The world is slowly coming round to the idea that smartphone apps aren't quite the be all and end all.

Don't get me wrong, they provide great brand exposure and customer experience, but there are so many of them that without suitable marketing, a lot simply get lost. There are over 500,000 apps in the Apple App Store after all.

This is where the beauty of a mobile site comes in, and the reason for this blog.

Mobile sites offer a world of benefits and below are just a few of them.

- Google has seen a 500% increase in the number of mobile searches in Q2 2011 alone. Only mobile sites will rank here.

- Mobile sites are faster and improve customer experience. No one enjoys squinting at a site that needs to be zoomed in on because it hasn't been optimised.

- Mobile sites are cost effective. Easy to develop and relatively inexpensive (when compared to an app), a mobile site can be live in a very short time.

- Greater reach. Not everyone has an iPhone, or an Android so if you develop an app you will need to do it across all operating systems. With a mobile website you've got everyone covered.

- Support and maintenance simplified. A mobile site is much easier to update and maintain than a smartphone app.

For some organisations though, a smartphone app will be the perfect solution.

This of course is not to say it is one or the other. A smartphone application can perfectly complement a mobile site. Or vice versa.