25
2011How To Optimize Your Blog For the Tablet PC Generation
Being a blogger as well as gadget enthusiast I felt it would be helpful to share a few tips on ways you can improve how your blog looks and functions on tablet PC devices. A lot of the same basic principles apply to quality blog sites no matter what platform they are viewed on. However, the way we display information and retrieve it as well as overall design architecture is changing.
Whether you love it or hate it a large chunk of your blogs audience will be tablet PC users and these numbers are on the rise. It’s expected that more than 50% of computing devices sold this year alone will in fact be smartphones and tablet computers. Just over a year ago many people thought devices such as the iPad would be a short lived fad. As it turns out, these critics and so called industry experts could not have been farther from the truth. Mind you, in their defense I believe that very few people could have anticipated such exponential growth. Whatever the case, the touchscreen tablet market is here to stay and is expected to quadruple by the year 2012. As a blogger these facts are not something you should ignore.
So what does this all have to do with you and your blog? Well for starters how you code your blog, design your layout and display video will have a big impact on how well tablet PC users will be able to view your blogs content. This doesn’t mean that older methods won’t still be effective for quite some time yet, but it’s important that you are aware as well as prepared for such changes that are taking place.
It’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the new tablet computers that are either currently available or will be on the market soon, even for people who constantly follow the industry. Trust me I know. As a lot of you might be aware I also run a Tablet Computer Blog and research this each and every day but it can still be overwhelming and difficult to keep up with how fast things are evolving. Along with all of these new tablets comes an assortment of different operating systems and browsers. It’s reasonable to refer to browser wars now as the “tablet browser wars”. In other words, it’s important that your blog is optimized for and viewable on various different browsers.
So, after that long winded introduction let’s get down to business. The following is a list of ways you can improve and optimize your blog for devices such as the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry PlayBook and HTC Flyer just to name a few. I’d list them all but I’d end up writing a novel. I hope you find the following to be informative and educational.
Avoid Complicated Menu Structures & Layouts
Blog designs that have clean and simple layouts will ultimately work best. It’s also important that your blog scrolls in only one direction. When it comes to blog navigation menus it’s especially important that they are not overly complicated. Certain style menus might appear just fine on a standard PC or MAC but won’t necessarily be smooth on a touchscreen tablet. Remember you are working with a much smaller display and also relying on finger swipes rather than mouse clicks.
It’s also advised that you avoid pop-ups like a plague. These will not serve you well when it comes to tablet PC browsers. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of pop-ups in the first place so it’s not a big transition for me, but some people I know like to use them quite often. To each his/her own I suppose and what you do is your choice but this is just a heads up for your benefit.
Where and how are your most important conversion points on your blog displayed? These areas might be positioned perfectly on a MAC or PC but once again, this does not mean the same applies to tablet computers. It’s important for you to test and double check this in order for your blog to generate any reasonable income. Plain and simple, if tablet PC users can’t access your blog’s conversion points you won’t make any sales.
Test Your Blog On Multiple Tablet PC Platforms
Do you know how your blog looks when viewed on a tablet PC? If not you could possibly be missing out on some valuable traffic, visitor retention as well as revenue. Your site might not be optimized for table PC’s and you wouldn’t even be aware of it without proper testing. Also, some tablets have 7″ displays while others may have 10″ displays instead.
You might ask “What if I don’t own a touchscreen tablet?“, which is a valid question. In this case there are tools available that you can use, such as the Google Browser Size tool for example. This a very useful site which will give you an idea of what percentage of people online will be able to view your content seamlessly and in proper proportion.
You could also borrow a tablet device from someone you know for testing purposes. Even if you can’t afford to buy one yourself or don’t have the need to make such an investment you won’t have to look far to find someone nearby who has one.
Of course there’s also the issue of how your blog appears in both portrait and landscape mode. It’s true that the iPad is just one of many different tablets, but you can get an idea of how your blog looks on this device by visiting the iPadPeek.com website. You can test for both portrait and landscape.
Learn CSS3 and HTML5
Whenever new technology takes the world by storm along with it comes changes in regards to certain standards. Programming languages, styling and video display formats are no exception. Along with CSS3 comes a whole new world of possibilities that you can really use to your advantage.
