From our previous blog post, you should have an understand of the importance of mobile-friendly websites; however, you should also consider incorporating responsive web design into your business web page, which will ensure that your site works not only with computers or smartphones but also with tablets and any other devices your customers may use to browse the web.

What is a responsive web design?

A responsive web design refers to a website design that can dynamically change in appearance depending on the screen’s size. The screen size is often a good indicator of what type of device the website is being viewed on, such as a mobile device, tablet, or desktop screen.

Want a visual example? Resize your browser window (if you’re on a desktop) while reading this article. You’ll notice how images, and even the menus, change according to the width of the browser. Pretty neat, huh?

What are the benefits of a responsive web design?

There are many benefits of choosing a responsive web design over a traditional design approach for your business website.

A better visitor experience

Today, the combination of browsers and devices are nearly endless. Are your visitors viewing your website on Chrome and Mobile? Maybe Safari on a Mac, or Firefox on a PC? Everyone has their preference when browsing the web, and responsibility lies on the website to display properly.

Having a responsive web design ensures that your visitors are happy, no matter how they are viewing your content.

Better SEO rankings

Several factors of responsive website design are great for your website’s search engine visibility.

  1. Your website uses the same link structure for all views. This means search engines do not have to store multiple pages for the same content; giving each page more importance (and less duplication).
  2. Google gives better rankings to sites that are mobile friendly. Why? Because they understand that mobile is the new age of the internet, and they want to give an incentive for companies to design responsively.

Responsive design is often more cost-effective

Instead of needing unique website design process for every device, a responsive design will “respond” to the type of device being used to browse and will automatically adjust the screen size, orientation and other factors to work with tablets, smartphones, computers and other devices.

Responsive website design eliminates the many stages of development needed to create a new design for every new device that hits the market. Instead, it focuses on one fluid design that will adapt and change accordingly for each user’s browsing device of choice.

The development process of responsive design can be a bit more time-consuming in the initial stages compared to traditional approaches; however, it will also save your business a lot of time and money in the long term by focusing on just one design platform.

Now that you know some of the many reasons to choose responsive web design, let’s look into what, exactly, it is!

Responsive web design is dynamic

Think of responsive web design as being like water. Water “works” whether it’s held in a jug, jar, glass, or teacup. It adapts to its constraints and just “works.”

Responsive web design is the answer to streamlining your company website to adapt to use with the wide variety of devices used for internet browsing in this technological age.

Responsive web design will automatically adapt your company’s website to work with the type of device being used by the browser, be it a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Accommodating visitors on no matter what device they use will always rest well with their first impression of your company.

How does responsive web design differ from traditional methods?

Traditional web design relies on unchanging grids and a fixed design relying on pixels, which do not adapt in a user-friendly manner to smartphones and tablets. Since the design is not fluid, the website will simply shrink to fit the screen being used to view it. This can result in unreadable text, distorted images, and an overall difficulty for the customer trying to access your business.

Unlike traditional web design, responsive web design relies on fluid grids in which the elements of the page are designed based on proportions instead of pixels. With responsive design, the images and content of the screen will automatically adjust in relation to each other to fit  the screen size of whatever device is being used.

Why responsive and not a mobile site?

Although having a website that is compatible with mobile devices is ever important, there are drawbacks to having separate business and mobile web pages. This approach results in two different URLs, which can be confusing and hurt your SEO rankings. It also requires additional time and money to develop and maintain two unique web designs.

Alternatively, responsive web design requires only one URL that will automatically adapt to a variety of devices and screen sizes. This not only results in improved SEO results but also requires less maintenance (read: money), as only one web page needs to be maintained instead of two.

Why does my business need it?

Easier to maintain. Better user experience. Increased search rankings. The list goes on. The biggest factor being the user’s great impression of your company.

The use of mobile phones and other touch-screen devices for online browsing is rapidly increasing. In order to make sure your business keeps a competitive edge it is crucial that your website adapt to whatever platform potential customers are using.

Has responsive web design improved your business SEO results and sales? Let us know your experience in the comments below!