TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- Smartphones have literally put the internet in the palm of our hands. As more people turn away from their computer to a device that can fit in their pocket, companies are having to adjust.
"Everybody has an app idea at some point or another. Huh I wonder if there's an app for that?" said Dustin Rivest, founder of Tallahassee-based App Innovators
Nowadays that's the million dollar question.
It seems like there's an app for everything from fitness trackers or online banking, to even ordering a pizza.
You can now do it all with ease thanks to apps on your phone or tablet, and the creators of App Innovators say there's a good reason for that.
"Name another way you can put your logo in somebody else's pocket, without going in giving them your business card every single day. You can't do it," said Rivest.
Unlike that business card - or even a website - apps go everywhere you do, and through those apps companies also have the chance to interact with you.
Many send of alerts or notifications that show up directly on their customers' phones.
"Studies are starting to show that a website isn't enough anymore. It's about brand recognition and being able to reach out to your clients with the push notification," said Rivest.
But it's not just apps that companies are working hard to create. Just having a mobile version can go a long way to reach for people.
The Internet is something that we all use on a daily basis, but experts say the new trend is figuring out how to take what used to be a state of the art website and making it mobile friendly, so it can shrink down and fit on your phone.
"The amount the amount of local searches done for local businesses is no longer done on a desktop or a laptop, it's done on the mobile device," said Michael Winn of Digital Opps.
And just last summer, Google made a big change to encourage businesses to create these mobile sites. If your company has mobile version, you'll now show up higher in search results than those who don't.
Local tech experts say that can make a huge difference when it comes to getting new clients.
"Whether it's an education company, whether it's a retail business, whether it's a hospitality organization...making sure that when people are looking for the goods or services that they sell or provide, but they don't know their name, that they come up on top," said Winn
To find out how to make your site mobile friendly, or to make sure it passes Google's search requirements, click here.
