Something that has changed dramatically, and will continue to change, is the way people access the Internet. 7% of all web traffic is from mobile devices. About one out of four users access the web through a mobile device at some point during the day. Is your church website ready for them?

Royce Ogle asked me to look at his church’s website the other day (www.wfrchurch.org). The first thing that appears on the page is an option to view the mobile version. That’s smart. If you don’t have a mobile version of your site, that needs to be high priority. If you’re not sure, you can check the Mobilizer on Google (though Google posts this clarification: “This page adapted for your browser comes from and is not endorsed by Google.”). That will let you see what your visitors see when they use a mobile device.

Most modern sites are built on CSS, and creating an alternate mobile version through CSS is fairly simple. Keep in mind also that many devices (iPhone, etc.) don’t do Flash or don’t do it well. You may want to find another way to do those cute animations. A good web designer will know what needs to be done to make your site work well in a mobile version.

There is a hidden advantage to building a mobile site. When you do a search from a mobile device, the search engines give priority to mobile sites. You’ll have a better chance of being found if you take the time to create a mobile version.

Smartphones aren’t going away. Neither are tablets and other mobile devices. It will be worth your time to get your site ready for those mobile users.