The Importance of Responsive Web Design for the Success of Your Business

What is Responsive Web Design?

A responsive website is a website that is designed to “respond” to the type of device that it is being visited and viewed on. Whether it’s a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet, both the size and the format of the site will automatically adapt to the screen. For example, the content automatically changes, the spacing instantly adjusts, and the size and layout of the images immediately adjust; for example, text that is laid out in three columns on a the screen of a desktop computer might automatically change to a one column layout when it is viewed on a smartphone, thus ensuring that all of the content is visible.

A lot of people assume that “responsive” and “mobile-friendly” webs design is the same thing; however, it’s important to note that this is not true. In fact, mobile-friendly and responsive web design is quite different. While websites that are designed to be mobile-friendly are laid out so that they load and appear appropriately when they’re viewed on a mobile device, mobile-friendly sites do not adapt to the screen they are being viewed on. In other words, while a mobile-friendly website may be visible on a desktop screen, they’re often glitch, take a long time to load, and are difficult to navigate.

Given the fact that users view websites on mobile devices more frequently than desktops, it’s essential for business owners to adapt their sites so that they can reach their customers on tablets and smartphones. While mobile web design can certainly help you achieve that goal, responsive web design is a much better option. Why? Our Liverpool web designers will take a look at take a look at five reasons why responsive website design is an absolute must for the success of your website – and in turn, the success of your business. 

Improved Usability

Though it is true that a lot of people use their mobile devices than desktop computers to search for the information that they’re looking for (and the number is growing every day), many people do still rely on their computers to search the internet. That’s why it’s so important to invest in responsive web design. When your website is responsive, it is usable across all platforms; desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc. As such, this means that whether your targeted audience and prospective customers are using their smartphones, tablets, or desktops to search for and access your website, if the design of your site is responsive, they will have no trouble accessing the information. All of the content – from the text to the images, and from the navigation to the infographics – will automatically transition to fit their screen, will load properly, and will be usable. A good responsive web design is especially important if you are selling products online. You can read our tips on improving user experience for eCommerce websites here.

Increased Search Engine Rankings

Responsively designed websites are more likely to rank higher in the search engine response pages (SERPs) than those that are not. Why is that? Well, because your website will be viewable and usable across all types of devices, it will be more user-friendly, and when your site is more user-friendly, visitors stick around and interact longer. How does this affect your search engine ranking? One of the many factors that Google and other search engines, such as Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo, take into consideration when they are determining how to rank websites is the amount of time users spend on and interact with each site; therefore, responsive websites design can help you achieve a better position on the SERPs. The higher your website appears in the search engine results pages, the better.

More Traffic

When your website is responsively designed, you’ll see a significant uptick in traffic. There are two reasons for this, which include the following:

Firstly, you’ll be able to reach a lot more users; in fact, you’ll be able to reach all search engine users, regardless of the device they are using to search for your website or the content that your website contains. To illustrate, imagine if someone is trying to search your site on a desktop computer or a laptop and it’s only mobile-friendly; while they will be able to find your site, their experience won’t exactly be the best. For example, they’ll likely encounter issues trying to navigate your site, and they may encounter glitches; therefore, instead of staying and looking around, the user will click off and look elsewhere.

Websites that are designed for desktop usage only, while they can be found on mobile devices, they are virtually impossible to navigate on said devices. As such, the customers you are trying to target who are trying to view your site on their smartphones or tablets will end up clicking off your site, as they won’t be able to find what their looking for and will end up getting frustrated.. If, however, your website is responsive, people who are using all types of devices – desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones – will be able to access it. Since all users will be able to access your site, you’ll see a definite increase in your traffic.

Secondly, because responsively designed websites usually rank higher on the search engines, your site will be a lot more visible. When your site appears on the first page of the SERPs – and even better, when it appears in the first three results – the more visible it will be, and therefore, the easier it will be for the audience that you are targeting to find it and visit it.

Increased Conversions

When the traffic to your website increases, your conversions will increase, too. Why? Well, because the higher rankings are and the more usable your website is, those who are searching for your website or the content that it contains will have a much easier time finding and viewing the products and services that you offer. When it’s easier for your targeted audience to find and interact with your website, they’ll be more inclined to make a purchase. Responsive web design can lead to a substantial increase in conversions, and increased conversions are most certainly great for your bottom line – and your success overall. 

Cost Savings

As a business owner, you know how important it is to stay on-budget. Responsive web design is a lot more cost-effective, which means that you will have the opportunity to save a significant amount on your bottom line. If your site isn’t responsive, in order for your audience to access it across all devices, you’ll need to have two versions: a standard version and a mobile-friendly version. It goes without saying that designing and maintaining two versions of a single website is quite cost prohibitive, as there’s a lot more maintenance involved, and that maintenance can cost a pretty penny.

With responsive web design, a lot less maintenance is needed, and as such, you won’t need to spend as much on maintenance. While it is true that the initial setup for a responsive website may be more expensive, in the long run, the increased cost will save you money, as you won’t have the need to invest as much on maintenance services for the site. Furthermore, it takes a lot less time to design a single responsive website than two separate versions of the same site, so you’ll see faster results, which is another definite benefit that could end up saving you money overall.

Embrace the Benefits of Responsive Website Design 

Needless to say, the benefits of responsive website design are many, and these benefits can markedly increase your overall success. It’s important to note, however, that in order to get the most out of responsive web design, you’re going to need to employ the best strategy. With the following responsive web design tips, you’ll be able to do just that. 

• Touch responsive. Make sure that you incorporate touch responsiveness into your web design. By doing so, mobile visitors will have a much better experience with your site. 
• Use a viewpoint. Viewpoint refers to the area of a webpage that is visible to visitors, and it varies based on the website that it’s being viewed on. 
• Make use of media queries. With media queries, you’ll be able to optimize the layout of your website for different screen widths. The content will properly respond to the different conditions on different devices. 
• Switch from pixels and inches to grid. Rather than designing your site over pixels that are fixed size, adopt fluid grid results in a liquid layout, which will expand with your site’s web pages. 

As a dedicated web design company in Liverpool, all of the websites we develop are responsive to provide the very best user experience. That means you get all of these fantastic benefits of responsive web design as a standard practice with Blue Whale Media!