Responsive has been a buzz word in digital strategy and web design for a while now and it has become more and more integral to all the work we do at Crush, since tablet and mobile web use has skyrocketed. The graph below shows real live website visitor session data for 5 Crush Digital clients across the last 5 years.
Responsive web design not only saves time on the developer’s side, it creates a better end user experience. Simply put, a responsive website or website back end, reacts instinctively and optimally to the users screen size and/or device. This means the same site can be used and viewed without trouble on desktop computers, tablets, mobile phones and even wide screen televisions.
The shift in web use towards the mobile has meant that sites that are optimised for this kind of use are more popular and more and more designers are accepting that responsive design is essential for keeping users engaged. Here’s a closer look at why responsive design is now essential.
Increase your Reach
What’s the point of a website that is blocking or limiting access to millions of potential users? The increased use of the internet, apps and everything really via mobile phones and tablets means your business needs to capture this audience and to do this, your website has to be ready for them. Traditionally many businesses had a secondary mobile site which redirected customers on mobile devices but this is slow and archaic and with responsive design one site does everything.
Increase Conversion Rates
Responsive design engenders a better user experience as the lack of redirection means potential customers see what they need to see, optimised for their screen size, immediately. Use of standardised CSS across devices and a unified approach to design means even though the desktop site looks a little different to the mobile or tablet version, the design is consistent. Consistent, positive user experience has a positive impact on how customers feel about your website and in turn your conversion rates, as customers will feel familiar on your site, whatever device they use.
Increase Search Visibility
Responsive Design is recommended by Google. This suggests that they will rank responsive designed sites more positively than other sites and that’s a big plus when you know you want your website to be seen.
Responsive design also means you can manage the website on a single set of hypertext links which minimises the time you need to spend maintaining your website and means you can focus your SEO efforts in one single direction, instead of across two – making it easier to focus your campaigns and strategy.
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