments away from this article. Coming back to what we were discussing. App Maker for Android creates an Android App for free within minutes. Try them and have fun.

Mippin^[2]

Mippin takes your app to the next level and creates one for Android as well as Apple iPhone. Mippin is smart enough to keep your app in sync on both the platforms and uses HTML5 in order to produce an app that fits with almost all platforms.

Conduit^[3]

Conduit happens to be one of the most famous services to create mobile apps for various platforms. Conduit creates an app which is compatible with almost every mobile platform and the reviews backing them seem to be very satisfactory.

AppsGeyser^[4]

AppsGeyser seems to take the mobile app creation business to a whole new level. After you are done creating your app, AppsGeyser will help you get traffic to your app, help you engage your audience and monetize your blog’s app for the best possible returns. Money well spent.

Shout Em^[5]

Shout Em seems to be the big dog in the market. With strong reviews from the likes of Mashable and The Next Web, Shout Em is rolling high on confidence. Their app creation process helps you create apps for iPhone and Android platforms. Also, they will help you push the apps into the respective market places which is surely a plus.

GENWI^[6]

GENWI is another big player in the market with reviews from the likes of Forbes. GENWI might charge you for specific services but the value is amazing. GENWI gives you apps for iPad, iPhone and Android. The HTML5 based apps are compatible with almost all platforms and will surely attract the mobile user.

Zubibu^[7]

Another famous (and well respected) app developer is Zubibu. They too support the iPhone and Android platforms. Zubibu smartly provides services that not just help you create an app but also analyze the results and improve on them. Zubibu is one of the very few services out their that provide mobile e-commerce solutions which will be an advantage for bloggers who tend create an e-commerce platform.

TapLynx^[8]

TapLynx follows a different approach towards the app development market. TapLynx gives away an SDK which can be used by bloggers to create apps in no time. The SDK comes loaded with multiple features that can be used by bloggers to enhance their TapLynx app which will be compatible with iPhone and Android based phones. Later on TapLynx will help you monetize your apps for better returns.

Mother App^[9]

Mother App is one of the few in this list that provide a custom app development which helps them focus on clients and their minute needs. Mother App has been in business for over 5 years and they have some really satisfied clients. You will have to get in touch with them in order to get a quote and understand how they will satisfy your requirements.

Phone Gap:Build^[10]

Phone Gap is another sleek service that keeps aside SDKs to create apps. They provide the blogger with the liberty to create apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Design your own simple looking app and upload it to Phone Gap. The service will return you with a working app that will work with iPhone, Android, BlackBerry (finally!) and lot of the other platforms. Upload them to the respective app worlds and you are ready to roll.

References

1. ^{^} App Maker for Android (www.android3apps.com)
2. ^{^} Mippin (mippin.com)
3. ^{^} Conduit (mobile.conduit.com)
4. ^{^} AppsGeyser (www.appsgeyser.com)
5. ^{^} Shout Em (www.shoutem.com)
6. ^{^} GENWI (genwi.com)
7. ^{^} Zubibu (www.zubibu.com)
8. ^{^} TapLynx (www.taplynx.com)
9. ^{^} Mother App (www.motherapp.com)
10. ^{^} Phone Gap:Build (build.phonegap.com)
    

Call-to-action pages are dedicated to prompt visitors to take a desired action, whether an opt-in, a sale or any type of click that brings a user one step closer to a company’s goal. Basically, any website can be classified as a call to action page because virtually every person who creates a website has a specific action he/she wants a visitor to take.

Most websites commit at least one of the top crimes listed below. Do you agree with the choices?

It’s obvious this website’s purpose was show as much information to visitors as possible above the fold. While this is a valiant effort, too many graphics can work against you.

A great call to action page will send your eye to a specific area. When you look at this page, your eyes are drawn everywhere and if you were looking for a car, you wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Though this page is not a landing page, it is a prime example of why less is more when trying to increase conversions with web page design. A call to action page should include benefits, features, logos, maybe one or two images and a prominent call to action button. Any more and the page will suffer.

A website home page should follow suit while including clear navigation and an easy experience for visitors. Avoid clutter at all costs. White space is your friend!

Though the call to action button on this page is outlined in yellow, it does not stand out enough from the background. The yellow also matches the font above it so it blends into the background even more. The color scheme of the page is yellow, red and orange and the call to action button follows the same color scheme; therefore, it does not stand out enough. A solid color in contrast to the page would work best.

Many businesses want to incorporate their brand colors into their website design. While this is a smart marketing strategy, if the color is overdone or distracting, it can have an adverse effect. The bright yellow background in this web page is very distracting and it draws the eye away from the purpose of the website. If you view this website in its normal size, you will see how truly distracting the bright yellow background is.

