Mobile website hosting is completely different from regular hosting processes. Hosting for a mobile website is inclusive of many features but is it required to go significantly further? Mobile website hosting has unique aspects that are absent in the regular hosting process, these include:

• Device detection
• Routing
• Content adaptation

The above are three unique aspects of this type of hosting. The following is an analysis of these three aspects.

Device detection & routing

When an Internet user visits a website, the hosting service detects the best version for their device. For handheld devices, the a "mobile website" or "mobile friendly" version will normally be displayed. Thus, if your website caters to both mobile and regular personal computer users, having a hosting provider that detects the device being used creates a professional image in the mind of the visitor.

The web server is set up in such a manner that it is capable of detecting whether a user is using a computer or a handheld device. If the result is the latter, then the user is sent automatically to the mobile site.

Content adaptation

There is a wide variety of smartphones and handsets each equipped with different browsing software, settings and capabilities; each model is distinctly different from another. Therefore, it cannot be guaranteed that your website will be viewed successfully on all variations of phones and handheld devices.

Thus, a website has to be customized and tailored to individual device requirements, to make it a perfect mobile website. This is where the concept of content adaptation becomes important. In lay man's terms, it simply means that the site is tailored to specific device requirements. Mobile site hosting should include content adaptation, as well as device detection and routing.

Hosting Requirements

The disk space and bandwidth requirements are quite low because mobile websites are normally smaller in size than conventional sites. Also, one of the most important factors from a hosting point of view is that support must be provided for the latest markup languages. Mobile site design is best undertaken using HTML5 and CSS3. These two markup languages are the future of mobile site design. They allow designers to create sites that rely less on flash and javascript. HTML5 also eliminates the problems associated with browser compatibility. The result is a minimalist design that requires less bandwidth usage and has lower disk space requirements. Finally, with HTML5 and CSS3, it is easier to create a QR code for a website which essentially allows someone to visit your site by scanning a code, similar to a barcode, using their device's camera.

Jason Cooper is an expert at mobile marketing and the creator of Mobile Income Elite; a custom turnkey solution for converting and creating mobile-friendly websites in seconds. No HTML, CSS or Programming skills required.