Website owners rely on web developers to ensure that their websites run properly on all devices. But, an advance in technology has allowed website owners the luxury of having one site coded that renders properly on all devices. This is what we call “responsive design.”
Why are responsive websites important for your business?
Before we go into to why a response website is important, it’s essential to know what responsive web design actually is.
WHAT IS RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN?
When you visit a website, you may notice that the website looks the same on all browsers. This is done through the approach that the designer took with the layout and coding of the website. The goal of responsive design is:
- Ease of reading
- Ease of navigation
- Minimal scrolling
- Optimization across multiple devices
Previously, designers would need to code a website to be viewed on your PC, and create different coding for your mobile website. And you would need to pay for both of these websites to be created. It was a major expense, and it was very costly when a web site needed to be redesigned.
Under the concept of responsive design, a website’s elements will automatically readjust themselves to fit your browser properly. Now, you don’t need to spend more money maintaining and updating the website. And, your visitors will have a better overall experience.
RESPONSIVE DESIGN ADVANTAGES
Flexibility
Your visitors are using the Internet differently today than they did 10 years ago. Mobile phones and mobile devices, as a whole, have outpaced the use of the personal computer. A quick look at your analytics will show you that a majority of your visitors are on a mobile device.
And responsive design ensures fluidity across all devices.
Responsive design allows the visitor to view your website on their PC or their tablet, mobile phone, or even videogame console. Ultimately, it allows your visitors to have a seamless experience when visiting your website.
Enhances User Experience
If you’ve ever been to your favorite website on a mobile device, you may have noticed that some sites lose functionality when on a mobile device. You may even have to scroll to view the text on the screen – it’s very inconvenient for the user.
Marketers suggest that content is king, but content can only be read when it is properly displayed on the screen.
With responsive websites, your content is able to be consumed on any device. You essentially expand your user base because you can accommodate them with a responsive website. And, you have one domain instead of a subdomain or subfolder, which will need to be updated. It saves you money while also catering to your most important asset – your visitors.
There is no scrolling, no awkward image resizing or obstruction of your most important content.
Mobile-friendly Immediately
Google will be a major traffic generator for your website. When your website is mobile-friendly, as responsive design allows, you will be meeting one of Google’s biggest recommendations. The search giant owns 67% of the market share, so when the company recommends responsive design, users should listen.
The company knows, perhaps better than anyone, what users desire as a best practice for web design.
And, from an SEO perspective, it’s also easier to optimize one website rather than a separate mobile domain. Websites that have a separate domain or subdomain will need to spend more money to have both assets optimized by an SEO professional. Google will also have to crawl separate websites, indexing content slower as a result.
With a responsive design, you have just one website to update and manage.
Responsive web design practices offer you, the website owner, the following benefits:
- A Better User Experience: Responsive design is optimized for the user. Your visitors will be happier to visit your website and able to view it with ease when it is responsive. You want to attract as many visitors as possible, but to do this, your site needs to be viewable across a range of devices. This is, perhaps, the biggest advantage of responsive web design.
- Future Proofing: Your website needs to be optimized for the future. Just take a look at how mobile devices have changed in the last few years. Tablet sizes are different than before. Smartphone screens vary drastically and need to be accommodated for properly. Your website will be future-proofed if it is created with responsive web design practices.
- Better SEO Results: Maintaining just one website to SEO allows you to achieve better results, save money and boost conversions in the process.
- Cost Effectiveness: Responsive design only needs to be applied once to your website. Once your website is built, it will be easier and more cost-effective to update and manage your website. You won’t need to spend more money on a mobile-friendly site – your site will automatically be mobile-friendly.
Responsive website design allows you to easily accommodate all of your website’s visitors. You never have to worry about your website rendering improperly as new screen sizes are introduced to consumers. It’s the best way for you to optimize your site for the future.