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Do’s and Don’ts of Designing Tablet Ready Websites and Resources

Posted: 05 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

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The Tablet Revolution is the evolution of mobile technology and desktop speed. This is not the techno flavor of the month and it will not go slipping into the dark. The Apple iPad and other tablet products are what will drive tomorrow for a long time to come. Website owners who don't respect the Tablet Revolution and make needed changes in website design and layout are going to be passed over by tech savvy consumers.

It used to be so easy: just build a website for the desktop or laptop and wait for the customers to come zooming in. Then came mobile smart phones and savvy web designers ramped up with mobile versions for those who shop till they drop with their mobile. That was a pretty smart move and updating the website for tablet owners is going to be even smarter. We are going to use this article as your magic carpet to that next level. A few ideas and polite warnings (your business safety in mind), some examples of companies whose sites are tablet ready, and the tools and resources you need to create a site for the tablet flyers to land.

Why is it Important to Make Your Website Tablet Ready

International Data Corporation predicts that by 2015 more U.S. Web users will access the Internet through mobile devices than by using personal computers. PC shopping is going to the elephant graveyard and mobile devices are being used for shopping and will be for a long time to come. So if you haven't already, you should be thinking about how to upgrade your website for tablet based shoppers.

Do's and Don'ts for Creating Tablet Ready Websites

Okay, here is what you really, really should not do:

Don't include Flash if you want your website to work on iPad.
Don't have too many clickable areas (links, etc.) too close to one another. Navigation has to be easy to find and easy to interact with. Make it so.
Don't have too much media cluttering your site. This ain't your mama's website, so don't let it look like her kitchen. Besides, too much media can create loading issues.

You want to make your website tablet friendly? Here's how you can do it:

Use the medium to spot the problems. Access your current website from a tablet to see where the hang ups are, and determine how to make the website tablet friendly while still allowing for easy access from laptops and desktop computers..
Move at the speed of your customer's life. Add more "on the go" content and information. Tablet users are mobile and that could mean that they are looking for more "mobile-related" content than anyone else. Think links to Google Maps, your contact information, etc.
No one can buy what they can't read. Website fonts have to be tablet legible. Remember, tablet users zip around the town. Screen glare can be a challenge as well as the smaller screens that tablets have. Be sure that the website can be easily read on a tablet by using the right font style, color and size.

The release of Apple's iPad has created an unimaginable amount of change. With more and more people surfing the Internet on tablets like iPad, more and more businesses are taking notice. Here are a few examples of big companies who have upgraded their websites to be tablet friendly.

Amazon.com – In 2011 Amazon made a huge push into the mobile space with the release of their Windowshop iPad app and with their new look website. Brennon Slattery of PCWorld commented, "the new look and feel of Amazon.com screams tablet. It has a lot more white space, the messy sidebar on the left is gone, the search bar is enlarged for touchscreen fingertip use, and the product photos are easily clickable icons".
Utah – Last August the state of Utah released an updated tablet ready website to make interacting with their website easier for tablet users.
Nike – Nike has updated their website to fully take advantage of the tablet interface. As this new tablet trend gets a little old we are going to see more and more businesses begin to overhaul their website to ensure tablet users can easily navigate and interact with their website.

Tablet Ready WordPress Themes

MobilePRO WordPress Theme for Mobile Devices

There are thousands of free and paid versions of WordPress themes out there for you to choose from. Sadly, there aren't a ton of WordPress themes that will allow you to have a website that looks good on laptops and tablets. If you're running WordPress and want a theme that you can install in order to create tablet ready websites, here are a few good ones to choose from:

Onswipe – Make your blog look beautiful on tablet web browsers in under three minutes.
MobilePRO – A beautiful professional WordPress theme for mobile devices. However, it looks great on any computer screen.
Mobility – An iPad-ready WordPress theme with finger sliding capabilities and a custom drag-and-drop gallery admin.

Tools and Resources to Create a Tablet Ready Website

Converting your website into a tablet friendly environment can separate you from your competitors. We will end this article with links to various resources and tools that you might want to check out if you want to take advantage of the Tablet Revolution and create a tablet friendly website.

Pressly automatically makes online publications as beautiful and touchable as native apps when visited on tablet web browsers.
For anyone looking to learn a little more about what the future holds for Tablet e-Commerce , check out Zmags recently released ebook entitled, "Mobile and Tablet e-Commerce: Is Anyone Really Ready?"
HTML5 would be a great skill to have if you're thinking of making your website more tablet ready. Todd Anglin said, "virtually all modern devices with a web browser have broad support for the technologies defined by HTML5, like Video, Geolocation, Offline Apps, Local Storage, and CSS3 styling, making them the perfect target for aggressive HTML5 development.

Don't wait for the tsunami to hit you. Catch the tablet wave and ride it to big profits. At the very least, open your website on a tablet to see what it looks like and how easy it is to navigate. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.