Google launches GoMo - converts a site to mobile friendly

[dertyfern]

This is damn smart of Google. They've launched GoMo which converts your existing site into mobile friendly:

Our new do-it-yourself site builder, powered by DudaMobile and customized specifically for GoMo users, easily converts regular websites into mobile-friendly sites in five simple steps. And it allows you to add features like a click-to-call button, mobile maps and Google AdSense and Analytics. [howtogomo.com ]

[engine]

Interestingly, Google launched this initiative November last year.

GoMo: Helping businesses create a mobile friendly website [googlemobileads.blogspot.co.uk]

...we’re launching an initiative called GoMo that helps businesses “Go Mobile”.

[lucy24]

Would be still smarter if the site weren't run by AWS-- using a random selection of IPs including 107.22 and 174.29. So you have to run around and do some temporary unblocking just to see what they're about.

[n00b1]

I don't actually like 'mobile friendly' sites. I much prefer looking at the full thing and get annoyed when I am redirected to a cut down version on my iPad or smartphone. Mobile WIkipedia is particularly annoying. I'm not alone in thinking most mobile devices these days can handle the 'full fat' web. It depends on data allowances I suppose but a bit of prudence works for me.

[Harry]

I found the best solution is to offer a mobile-friendly version with links easy to locate by users as well as a responsive design site which adapts to the screen size. The mobile-friendly site is still needed for users who just cannot download the bigger site.

[nomis5]

Full sites which have not been designed for mobile viewing (the vast majority) require lots of finger resizing to actually be readable.

I suppose it all depends on what type of sites are being accessed. Information sites that have miniscule type on a mobile are painful, you want readable, brief information and you want it quick. Full sites on a mobile don't give that.

[netmeg]

There's also the issue of ads, if you are ad supported. Google wants people to jump on responsive design but doesn't serve responsive ads (AdWords/AdSense)

[HuskyPup]

a responsive design site which adapts to the screen size

Yep, I have two .mobi sites like this, one to strict .mobi coding the other a hybrid design and works on anything.

I'm glad I constructed these, and didn't pay for them, since they are hardly used whatsoever, well under 1% of my overall visitors. I don't know why but for whatever reason people just do not click through to the mobile sites.

My normal sites do display correctly even on small smart phones, just not my niche's popularity I guess.

FWIW the site I see being used the most on phones is Wikipedia, we're always checking that in the pub during beer conversations:-)

[travelin cat]

I'm wondering how these mobile sites would work on a website that is updated and added to on a regular basis. Would the mobile version have to be rebuilt? If a page's content changes, would the mobile site reflect that?

[henry0]

I'm wondering how these mobile sites would work on a website that is updated and added to on a regular basis. Would the mobile version have to be rebuilt? If a page's content changes, would the mobile site reflect that?

So, we don't know if it is dynamic?
I didn't even looked at it, but as per your statement it does not look encouraging.

[travelin cat]

Henry, I have only looked at the demo, I have not tried it on any of my sites. Their site does not have many details that I could find to answer many of my questions.

[henry0]

Thanks, I might try it this WE, only if I will able to get rid of it if not happy with the result.

[Swanny007]

I actually have one site using GoMo/Duda. It's actually a really good option if you have a mostly simple HTML site. If you use a forum or other scripts it gets tricky fast.

I also have one site that uses a mobile-detection php script and serves a mobile-friendly CSS style and smaller AdSense ads, so mobile users get the mobile friendly site without an option for the full site. However they aren't missing a thing, the site is pretty simple and straightforward.

I'm going to use the php mobile detection script on other sites because long-term I don't want to keep using a separate m. subdomain for the mobile site.

[Broadway]

I'm no fan of mobile sites. I agree with n00b1, they're often dumbed down. What I really hate about them is they often fix the font size. (With a "full" site you can zoom in on the text on a smart phone.)

Since half or more of all mobile phones being sold now are smart phones (I think I'm right with that stat), I personally thought the whole designed-for-mobile thing (like how Wiki or IMDB implements it) would fade away. I guess I'm wrong.

[vik_c]

Since half or more of all mobile phones being sold now are smart phones (I think I'm right with that stat), I personally thought the whole designed-for-mobile thing (like how Wiki or IMDB implements it) would fade away. I guess I'm wrong.

The screens will remain small for a while unless they find some way to fold and unfold screens of mobile phones. That limits the text that can be seen.


Is GoMo compatible with the most used CMS solutions; Drupal, Joomla, WordPress etc?

[henry0]

Is GoMo compatible with the most used CMS solutions; Drupal, Joomla, WordPress etc?

We are back to my previous question, as we need to figure if GoMo may deal with dynamic site.

[travelin cat]

I ran one of my Joomla sites thru it. Unacceptable results. The dynamic menus were rendered as a long list of links. I can't see how it could do any better without some major tweaking.

I can see how it would be useful for small non-dynamic sites, but anything even slightly complicated would require a better solution... Most ikely coding by hand.

[henry0]

Thanks, so it is pretty much useless as nowadays the vast majority of sites are dynamic.
I have a dynamic site, CSS based and without any redirect or any added features it is well readable on a smart phone, (not concerned with regular cell phone)

[mrguy]

This is no big deal.

It cannot come close to true mobile development. With PhoneGap, you can build for mobile and the deploy native apps for submittal to various app stores.

And you can utilize various functions of the mobile device such as accelerometer, phone, database, etc.

That's much more impressive than GoMo.. I could see a small business person who is not a professional trying to save buck tinker with it, but that's about it.

Google really needs to quit trying to take over anything and everything and turn their focus back to their search engine which is sorely lacking these days.