Why is Responsive Website Design Such a Big Deal?
Today’s consumers prioritize convenience and speed over almost everything else. We expect to type in a query and learn an answer immediately, as is evidenced by the four out of five users who utilize search engines to find local information. What’s more, we can no longer wait to look something up. Instead of using our desktop or laptop computers for every search, most of us use our phones and other mobile devices to conduct searches and even pay for a product or service. In order to succeed in the digital age, you’ll need to make sure your website is completely accessible to everyone — including those who aren’t viewing your site on a PC. That means that websites need to be responsive. But how do responsive websites differ? And why does responsive design matter so much?
What is Responsive Website Design?
Users want a consistent experience when they visit your website, no matter what kind of device they’re using to view it. In years past, businesses could get away with a site that didn’t translate well to mobile view. There are still websites like this that exist; when you visit them, you probably need to zoom in or out quite a bit or you might even be inclined to abandon the site entirely. After that, the trend was to make a separate mobile site so that customers using other devices could have an improved (but totally separate) experience. Now, the best practice is to have a responsive website that automatically makes adjustments to fit the device on which it’s being viewed. In other words, no matter what a customer is using to view your website, the design will change instantly in order to appeal to their needs. It’s much less frustrating and much more aesthetically pleasing, improving the overall user experience and subsequent brand impressions.
Why Do Websites Need to Be Responsive?
It might seem like an inconsequential change, particularly if you already created a mobile version of your website. But having responsive design matters a lot now. For one thing, more and more consumers are choosing to shop on their phones and tablets. If you want to compete, you need to make sure that these users can easily access your website and purchase your products or services. A responsive site is one of the best ways to guarantee that any interactions consumers have with your site will be wholly positive.
Keep in mind that user experience makes a difference in your website ranking. Search engines like Google reward sites that prioritize responsive design. After all, if enough people abandon your site due to a poor experience, your ranking in search results could suffer. Google has explicitly made recommendations for mobile friendly websites and has prioritized mobile first indexing, meaning that you could risk having your site penalized for ignoring this important portion of web traffic. What’s more, having your web designer create a responsive site can ensure a better experience as more devices come onto the market. It’s more scaleable for your business and makes for a better investment for the future.
If you want your site to be found in search and visited, there’s no getting around the need for responsive web design. You’ll benefit from decreased maintenance (and associated costs) while providing a positive experience for users and even potentially improving your search ranking. Since technology is always evolving, your website needs to be able to seamlessly evolve right along with it. For more information on how we can help design a responsive site for your business, please contact us today.
