Why You Should Have a Responsive Design
Smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more popular as a means of browsing the web. With internet access available both through WiFi connectivity and through a 3G or 4G signal, smartphone and tablet users can access the internet from just about anywhere, and in turn, means that they can access your webpage from just about anywhere.
While this might sound like a good thing, if your webpage does not have a responsive design, if it is not formatted to Why is this so significant? Because mobile browsing is poised to overtake desktop browsing this year as the most popular way to access webpages—and that means that the majority of your site visitors will find you while using a mobile device.
If your webpage will not load on a mobile device or is not formatted to respond to the smaller screen size, making browsing extremely difficult, you will lose more than half of your prospects and half of the business you could be doing. Responsive web design allows your webpage to automatically adjust to the size of whatever screen accesses it. It works just as well on 4-inch smartphone screens as it does on 25-inch desktop monitors, often with browsing options that make it easier to navigate on a smaller touchscreen device. Here are seven more benefits of responsive web design:
- Improved conversion rate. Responsively designed webpages provide a much better user experience. With mobile purchasing on the rise, having a responsive website design means a lower bounce rate and a more effective mobile sales funnel. Trying to tap through a full-size website on a smartphone is nearly impossible, but a responsive design will shrink and streamline the webpage so that shopping and purchasing is simple and easy.
- Higher search engine rankings. Google, Yahoo, and even Bing are starting to favor webpages that have responsive design, especially in mobile search results. Why? Because the goal of those search engines is to provide their users with the most relevant and easy-to-use websites. Responsive design makes your website easier to use and therefore a better prospect for users looking for services or products like yours.
- Consolidates your webpages. If you have a mobile website and a desktop website, you have one too many websites. Paying to have a mobile website developed, on top of a desktop website means twice as much cost and effort, and when you change something on your main website, you also have to have it changed on that mobile website. Responsive design webpages don’t have that problem, as you only have one website, which adapts itself to function perfectly on the screen that accesses it. Save yourself the money, effort, and time and focus on creating a responsive webpage.
- Consolidates your analytics. When you have two websites—a main site and a mobile site, you also have two sets of data to analyze, and it can be difficult to make the connection between users that start out viewing your mobile site and then make their final purchase on your desktop site, or vice versa. A responsive design doesn’t have that problem, because you can easily see a user’s journey along the conversion path, no matter where the start and where they end.
- Allows you to lengthen your stride. A responsive design means you can get more mileage out of your marketing efforts, your design budget, and the content you write. If you choose to have a mobile website developed separately from your main website, you will end up having to do (and pay for) two of everything. Two marketing campaigns, two sets of content, two maintenance packages. It’s a hassle that you no longer have to go through, because you can choose a responsive website, instead. This means you can funnel all of the resources that were being split between two websites, into that single website.
- Endless flexibility. The problem many tablet users run into, especially if their screen is on the larger size, is that the browser doesn’t know which website to access. The full website or the mobile one? Responsive design doesn’t have this problem—it’s fluid. That means that it works the same way, no matter what size of glass (read: screen), you pour it into. If, in the future, tech companies come up with some new and crazy device, you can bet that your responsive design will work on it—it’s just another size of cup it can fill up.
- Better user experience on every screen. You should be very concerned about how your site visitors experience your website. A clean, simple experience means more sales—and this is one of the tenants of responsive design. Less fuss and higher usability on every screen.
Simply put, a responsive webpage will save you time and money as well as make managing and reviewing your results much easier. Users want to use a responsive webpage. If the page is clunky and not built for mobile use, you can easily lose a sale. Having a good, responsive site creates a good first impression on a user. If the person can easily navigate the site, they will likely do so, which exposes them to more of your content. However, if your site is easy to navigate, the person will probably just go to another site that provides that positive first impression.
