Responsive Website Design
Posted on 5th December 2016
Why Responsive Design is a Vital Part of a Successful Website
What kind of device are you reading this blog post on? Is it your laptop or desktop? Perhaps it’s your tablet or smartphone?
Making sure that a website looks great and functions perfectly on every device is really important, and that’s where responsive web design comes in.
In this article, we examine what responsive web design is, and why it’s so important for the performance of your website.
What is responsive web design?
Traditional, non-responsive web designs are static - they are made to work on a desktop or laptop screen. When a user tries to access these sites from a mobile device - like a smartphone or tablet - it can be difficult to read content, navigate between pages, and use the site to its full potential.
A responsive website is one that adapts to the device it is being accessed from, regardless of screen size or resolution.
With a responsively designed site, the design reformats itself automatically to fit the device - providing the visitor with the best possible experience. This means no pinching the screen, scrolling, zooming in, or squinting to find the information they are looking for.
The benefits of responsive design
Your website will work on every device
By opting for responsive web design, you’re making sure that your customers enjoy the best possible experience, whatever device they’re using.
A decade ago, browsing the internet was reserved entirely for desktop computers and laptops. This simply isn’t the case any more. In fact, we’ve now passed the tipping point - in 2016, 56% of site visits come from mobile devices, and this figure is only set to rise.
People are now browsing the internet on a wider range of devices than ever before – on smartphones and tablets, smart TVs, smartwatches, wearable tech, and games consoles.
Today, it’s increasingly likely that your customers and potential customers may want to visit your site on multiple different devices, and it’s important that they can access the content and information they want, when they want it.
A responsively designed website is the best way to achieve this.
Your SEO will benefit
If you want to be found online, then having a responsively designed website is a great place to start.
Google and other major search engines prefer sites with responsive design, and actively promote mobile friendly sites in search rankings. In 2014, Google began adding the words “mobile friendly” to the search listings on responsive sites when accessed from mobile devices.
Since 2015, Google has actively been rewarding responsively designed sites with higher rankings in search results.
It’s better for your brand
Your website is likely to be the first time that many customers engage with your business, and you only get one chance to make a first impression!
If potential customers can’t access your site, or find it hard to use, then it reflects negatively on your business. They may never come back.
Having a responsive design will help to ensure that customers can reach all the content and functionality they need to make an informed buying decision.
It’s an important part of ‘future-proofing’
No one knows what kind of devices people will be using in a few years time. Having a responsively designed site will help to ensure that your site continues to look fantastic and work perfectly on the next generation of internet enabled devices.
How it'seeze can help
At it’seeze, all the websites we create are responsively designed.
We’re here to help drive your business performance online with a fantastic, custom-designed website that you can edit yourself. You won’t find industry jargon or tech speak here – just beautiful websites designed to work in the modern world.
Set up your free, no obligation meeting with Rob Davies from it’seeze Web Design Ryedale today by calling 01653 690982, or by emailing rob.davies@itseeze.co.uk.
Tagged as: Company News, Online Marketing
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