Today it seems everybody has a smartphone—iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windows Mobile device. They're ubiquitous. And as such, it is becoming increasingly important that companies have a presence in the mobile space to allow visitors to access content from their phones and other mobile devices. But does that mean an iPhone app? No, not at all. Don't get us wrong, we're great fans of iPhone apps but there are more, and better, ways of having a mobile presence.

Take, for example, a restaurant that wanted an iPhone app. When we asked the owner what he wanted the app to do, he wasn't sure but only knew that he wanted one. Eventually he had one built and approved as a free download from the iTunes store. He watched and waited for the throngs of downloads that never came. Ultimately, upon checking the analytics of the site, we determined that he was getting more mobile visitors to the website per week than had downloaded his app in a year.

The lesson is this: for small and medium-sized businesses, it can be more fruitful and cost-effective to develop a mobile version of your website than investing resources in apps for iPhone, Android phones, Blackberrys and Windows Mobile phones. Mobile website design uses content from your existing site and serves it in an optimized format for mobile devices. And because these mobile sites are web-based, they work on iPhones, iPod Touches, Android phones Blackberrys and Windows Mobile devices. There's no need to develop multiple applications for different platforms. Plus, as content is added to your site, the mobile site is updated automatically—no additional work is necessary.

Our mobile website design process simplifies navigation and content so scrolling and clicking is intuitive and easy. For many small and medium-sized businesses, all of the content of a main site can be accessed via mobile devices. Even ecommerce stores can be optimized for mobile access.

How about the iPad?

Tablets present other opportunities for mobile website design. Most sites can be viewed nicely on the iPad thanks to its large screen. Still, tablet devices offer the ability of presenting information in unique ways. Alternative layouts and navigation that are available through gestures can give the visitor a much more intimate user experience than either a phone or a desktop screen. The experience is more akin to reading a magazine than navigating a website. And for that, our experience in traditional print is invaluable.

So, now what do I do?