Over the past few months there has been a lot of speculation on the web about whether companies looking to make their information accessible on mobile devices should have a mobile website or mobile applications. Unfortunately, for most individuals who are just starting to research this issue, there are a lot of arguments being made for either case which are incredibly misleading.

In this four part series, we’ll lead you through the debate giving you a little bit of context from the developer’s side of the table.

Myth #1: I don’t need a mobile website or app because people can just access my current website from their phone.

PEW Internet Research group recently published a study showing that the total number of mobile phone users who access the internet from their devices is now at 38%. This figure is a 13% increase over last year’s figure and should continue to grow in each coming year. Morgan Stanley has also confirmed this trend as they claim that within five years, we’ll see the internet accessed more from mobile devices than desktop PCs.

The growth in mobile web usage will have a huge impact on how your brand is perceive online. As the number of mobile users grows, the issue of tailoring the user experience to the devices your audience is using will become essential. Typically the individuals who visit your website from their mobile device are looking for quick access to the information they want. In a recent piece at Adage, Steve Rubel calls this “mission-oriented” computing, a theme which promotes individual quick use applications and mobile sites focused on presenting relevant and valuable information to end users.

Desktop websites are simply not optimized for the type of quick on-demand access mobile users demand. If you’ve ever tried to surf the web on a Blackberry device, you’ll be well aware of how painful it is to find the information you want on a website. Too much zooming, scrolling and squinting will frustrate even the most savvy user leaving the individual with a poor experience and perception of your brand.

A mobile website or app will help you deliver quick access to information relevant to your audience. Brands need to think about why people are visiting their website and then try to make it dead simple for their audience to get the information they care about. Mobile users are constantly on the move and you have very little time to capture their attention and keep them interested in what you have to say.