Your website is your very important piece of digital real estate on the World Wide Web. Your website engages visitors, generates new business and acts as a community hub for your clients.

But what happens when your website is viewed on something other than the average computer? The explosion of mobile devices such as iPads, iPhones and BlackBerries mean your website has a whole new playing field to compete in.

A recent Nielsen study showed that 24% of internet users worldwide are considering buying an iPad within the next 12 months. That means 24% of internet users worldwide will be looking at your website not on their desktop computer monitor, but on a nifty and portable touch screen.

Additionally, 22% of Australian internet users surveyed are considering purchasing a hand held mobile device other than a mobile phone, and 28% are considering buying a smart phone over the next year.

To make your website mobile-ready, consider doing the following:

• Check out how your website looks on various mobile devices
• Update your website’s content to include compatible media such as non-Flash video files
• Ensure your images and videos are as small as possible (in file size) to decrease load time
• Create new interactive features of your website, such as games, that can be used on portable devices
• Developing an app for your business to make it easier to smart phone users to interact with your business
• Create a mobile version of your website
• Design your web pages for smaller screens, use bigger buttons and links and remove unnecessary ‘clutter’ on your website

If your website cannot be viewed, or cannot be viewed easily on an iPhone or iPad, you are missing out on business. For example Flash videos cannot be seen on iPhones. If your website contains Flash videos, iPhone users are missing out on the opportunity to interact with an important part of your website content, and you are missing out on business. Providing appropriate content on your website puts you back in touch with iPhone users.