It’s good to implement your brand colors in your website design, but not at the expense of distracting visitors away from your purpose. Your background should support your web page and be somewhat neutral.

On this page, the call to action button is not only lost, it is nonexistent. One of this website’s desired actions is to urge users to click and find out more information about the Thank You® Premier card. The current call to action is simply text that says “Get Moving”.

If you really want to lead users to an intended action, use buttons in contrasting colors. Text will never be strong enough to get users’ attention. The button should include a contrasted color that screams “click me” without slamming it in user’s faces.

Also consider the call to action button’s proximity to other elements. For example, with an ecommerce site, the “Add to cart” button would be most effective if it were placed right next to the product. You can also place call to action buttons near places of interest like testimonials, feature lists and benefits, etc. Make sure, though, not to clutter your page with too many buttons. Keep them close to your key points and at a  maximum of 2-3 per page for simple landing pages.

When people offer us more information than we want to hear we often say it is TMI or Too Much Information. Similar to how you would want that person to be quiet, a web page will suffer this same reproach if it is suffering from TMI.

On this example web page, the call to action is not front and center and your eye is drawn to the articles instead of the “Get a Quote” text. This page, while meant to attract visitors to get a quote, leads them towards reading an article which may be too much information for this page. Content is not necessarily bad; great content outlines the pages of some of the greatest websites. But when it blurs the message of the site or distracts users from a clear call to action, profits will suffer.

For this website, a more prominent call to action in a more effective location would draw the eye there first.

The goal with a call to action page is to lead your visitors to click on the call to action button without distracting or boring them with too much information. You should include enough information (features, benefits, guarantees, testimonies) to lead them to take action without overdoing it. If your visitors cannot figure out whether or not your site will be beneficial to them in the first few seconds, they will assume the worst and hightail out of there.

This page is actually ranking quite well for competitive mortgage related keywords, but the design of the site unfortunately does not follow suit.

Unless your site is product specific (e-commerce) or purely informational, excessive text links can overwhelm users.

The purpose of this website is to guide consumers to get a mortgage quote. While classifying the links by states is a good idea, the clutter and small font does nothing for visitors’ eyeballs. As stated before, text links are ineffective as calls to action on pages like these and the close proximity of these links jumbles everything together to look like one cohesive blue link.

There is no clear call to action here. This webmaster would benefit from making this page a second page and redesigning the home page to include one or two buttons only, leading people to “Get a Quote”.

Here is a trick: Squint your eyes slightly to blur your vision and look at the page. If your call to action doesn’t stand out, adjustments may need to be made.

Though this website is committing many faux pas, I chose it due to improper placement of the call to action button.

If you look on the far right (it probably took you a few seconds to find it, which is a few seconds too long), you will find a small box with a dropdown menu. This is where the webmaster would like a user to click. The only element standing out is the small red arrow and that is even questionable.

The placement and location of your call to action button is equally as important as its size and color. A great call to action will not be effective if it is surrounded by too much text or not enough whitespace, or if it is located out of sight.

Generally, it’s important to keep call to action buttons above the fold (visitors can see it without scrolling), clearly visible and prominent in relation to all other elements. If you have content that is only visible by scrolling, include a call to action button towards the end so users do not have to scroll back up to click on it.

Your website visitors should know exactly where they need to go the second they land on your website. In this example, though well-designed, this “Buy Now” call to action button seems a bit small for the animation of the site. If you click on the entire website, you will notice a busy background which can distract from the small button as well.

Please note, though, that a bigger button is not always associated with higher conversions. The button should stand out from the other design elements without overwhelming the entire design, which can turn people away as well.

This website used the word “Go” to urge users to click for a quote. While the design does draw your eye to the quote box, I am not sure the word “Go” is the best choice.

Though there are some basic rules for button text to maximize conversions, it is more of a function of the type of website rather than a general consensus. For example, a business offering a free trial may use “Click Here to Get Your Free Trial” while a service-oriented website may use “Get Started Today”.

General rules of thumb for call to action button text:

• Avoid being too wordy
• Keep it simple
• Add urgency
• Limited availability if applicable
• Use action words like “now” or “today”
• Always split test

When it comes to elements such as button text, the only way to determine what works best is to split test. Sometimes, minor changes can increase conversion rates dramatically.

Many businesses are not clear on their sales funnel; therefore, their visitors are not led to take a desired action. This dealership is trying to push users to perform too many actions at once along with reading text which can be boring for people looking to buy or lease a car.

TIP: The purpose of your call to action is to get users to the next step only. In the case of the dealership, the final goal would be to sell a car, but that should not be the main goal of the website. That is the car salesperson’s job. The website should only urge visitors to take the next step which is to visit the dealership.

Don’t try to sell a car with your website. Just sell the next step!

Have you seen any call to action crimes? What call-to-action crimes have you committed?