The number of users browsing the Internet through mobile devices has skyrocketed over the past few years. In fact, more people now access the Internet through their phone than their desktop computer. If your business currently operates an online presence or you plan on launching one soon, you should seriously consider implementing a responsive website to go along with it.
What exactly is a responsive website? It’s a site that responds to whatever device is visiting it, optimizing its content and screen size accordingly. This post will introduce you to what responsive websites are and why you need to start designing them immediately if you haven’t already done so. We’ll also share some examples of great responsive websites and explain why they are a necessity for businesses today.
What is a Responsive Website?
A responsive website is designed to respond to whatever device is visiting it, optimizing its content and screen size accordingly. In other words, a responsive website will look and function the same whether you’re viewing it on a mobile device, tablet, or desktop computer. The best part is, this is done without any additional effort on the part of the user. No need to pinch and zoom to scale images or scroll horizontally to read text.
Instead, the site’s developer will have coded it to automatically adjust to the device that is accessing it, meaning you don’t have to do a thing to ensure a positive user experience. Website developers have begun to recognize the growing importance of responsive web design (RWD). Most people browse the Internet through either a desktop computer or a handheld device like a smartphone. Those who still use a traditional computer are slowly dying off. In fact, more people now access the Internet through their phone than their desktop computer.
The trend towards mobile browsing has led website developers to create websites that respond to whichever device they’re being accessed on. This means that a user will get the same experience whether they are accessing your website on a desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet. This is what is meant by responsive web design.
Why You Need to Start Designing Responsive Websites Now
There are many reasons why you should implement responsive web design. First and foremost, it will allow you to accommodate a wider range of users. No longer will you have to tell potential clients that their iPhones aren’t welcome on your site. Instead, you’ll be able to welcome them with open arms.
This will put you at an advantage when competing for business against similar companies that offer less. Another advantage is that you will no longer have to worry about reprogramming your website each time you make an update. Previously, if you wanted to change something on your site, you’d have to alter the code for the entire site to make that one alteration. Now you can make that same change on one page and have it automatically be applied to every other page on your site. You’ll save a lot of time and effort.
3 Benefits of Responsive Web Design
A wider range of potential customers – Mobile devices are increasingly popular, with more and more people using them to browse the internet. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, you’re cutting out a massive chunk of potential customers who may otherwise have purchased from you. A responsive website allows you to attract a wider range of customers, regardless of what device they’re using.
Save money on server space – Hosting a website is costly, especially if it’s for a large company or organization. With responsive web design, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of server space you use by up to 80%. This will save you money and can help smaller organizations keep their website costs under control.
Improve your website’s search engine optimization – This is another advantage that applies to companies of all sizes. If someone searches for a product or service you offer, the top results are usually advertisements for websites. If you have a responsive website, it will ensure that your page is one of them. It will help you to stand out from the competition and help you to attract new customers.
2 Mistakes to Avoid When Designing Responsive Websites
Over-optimizing your site – Remember, when you’re designing a responsive site, you’re making it accessible to everyone who visits it, regardless of their device. This means you might want to avoid using swiping carousels, scrolling sideways, and anything else that is specific to one platform or another. While it’s important to optimize your site for the widest range of devices, you don’t want to go overboard. Make sure to keep your site clean and simple. You don’t want to frustrate your visitors with a ton of extra scrolling.
Assuming all devices are created equal – While it’s true that a responsive site will be accessible on all devices, you should still design with a specific device in mind. This isn’t to say that you should ignore other devices, but rather, you should keep the intended device in mind as you create your site. For example, an iPhone and an Android phone might have different screen sizes, but the difference between them is much smaller than the difference between an iPhone and a tablet. A responsive site is a great solution for accommodating multiple devices, but you should still keep the intended device in mind while designing.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why you should implement responsive web design. It will allow you to accommodate a wider range of users, it will save you money on server space, and it will help improve your website’s search engine optimization. You should avoid over-optimizing your site, and you should assume all devices are created equal. When designing a responsive site, you should keep the intended device in mind and avoid over-complicating the design. By doing so, you’ll create a website that is much easier to navigate and is accessible from almost any device.