By Michael Weaver

As awareness of the mobile Internet grows amongst consumers, more publishers and brands are considering taking the plunge and putting pure content and advertising content into mobile formats.

Before one steps into the mobile realm, there are some basic principles we have seen that publishers and advertisers should keep in mind while producing content for the mobile Web.

Executed properly, these basic principles can greatly increase page views, ad clicks and the overall experience, not only for the publisher or advertiser, but for their intended audience.

I have broken out the following best practices into two sections, one for publishers and one for advertisers.

Publishers
1. Always approach the mobile Internet from the consumer's point of view and then design around that.

This seems like a simple concept, but it pays to do a little research. For instance, know:

A. what types of phones people use to access the type of content the publisher intends to publish

B. what browsers consumers will most likely use

C. what type of information consumers will seek out once the users has access the site

For example, for news providers, publishers need to ask if the intended users are heavy news feed types or are they video junkies? Either way, ensure from a technical perspective what will and what will not work.

2. Think about monetization and plan for it in advance if that is the direction one wants to head:

If monetization is part of the plan, publishers need to know who will sell the inventory? Who will serve it? And who will measure it?

It is best to understand the complexities of ad serving in advance, and know what and how publishers will have to build into the site structure to support advertising.

Try to gauge what kind of traffic the site will have ahead of time and determine if this something the publishers wants to dedicate a sales person to or if it will be more efficient to hire a network. It is best to be able to hit the ground running and coordinate ads with the launch of the mobile site.

When pursuing mobile ad integration, publishers should become familiar with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Mobile Marketing Association guidelines and standards for advertising.

3. Design content specifically for mobile.

Mobile is a unique and separate channel from online. That is not to say that publishers need to create all new content for mobile. Users will, however, interact differently and at different times of day with mobile content as they would online.

Cannibalizing users from the publisher's traditional Web presence should not be the goal. People use their phones very differently than they use the Web. Formats that are successful online do not always translate well to the mobile Web experience.

One example is the Cars.com. The majority of Cars.com's mobile site users access it from dealers' lots to compare prices. Therefore, the mobile site is designed to quickly take users to a search function that will allow them to enter the make, model and year of the car to access a listing of prices in ones area to compare cost.

Cars.com's traditional site is designed for users looking to do a lot of research about various cars, with price just being one of several factors. Other examples include video and search.

For instance, long videos with pre-rolls don't really work in mobile.

Search also is quite different. In mobile, a small percentage of mobile content is currently found by search. And of those using search, close to 30 percent is done to find property names such as CNN or Sports Illustrated on the mobile Web.

Advertisers
1. Consider all the variables upfront

There are many variables to consider when placing mobile ads on a property. Many rules are governed by the various players tied to the serving of the ad.

For instance, all carriers have rules in place to limit the type, size, and weight of ads. Some ad networks require that specific tags be inserted for targeting and tracking, others ad networks want control of different aspects of ads.

These types of variables can dictate revenue splits and even distribution as certain carriers require working with certain ad serving partners.

2. Understand user behavior with the ad

Again, a basic understanding of users and how they will interact with the advertiser's ads is very important. Some basic tips are:

A. With mobile, make ads simple and big. Don't try to cram in too much. Remember, there is limited space, and screen sizes are small.

B. Make sure the ads have a clear call to action and the microsite has a "navigate back" button. Users tend to get very frustrated if their course of action is re-routed or hijacked.

For instance, Westin Hotels combines brand and call to action into its mobile advertising by having a microsite with great functionality.

3. Understand all the options and expectations of return

There are many forms of mobile advertising and all with different rates of return and levels of difficulty to implement.

Just the differences between mobile display, search and MMS can be huge. Add to that the many pricing models involved and there is a lot to digest.

The underlining message for both publishers and advertisers is to take the time to own the process. Keep the consumer first.

Publishers should be sure to vet their advertisers and understand what the advertisers are going to potentially do to the user experience.

Advertisers should know what sites or networks will be relevant and contextually work well with their ads.

Most of all, publishers and advertisers should take the time to educate themselves on the variables upfront so that everything works and expectations are set for all parties involved.

Michael Weaver is vice president of strategy at mobile site developer Crisp Wireless, New York. Reach him at