Mobile Web Solutions

College websites need to be mobile. At Paskill Stapleton & Lord, we understand this need. We also understand higher education, and we offer two solutions for your mobile website: a Pro and Custom version.

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The Pro Option is for colleges and universities that:

  • Need a small-scale and cost effective mobile presence.
  • Already understand their mobile visitors and the content they use.
  • Need a mobile site now.

With the Pro Option you get:

  • Up to six main categories (About, Academics, Admissions, Athletics, News, Contact and Directions).
  • Up to 15 pages total.
  • Copy pulled from existing web pages.
  • One design template; you choose color and header for your school’s logo.
  • Deployment & Testing: With over a 1,000 different mobile devices currently available to consumers, we review and test all mobile pages for the major mobile platforms, get the mobile site up and running, and then launch it to the public.
  • Post Launch: After the site is live, we provide you with training on the Mobify Platform, and make sure you can easily edit, manage, and maintain all of your templates and pages. Depending on your technical abilities and resources, you may choose to have PS&L help with ongoing development as need arises.

Mobify Platform:
We utilize the Mobify Platform for delivering and managing your mobile web pages. Mobify enables you to leverage content from existing desktop webpages and then automatically deliver them, optimized, for mobile devices — think of it as a CMS for your mobile pages. Learn more about Mobify.

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The Custom Option is for colleges and universities that:

  • Understand the importance of connecting with their mobile web constituency.
  • Need to fully understand their mobile visitors and the content for which they will search.
  • Are looking for a turnkey solution — from research to deployment.
  • Want a mobile website that truly integrates with your marketing and upholds your school’s brand.

The process for the Custom Option takes about 10 weeks.

When you go Custom you get:

  • Research: We identify your mobile audience, what pages and destinations are frequently used by mobile prospects, and what these users want most from your mobile site.
  • Information Architecture & Maps: We custom develop information architecture and interface design that ensures the optimal user experience.
  • Copy Editing: We edit copy and content to convey the messages intended for much more specific functions, audience groups, and with insight to its readability on a small screen.
  • Design: We create two unique design concepts that adapt to the unique functionality of handheld devices while connecting to the look and feel of your main website, further supporting your identity on smartphones.
  • Implementation & Production: Once the concept is determined, we develop a mobile template suite, identify the necessary page templates, and integrate them into the Mobify Suite where they can then be managed.
  • Deployment & Testing: With over a 1,000 different mobile devices currently available to consumers, we review and test all mobile pages for the major mobile platforms, get the mobile site up and running, and then launch it to the public.
  • Post Launch: After the site is live, we provide you with training on Mobify, and make sure you can easily edit, manage, and maintain all of your templates and pages. Depending on your technical abilities and resources, you may choose to have PS&L help with ongoing development as need arises.

Mobify Platform:
We utilize the Mobify Platform for delivering and managing your mobile web pages. Mobify enables you to leverage content from existing desktop webpages and then automatically deliver them, optimized, for mobile devices — think of it as a CMS for your mobile pages. Learn more about Mobify.

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Compare Mobile Solutions:

Which mobile version is right for your college or university?

 

5 Reasons To Go Mobile

  1. 1

    Improve search rankings:

    To help improve your pay-per-click ad’s position, you can either increase your Quality Score with optimization or increase your bid. If your website is not mobile friendly, it is not optimized for a good Quality Score. You can pay either more to get top ranking, or you can optimize your site for smartphones and pay less to get the same top ranking. It’s your money.

  2. 2

    Increase yield:

    Increasing your yield rate is all about building relationships with your prospects. If half of your prospects access your website through their smartphone, doesn’t it make sense to offer your website in a way that is most accessible and makes interaction easier for them? The last thing you want is to give them an excuse to consider another college.

  3. 3

    Connect with half your prospects:

    There are 400 million cell phones in the United States, and in 2012, half will be smartphones.

  4. 4

    Encourage interaction:

    Of those who use mobile devices, 73% say it’s their most-used technology device, beating out personal computers. The fact is, if they don’t like your website, almost 20% of prospective students will drop you from their consideration.

  5. 5

    Avoid wasting money:

    Your website’s mobile friendliness impacts your quality score ratings for your AdWord campaigns. A keyword’s Quality Score influences its cost-per-click (CPC)—that is, how much you’re charged for a click on your ad when it’s triggered by that keyword. The higher a keyword’s Quality Score, the lower its CPC, and vice versa.

    If your website is not mobile friendly to smartphones, you will pay more to rank higher.

    If you run banner ads that attract smartphone users, you are wasting your money if they click to a site that is not optimized for mobile.

    If you use QR codes, they’re pointless if they do not reach a mobile-friendly page.

 

Going Mobile Made Easy

At Paskill Stapleton & Lord, we can help your school go mobile quickly and cost effectively with a mobile optimization package that focuses on results and makes the whole transition easy. We offer flexible payment plans so you can find the budget to make this happen.

