Responsive web design; 5 reasons you need it

Why Choose a Responsive Web Design?

Smartphones have changed everything. The way we tell the time, the way we interact with our friends and families, and especially the way we browse the internet. And with two-thirds of the population of the UK owning smartphones in 2015, it should come as no surprise that a lot of them use their phones for browsing the web. This kind of percentage requires Responsive Design.

A responsive web design, or a responsive website, in it’s simplest form, is a website that responds to the screen size you’re using. Meaning you can easily view it on your phone, your tablet, your laptop and your desktop. So, why does your site need to be responsive? Here are 5 reasons.

There’s a huge number of people using mobile

As mentioned above, two-thirds of the population of the UK own smartphones. That’s a huge number of people, and a fair few of them access the web from mobile exclusively. Having a responsive web design makes it easier for people to use your website, which means your customer base is bound to grow if people can buy your products from your website easily.

People are more likely to spend if they have a good experience

If your site was to look the same across all platforms, it would be difficult for people to use on a tablet, and near impossible to use for people using their mobile phone. If you’re trying to sell something, it’s probably better if your customer can actually see what they’re buying. If the site is laid out nicely and the customer can see everything without zooming in, they’re far more likely to buy something from you.

You’re more likely to be found on Google

Websites with Responsive Web Design rank much higher on Google due to their algorithm. The higher on the list you are, the more exposure you’re going to receive. If you only have a desktop site, you’re not going to climb the rankings, meaning less exposure, meaningless sales.

It’s cheaper

A little while ago, companies and individuals who wanted their site to be seen on mobile used to have a second website developed. This website would be stripped of all-flash and be very easy to read and use. This is all well and good, but it’s not efficient. First of all, having two sites means it takes up more space on the server, leaving less space to expand your website. Secondly, it takes longer to develop a second website, and the more time your website is not online, the more sales you are missing out on. Time is money.

And thirdly, two websites are more expensive than one. That goes for building them and maintaining them. Whatever changes that are made to one website must be made to the other, which takes longer. And the longer it takes, the more it’s going to cost you. Either in sales or in paying a developer.

Reduced bounce rate

First, I’ll talk about what a ‘bounce’ is. A ‘bounce’ is when someone clicks on your website and then doesn’t click anything until they leave the website. On your analytics, this will count as a bounce. The rate of these bounces will be lowered if your site is not a responsive website. If people can easily navigate your site, they’re more likely to stay.

Responsive Web Design has become very popular. Most web designers and developers know about it, and offer it as part of their package when building a website. There are just too many mobile users to say “I don’t need a Responsive Design.” The number of opportunities you would end up missing out on is enormous. Don’t be silly, get a responsive website.

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