What are the benefits of responsive web design?
Let`s look at this common scenario…you have just had a brand new website designed and have just read somewhere that ideally it needs to be fully responsive…fully what?
What is a responsive website?
A fully responsive website is a website that works on all handheld devices from your Smartphone or iphone to tablet which is optimised for easy reading and navigation and resizes the content automatically for that particualr device.
And guess what? Your shiny new website that you`ve just spent a good few £££`s on is NOT fully responsive!
Yes this is a common scenario that I am frequently coming across and you can imagine the reaction as a business owner after shelling out a bucket load of your budget for a brand new website to find out that it doesn`t work perfectly on mobile, yes it can be viewed but is not perfect!
So why should your website be fully responsive?
There are various reasons and important ones at that and this is my take on why every business should have a responsive website.
Design Elements
As more and more people search and buy from a handheld device it is predicted widely that in the coming year that mobile will overtake the desktop PC or laptop as the main way of accessing the internet. With this in mind it now means that the optimal viewing resolution and screen size are no longer standard as they used to be and this also means that having a desktop version and mobile version of your website is no longer enough.
In the world of handheld technology your business needs a fully responsive website, it`s as simple as that!
Here are my top reasons why a business should be looking at getting up to date
- Improve your search engine rankings – It is not commonly known that Google will reward websites that are responsive because of the user experience. Again it is not commonly known that Google recommends responsive website design as best practice. If you have a desktop version and a mobile version of your site at the moment then you run the risk of getting penalised by Google for having duplicate content,a responsive design will eliminate that risk.
- Your customers can access your website at all times – If your website works perfectly on all devices then your site, your business, your products are accessible at any time of the day and almost anywhere in the world by potential and existing customers
- Keeping it local – A responsive website will give you the edge over your competitors with your local searches and customers as a responsive site will rank better for local keyword phrases but the mobile-friendly site will see an improvement in your sales conversions too.
- Increase your sales – It is probably true that more people prefer to search on a mobile device but the majority still prefer and feel more comfortable actually buying from a PC or laptop so having your website set-up to be responsive is a massive bonus.
- Time and Money – Generally the cost of a fully responsive website will be more than a standard desktop version but think of the long-term and the bigger picture…you will only be updating one website, not both a desktop or mobile version, that is a big saving in your time and as technology progresses and other handheld devices become available in all shapes and sizes you will save money as your fully responsive design means you do not have to have your site re-designed to fit the new technology, therefore the lifetime of your website will increase saving you money in the long run.
- The BIG ONE! – As it stands less than 3% of websites are optimised for mobile so by having a fully responsive site you will be jumping a massive step ahead of your competitors, make the most of it now and get in while the going is good and be one step ahead of the competition!
Every website I build and design these days is fully responsive and is Google friendly, I think it is imperative for not only today`s visitors and searchers but for the future too.
Let me know your thoughts below and I look forward to answering any questions that you may have. You can also check out my current website portfolio to see my recent responsive websites that I have designed, or feel free to get in touch for more details.
Until next time…
Martin
