Every so often we cross one of those thresholds when a new paradigm forces change.  Developing websites now requires that the work is driven by its mobile appliance usability .

•  Does the site initially display helpful information that mobile users will most often be seeking? (like phone number?)
• Look at the site from your mobile phone.  Navigate to the pages, view the menus — is it displayed in a manner that makes sense — again: which information is offered first?
• Evaluate the site with tools. MobiReady is an excellent testing utility — that gives concrete developer results — scores and code to implement to fix issues. (Screen shot above is from this tool.)

Websites burst onto the scene 20 years ago but keeping a website still isn’t critical for some businesses.  My Barber isn’t on the web, but I live in a small town and he cuts hair for the same gentlemen he’s been serving for 20 years.   He doesn’t have this issue.

If your business keeps a website, if it seeks customers from outside its sphere of daily influence — then you’ll need a website that mobile users can navigate.

Like who?  Okay an example…

If you’re in Real Estate for instance — it’s not enough that the MLS pages work on mobile appliances.  The site and how the Home Page appears on a mobile phone is your “first impression.” It’s critical and confers an immediate sense of competence if the site is mobile-optimized.  Why put your URL on a yard sign if it displays poorly on an iPhone?