In today’s market, having a website is a necessity. Think about how often you go online to look for nearby businesses. I don’t think arguing the importance of website is a tough argument to win now-a-days, but what about responsive web design?
What is responsive web design?
A responsive website adapts to the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on. Think “fluid.” With the ever-growing use of mobile devices for Internet searches, having a website that doesn’t provide a good user experience on these devices is bad news. Take a look at the most popular devices used to search the Internet with.
Source: Smart Insights
Why does it matter if my website is responsive?
You can still view any website on a mobile device, whether it’s responsive or not. If you’ve ever looked at a non-responsive website on a mobile device, you’re surely familiar with the pinch-and-zoom content hunt. Sliding your finger in all directions to read or view content may be effective, but it’s not an ideal experience. Below are four reasons why having a responsive website is critical for your business.
1. Enhanced user experience
The most important reason is the most obvious: user experience. Whether viewers are potential customers or not, providing an easy-to-use website on any device makes for a better experience. And leaving your viewers with a pleasant experience—or at least a neutral one—is much, much better than them leaving your website annoyed or frustrated.
2. Converting viewers into potential customers
It’s not likely that every person who visits your website will purchase your products or services, but making it easier for them to is crucial for creating new business.
3. Increase Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engines love responsive websites! One website, one URL. While separate mobile sites have their benefits, they don’t always rank well on search engines.
4. Lower bounce rate
A bounce rate is the percentage of visitors to your website who leave your site after viewing only one page. By creating an intuitive and user-friendly web layout, you have better a chance of keeping users on your site. The longer they remain on your website, the more content they’ll view, which can lead to more potential customers.
Summary
Responsive websites are important for providing a good user-experience and helping turn potential viewers into customers. While a separate mobile site does have its benefits, responsive websites adapt to any size browser whereas mobile sites are predefined to work only on certain size screens.