It’s important that you at least make an attempt to learn the basics of CSS3 and HTML5. They have been around for a short while but are still rather foreign and confusing to some people. If having a limited audience concerns you then it will be worth it to educate yourself in this area. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite and most valuable CSS3 and HTML5 resources which I hope you find useful.
CSS3 Resources
Think Vitamin
You won’t find better CSS3 tutorial videos than this. The only catch is there’s a monthly membership fee, but believe me it’s worth every penny. They have some highly educational, easy to follow and in-depth videos that cover the basics of animation, how to define a border radius, backgrounds, gradients, typography styles and much more!
Think Vitamin CSS3 Video Tutorials.
CSS3.info
This website is operated by several well trained CSS3 guru’s who share their knowledge and help simplify the whole learning process. It’s definitely a site worth bookmarking.
Stunning CSS3 written by Mickley Gillenwater
You will also find the following book titled Stunning CSS by Mickley Gillenwater to be a huge asset. It walks you through the steps required to designing visually stunning and highly functional websites using CSS3 and all that it has to offer. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
HTML5 Resources
HTML5 is becoming more popular each day. The torch is being passed on so to say. Certain technologies have served us well for many years but change is inevitable. Flash does not run on all tablet devices whereas HTML5 is becoming more of a universal standard across multiple platforms including tablets.
Don’t get the wrong impression though, this is not meant to discredit Flash or JavaScript because without them HTML5 wouldn’t even exist. In fact, DOM Scripting (document object model) actually implies JavaScript. It’s more structured and is also part of the movement towards an improved Web standard. Think of HTML5 & DOM Scripting more as an extension or blend of such predecessors combined into a more advanced, current and innovative use of those technologies.
The following resources will help give you a better understanding of how to implement HTML5 into your blogs and use it to it’s full advantage.
The WHATWG Blog
The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group was founded in 2004. They are the ones who develop APIs required for web applications. They are working alongside the W3C HTML Working Group to improve HTML standards. One of their main goals is to address a lot of the issues as well as limitations that are present with older HTML standards.
Throughout the years they have introduced many new attributes and elements that are commonly used today by more modern style websites.
Nettuts+ HTML5 Tutorials
A very educational screencast provided by Nettuts+ that keeps you in the loop regarding all of the changes taking place when it comes to HTML5. Here you’ll find the best and most recent HTML5 tutorials all in one place. This is one site you really don’t want to miss, highly informative.
28 HTML5 Features, Tips, and Techniques you Must Know
Introducing HTML5 (Voices That Matter) written by Remy Sharp
Remy Sharp’s book Introducing HTML5 (Voices That Matter) will certainly help you get started on implementing HTML5 and also provide code examples to make learning that much quicker. A lot of excellent topics are covered in this book including how to apply implemented JavaScript APIs, how to use native multimedia for both audio & video and how to take advantage of new web databases and storage methods.
This educational HTML5 book also explains many ways to make your site more accessible for both mobile and web based applications. Learn how to use the latest intelligent web forms and find out what geolocation is all about among many other great things!
Provide A Custom App For Your Blog
Another great way to optimize your blog for tablet devices is to have a custom app developed. A great example would be Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income iOS Blog App. It might be easier said than done, but try not to get discouraged by the tablet PC generation. Rather, learn ways to use it to increase your audience rather than limit it. This whole topic might seem intimidating and confusing at first, but the more you research and practice your blogging techniques the more you’ll realize that the touchscreen tablet market can actually be used more to your advantage than you may realize.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article helped you, even if just a little bit. As a fellow blogger I feel it is my duty to share any knowledge that I can with fellow bloggers. At first it might seem like information overload, but if you feel that way don’t worry because you’re not the only one! Just do your best to focus on keeping your blog well maintained and up-to-date with certain standards and platforms. You don’t have to grasp all of the newer concepts overnight, just take it step by step and you’ll do just fine!
I’d really love to hear your thoughts and opinions regarding this topic. Perhaps you even have some additional advice to share when it comes to developing blogs that look terrific and function flawlessly on tablet computers. Please speak your mind in the comment section below.
