What does "mobile site" really mean?

Clients will often bring up the need for a mobile site, but, more often than not, it's unclear as to what type of mobile site they really want. Over the past several years, "mobile site" has become a very broad term. Developers have introduced a variety of ways in which mobile sites can be implemented ranging from highly segmented apps to full fledged sites available on your smart phone. 

This can be a confusing space if you're not aware of your options and what information you're mobile users really need. Below are a few of your options:

These are the applications you use for things like managing your bank account, slingshotting unhappy birds, or tweeting your every move. Apps typically provide a highly targeted set of features to trigger specific actions, such as depositing a check, rather than browsing, for example.

In this instance, your mobile site is a different environment than your non-mobile site (even though they might be managed via the same CMS). This is probably the most widely used method. Here you're essentially reducing your non-mobile site's content to only the information pertinent to a mobile user such as directions to your office, contact information, or e-commerce/registrations.

This approach is becoming more common because, when done correctly, it can optimize your site for various screen dimensions and mobile devices. Responsive design automatically rearranges or eliminates features on your site to fit them on a smaller screen. An example of this can be seen by visiting golfcentraloregon.com and reducing the width of your browser.

This tag allows the developer to dictate the size (i.e. how wide) and zoom level of the "viewport" or default view of the mobile browser. This allows your site to propagate more predictably when users visit it from devices with varying screen dimensions. 

In most cases the correct type of mobile optimization for your site is based on your users: On what devices are they visiting your site? What are the most visited pages on your non-mobile site? What are the pros and cons of having specific content, assets, forms, etc. on a much smaller screen?

If you ask these questions early in the process you'll be able to implement a plan to build a mobile site optimized for you an your users' needs more efficiently.