​Why Responsive Web Design is a Must

Responsive web design company: Nowadays, mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become the primary method of accessing the Internet. Mobile traffic has been dominating the web for years now, and it has even surpassed desktop traffic altogether.

As a matter of fact, there are currently around 6.95 billion mobile users in the world right now and that number is expected to reach 7.49 billion by 2025. That being said, both website owners and search engines could no longer ignore the increasing number of mobile users, which is why mobile-friendliness became mandatory.

Google started experimenting with their mobile-first indexing back in 2016, but it wasn’t until 2019 that they enabled it by default for all the new websites on the Internet and were previously unknown to Google Search. In other words, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites when it comes to search rankings.

For older websites, this search engine continues to monitor the transition from desktop version only to a more mobile-friendly environment.

With so many mobile users and with mobile friendliness becoming a priority, a solution was necessary for both old and new websites. That solution is a responsive website design that can solve potential issues regarding mobile experiences.

With that in mind, here are a few reasons why responsive design is a must.

​1. It’s important for SEO

Every web owner wants their website to rank high in search results.

Today, SEO is basically mandatory if you want to stand out in a highly crowded environment like the online market. That’s why search engines, such as Google monitor dozens of ranking signals that will determine a website’s place among the search results.

Of course, one of these ranking signals is mobile-friendliness. As mentioned before, Google’s mobile-first indexing gives ranking priority to websites that are mobile-friendly. However, that doesn’t mean your website will be penalized for not being mobile-friendly.

It does mean that it won’t rank well until you fix this issue like implementing a responsive design, for instance. In other words, your website and its individual content piece’s visibility will decrease drastically until it’s able to provide mobile users with a seamless experience.

That means the loss of traffic, exposure and brand awareness you simply cannot afford to go without in such a competitive environment. Moreover, when it comes to SEO, mobile-friendliness is not the only ranking signal.

In fact, search engines like Google tend to look at the overall mobile experience your website is able to provide to its users or visitors. That’s why they recommend some of the best practices once your responsive design is in place. Here’s an example.

• Use the same meta robots tags like on the desktop version of your website.
• Don’t lazy load primary content upon user interaction.
• Allow Google to crawl your resources.
• Use meaningful headings.
• Use mobile-friendly URLs.
• Choose an appropriate format for images and videos.

​2. A seamless experience for all devices

Most people believe that a responsive design caters to mobile users only. As a matter of fact, a responsive design provides a seamless experience to users no matter which device they might be using.

Therefore, a consumer can view your website content on a desktop then switch to a smartphone and the content, as well as the layout of your website, will adjust to the new screen size and resolution. That same consumer can further switch to a tablet and the layout will adjust itself once again.

That’s the whole purpose of a responsive design and that’s why it’s important to implement it during the website’s development.

That said, if you were to hire professionals, such as NYC web designers, for instance, your website should have a responsive design from the start, so it wouldn’t have to be implemented later on.

That way, you won’t have to worry about which device consumers will visit your website from. The main reason is that the mix of flexible layout and grids, as well as intelligent use of CSS files, will adjust your website content to any device accordingly.

This is important because there are still consumers who prefer to do specific actions, such as making online purchases or reading articles on desktop computers. That’s why opting for just one version of the website – whether it’s a desktop or mobile one – is not viable anymore.

​3. It’s easier to maintain

Before responsive web design was a thing, web owners would actually maintain two versions of their website – one for desktop and the other for mobile users. This was not, in fact, cost-effective, and it was difficult to maintain both versions of the website at the same time.

Those who couldn’t afford two website versions had to opt for one, which meant a loss of traffic and potential conversions either way.  This is no longer the case because you no longer need two versions of your website.

That said, a responsive design encompasses all devices, screen sizes resolution into a single, well-performing website version. That way, you only have to update and maintain that one version of your website, which is much cheaper and simpler to do.

A responsive design is a mix of various flexible elements ranging from layouts to images.

Once the design has been implemented, it will continue to perform exceptionally and adapt to various devices. All you need to worry about from that point on is optimizing other elements that impact your website performance and functionality.

These elements include website speed, duplicate or missing content, errors and redirects, image size and format, website navigation and so on. So fixing one thing means fixing it for all the devices consumers might use to visit your website and browse its content.

​4. Mobile commerce is on the rise

Another reason a responsive design is simply a must these days is mobile commerce. As you might expect, the rise of mobile device usage has also created new opportunities for additional convenience.

Many companies allow their customers to shop online directly from their smartphones.

That said, 72.9% of global eCommerce retail sales are, in fact, mobile retail sales. Moreover, mobile retail sales have generated $3.56 trillion as of 2021. Therefore, whether your website is also an eCommerce store or not, you cannot ignore the number of mobile shoppers today.

A responsive design will ensure that mobile users will be well taken care of should you decide to sell products or services through your website sometime in the future. Furthermore, it will also ensure that the checkout process is seamless for mobile users and that payment processing is enabled even for mobile devices. responsive web design company

These days, many smartphone users have digital wallets that can be integrated with online shops through a responsive design. Here are a few advantages of having a mobile commerce-enabled platform on your website.

• Improved accessibility leads to higher customer retention.
• Additional convenience for mobile customers who compare prices, read reviews and conduct purchases without the need for desktop computers to do so.
•  A wide variety of products and services on display.
• Automated business point of customer contact and sales.

​5. Improved website traffic

It’s not just websites that are becoming more mobile-friendly these days. In fact, other sources, such as forums, blogs and even social media platforms, are accommodating mobile users. That means that mobile users can be anywhere, and they can stumble upon your content at any given moment. responsive web design company

Sorting through your shared content means they might want to visit your website for additional information. Having a responsive design means that your website will favor additional traffic for other relevant sources.

Moreover, people won’t have to switch from smartphones to desktop computers to view your content. That is, indeed, a major benefit because it reduces the friction consumers have to endure on their journey. This will not only reduce the bounce rate on your website but also potentially improve your conversion rate. This is especially true for social media platforms.

Many businesses have a strong social media presence because they have access to a large number of consumers. That said, out of 4.48 billion active social media users, 99% access social media apps or websites via mobile device.

If you plan on developing a social media strategy, a responsive design on your website will be mandatory. The main reason is that all the traffic that originates from social media will be mobile and your website must be able to provide them all with a seamless experience. responsive web design company

​Closing words

With the number of mobile users still on the rise, both old and new websites must prioritize mobile friendliness. The cheapest and simplest solution to implement is a responsive design.

This will not only make your website mobile-friendly but will also create a unified experience for every device, regardless of the screen size or resolution.

With such a website design, you won’t have to worry about which website visitors use mobile devices and which ones use desktop commuters. The experience will be the same for everyone and you’ll be able to reap the benefits.

Christopher is a digital marketing specialist and a freelance blogger. He is focused on new web tech trends and digital voice distribution across different channels. In his free time Christopher plays drums and Magic: the Gathering.