From the Editor - September '14

Playing Follow the Mobile Leader

The rules of the mobile Web are dramatically changing, yet some enterprises haven't even started to play the game. The brands that are in the second, third, fourth (or in some cases more) iterations of their mobile strategies are those excelling - leveraging the many best practices and capabilities available to make their experiences as friendly, natural and useful as possible to consumers accessing their brands on small screens.

There is a disconnect, however, between brands that are successful on the mobile Web and those that think they are. Eighty percent of marketers using mobile believe their efforts on the channel do or will provide a return on investment (ExactTarget), but mobile Web users know many website experiences leave a lot to be desired. The same report indicates that few marketers are actually using some of mobile's most-promising capabilities like location-based functionality and mobile push notifications - despite the fact that consumers want to receive messages and promotions on their phones.

This month's feature, "Follow the Mobile Leader" details what strategies must be in place to address mobile's unique opportunities and the development, promotion and analysis of the mobile Web. Readers will also discover several mobile Web strategies that are providing rewards to today's most successful enterprises.

The September issue of Website Magazine features a variety of other mobile-related articles to get brands' strategies off the ground, including Associate Editor Allison Howen's, "3 Merchants Winning at Mobile" as well as contributor Chris Casale's "Analytics for the User Experience," which introduces various metrics for companies to measure across devices. Analytics are also given some attention in this month's Top 50 list of analytics and business intelligence software solutions and in our Insights on Analytics column, which provides content marketers with the key performance indicators they need in order to measure success.

This issue is filled with advice, best practices and insights from some of the top minds in Web business, so be sure to read it from cover to cover and then visit us on the 'Net at www.WebsiteMagazine.com to continue your path toward digital success.

Best Web Wishes,

Peter Prestipino