Tablet and smartphone iPhone
Credit: Image by Mark Hakansson

News websites that do not have a mobile or responsive site can convert and optimise their site for mobile in less than minutes using an online tool called Ginwiz.

Those interested in trying it out can enter the URL of their site into a box on the GinWiz site and then customise by selecting a template and which categories are displayed.

Simon Heller from Israel-based GinWiz told Journalism.co.uk that the company designed the platform with small businesses in mind.

There is the option to add a call option at the top of the mobile view, the idea being that a florist or restaurant would benefit if people accessing their website on a mobile phone could click a call button and telephone the retailer.

"It is a simple equation of maximising your reach," Heller said.

News sites can also use the online tool for free to see what their site would look like optimised by GinWiz. Those wanting to try it out can enter the URL, the different elements of the site are then analysed and an optimised version is produced. The layout can then be amended, with the user selecting particular categories used on the main desktop site.

GinWiz

Heller said: "It takes into account the display size of an average mobile device. The site is stripped down to its most basic components, with a simplified layout."

He added: "GinWiz doesn't create a special site for mobile, what it does is provide a set of rules, kind of like a filter. You apply the set of rules to the site, and a mobile version is automatically produced."

Heller explained that GinWiz synchronises every 15 seconds, taking the content from the desktop site and putting it through the pre-defined set of rules.

GinWiz is free for those who want to use the GinWiz domain. Prices starts at $8.99 a month for sites to use their own domain and display unlimited pages.

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