We realize that staffing and resources are limited and that the last thing we want to do is to create a second website that needs to be managed, maintained, and updated every time a change is made to the website. That’s why we utilize the Mobify Platform for delivering and managing your mobile web pages. This platform enables you to leverage content from existing desktop webpages and then automatically deliver them, optimized, for mobile devices — think of it as a CMS for your mobile pages.

Contact us today : Janet Sieff 412-904-3133

View our Pro process.

View our Custom process.

Custom Process

We offer a mobile optimization process that focuses on results and leverages PS&L's experience in higher education mobile web best practices. PS&L's Mobile Custom option involves: research, customized information architecture, copyediting, design, production, implementation, deployment, testing, and post launch follow-up. Your custom mobile web site can contain 35 to 40 pages or more, depending on your needs. From start to finish the entire process usually takes 10 weeks.

  1. 1

    Research

    Each institution needs to evaluate what pages will best serve their specific audiences. To determine these needs we will:

    · Review your web analytics and conduct usage research to determine the most frequently accessed pages of your current mobile users.

    · Determine the primary audiences for your mobile site.

    · Conduct online surveys to learn what content and functions current and potential users want from a mobile site.

  2. 2

    Information Architecture & Maps

    The structure of a mobile site is all about information and less about technology and imagery. To this end, we develop your information architecture and interface design to make sure your user experience in optimized.

  3. 3

    Copy Editing

    Your current website is written for a different purpose. We edit copy and content to convey the messages intended for much more specific functions, audience groups, and with insight to its readability on a small screen.

  4. 4

    Design

    Brand images, logo, and other identifiable design elements that connect the user to the college are important, even on mobile sites.

    · We adapt the mobile design to the unique functionality and screen size of handheld devices.

    · We develop two unique design concepts (based on the current website) from which we will build templates.

  5. 5

    Implementation & Production

    Once the look and feel of the mobile site is complete, we develop a mobile template suite consisting of 4–6 layouts. We then work together to identify the necessary page templates, and we develop the necessary XHTML and will integrate these templates into the Mobify Studio where they can then be managed.

  6. 6

    Deployment & Testing

    We will review and test all mobile pages on several major handheld platforms including iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. Getting your mobile site up and running could not be easier; it’s as simple as setting up a separate sub-domain for your mobile site (like m.yourschoolname.edu), and then adding the device detection script to the desktop pages. Then, your site is live.

  7. 7

    Post Launch

    After your site is live, you have full access to the Mobify Studio (back office) to edit, manage, and maintain all of your templates and pages.

    · We provide you with a hands-on overview of the Mobify management tool via an online training session.

    · Depending on your technical abilities and resources, you may want PS&L to help with ongoing development as need arises. We are ready to help you.

Pro Process

Our Pro option can have your school or university’s mobile site up and running in as little as 30 days. This is our streamlined option. It limits the site’s number of main categories and pages, pulls copy directly from the existing desktop site, and has one design template option.

  1. 1

    Information Architecture & Maps

    The structure of a mobile site is different from the traditional website. Less is more, with a few overall choices, a deep drill down, and a simplified navigation system. It’s about information and less about technology and imagery. Leveraging your existing desktop content, we’ll develop an information architecture that fulfills the needs of your mobile users. The structure of the site is simple: 15 mobile pages and 5–6 topic areas. We recommend the following: About, Academics, Admissions, Athletics, News, and Contact and Directions.

  2. 2

    Content identification

    The beauty of the Mobify platform is that it leverages your existing desktop content. We will work together to determine which 15 pages are most appropriate for your mobile site. The content will be pulled directly from the existing desktop pages of your website.

  3. 3

    Design

    Brand images, logo, and other identifiable elements that connect the user to the college are important, even on mobile sites. At the same time, like content, the design needs to be adapted to the unique functionality of hand-held devices and smaller screen size. We provide a branded version of the Mobile Pro interface based on your school’s color. We will apply this color scheme and your logo to the masthead for all templates.

  4. 4

    Implementation & Production

    Once the information architecture and content are agreed upon, PS&L will build out the site using this information as our guide. We will develop the necessary XHTML and integrate these templates into the Mobify Studio (see below) where they can then be managed.

  5. 5

    Deployment & Testing

    We will review and test all mobile pages on several major handheld platforms including iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. Getting your mobile site up and running could not be easier; it’s as simple as setting up a separate sub-domain for your mobile site (like m.yourschoolname.edu), and then adding the device detection script to the desktop pages. Then, your site is live.

  6. 6

    Post Launch

    After your site is live, you have full access to the Mobify Studio (back office) to edit, manage, and maintain all of your templates and pages.

    · We provide you with a hands-on overview of the Mobify management tool via an online training session.

    · Depending on your technical abilities and resources, you may want PS&L to help with ongoing development as need arises. We are ready to help you.