These days, it seems unlikely that there is still a small business owner who doesn’t use smartphones. Since the internet is more accessible now than everybody thought possible, mobility has taken on a whole new different meaning.

Our smartphones have become a bigger part of our lives than we’ve all imagined and it just makes sense then that websites are being rebuilt to be more mobile compatible. But really, how can a small business owner make their site mobile?

Inc.com published an article not too long ago on how to design and build a mobile website. Here are my take-aways:

• Look for an online service that would enable your site to be available on a mobile version. The article mentioned Google Mobile Optimizer, Mippin, MoFuse, Mobify and Wirenode. There are a host of other mobile sites such as Nclud, Mail Chimp, Viget Labs, Element Fusion and Snook, among others.
• The mobile version of your website should be one which is most likely to be accessed by your customers. You have to make sure that the most relevant feature of your site’s mobile version is available. For example, if you run an online boutique, one of the most important mobile features would be tracking customer orders.
• You have to make sure that all of the content on your site’s mobile version are readable, the graphics are a bit smaller and navigation doesn’t need to be confusing or frustrating for customers.
• Since there are a whole host of smartphone brands, you can make sure that your site’s mobile version is compatible with the customer’s device. Now, this is dependent on your budget but if you’re not ready to risk this one out because of budget appropriations, then make a compromise.

More and more people are using apps nowadays because everyone who is anyone has already jumped onto the mobile bandwagon. Mobile Web is fast becoming a need and even as small business owners, we need to fill that need.

Once your site has gone online, you can then proceed to announce its availability via a press release and submitting it to mobile-only web directories. The possibilities are endless as years pass and technology enables us to become more accessible, anytime and anywhere our customers go. Sure, we may need to shell out some money but in my opinion, this is an investment that’s worth it.