Google has launched a new mobile tool to help small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) create professional quality mobile sites or landing pages.
Called Google Mobilize, the free tool provides SMEs with templates to create sites without the need for code experience.
These templates include restaurants, local business, and ecommerce and custom.
The news was announced at a press conference in London, which was noted for being the first time that the internet giant has launched in the UK ahead of the US.
Ian Carrington, mobile advertising sales director for Google, told reporters at the conference that although lots of people were buying smartphones, they were not benefiting from mobile-enabled websites that would make it easier to purchase things through their phones.
Mr Carrington added: “It’s the biggest barrier today for m-commerce, and they are losing out to people who do have mobile-optimised websites. Only 17 per cent of the businesses that we work with today have a mobile-optimised website.”
He also noted that there was a trend emerging among smartphones called “dual-screening”, which basically meant that people used their phones while watching the TV.