Responsive Web Design or Mobile Friendly: Which Should You Focus On
Having a website is imperative for every business, irrespective of its operational nature and scale. According to a study, 81% of shoppers check online before going out to shop. And during their search, if your business does not come up, you are losing potential customers. But with the rising competition, merely having a website up is not enough. To gain the desired visibility your website must be seamless, fast and responsive on all devices.
Responsive design is the future. With internet usage shifting to mobile and tablet devices, there has never been a more important time to focus on responsive web design. If you haven’t already made the switch, it’s time to start. In this post, we’ll discuss why both responsive design and mobile friendliness are so important for your business now and in the future.
Why Do You Need to Have A Responsive Design for Your Website?
A responsive web design means that the layout automatically changes depending on what device is accessing the site. It’s a design that can be accessed from any device, including desktops, laptops and mobile phones.
Responsive Web Design (RWD) is by definition aims at “developing websites to extend an enhanced viewing experience, seamless reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning or scrolling across different devices.” A responsive website is vital for a website for many reasons. Following are some prominent reasons:
- Optimized Customer Engagement
A responsive website will increase your customer engagement. The user interface of a mobile device is different from that on the desktop, so it’s important for sites to be tailored to these devices and their individual needs. In this way, they’ll be able to get through more text in less time than if they were using an app or searching with a browser.
A responsive design takes care of various aspects that impact the users’ impression about your website. You will get a legal firm logo design that will change with different screen type, improved load speed, redefined navigation, etc. to optimize engagement.
- Higher Search Engine Ranking
A responsive design improves your site’s results in Google Search Engine Ranking. By optimizing for mobile and desktop, you’ll have a better chance of appearing higher up on the pages when people search for something relevant to your business. This will lead to more visitors viewing your content as well as increased conversion rates because they find what they need quickly.
- Seamless Mobile Usability
More people are using mobile devices now than ever before, so it’s vital that your site is optimized for these platforms to keep up with the demand and provide a meaningful experience.
- Reduced Bounce Rates
A responsive design will reduce bounce rates which helps you get more traffic because visitors stay on your website longer. They find what they need quickly and don’t get frustrated or distracted by a website that won’t load, is too small to read, has unreadable text and so on.
- Better Conversion
It’s easier for people to convert with mobile web browsing than it is using apps because they don’t have to download anything or sign up for any service in order to use the site. All they need is a browser and an internet connection. With a responsive website design, you can be rest assured that your website will seamlessly work on mobile browsers.
Importance Of Having A Mobile Friendly Website
When it comes to website design, there is one thing that everyone seems to agree on: a mobile-friendly website. Businesses have been trying to figure out how to make their websites more accessible for customers who are using smaller screens like smartphones and tablets.
These days, people are spending the majority of their online time on these devices; in fact, 48.20% of the world’s population own a smartphone. If you’re not designing your site with this in mind, you could be losing potential customers and revenue by making them struggle through your site. Here is why you must create a website that offers mobile friendliness:
- Offering Customer Better Usability
The number one reason to create a mobile-friendly website is that it will make your site much easier for customers to use. They won’t have to scroll through endless pages of content; they can just click on the menu bar at the top and find what they need with ease. The customer experience should always be made as easy as possible.
- Improved Customer Engagement
Mobile-friendly websites also have several advantages in terms of customer engagement. It’s been shown that mobile users are more likely to spend money on your website, and they’re more engaged with the content as well. After all, who wants to scroll through tons of text when a shorter version can be found?
- Enhanced Visibility
In today’s world, most people are using smartphones to browse the web. This means that your website must be mobile-friendly if it is going to have any chance of being found on Google and other search engines. The problem with some websites is that they load slowly or poorly in a browser on mobile devices; this makes them unusable as people expect pages to load quickly on the go.
- Become More Competitive
A mobile-friendly website not only provides you with the ability to rank better in search engines but also gives your business a competitive edge. With a responsive design, potential customers are able to find you and easily complete transactions on their smartphones or tablets.
What’s more, is that many consumers won’t even bother to look for a company that doesn’t have a mobile-friendly website because it is so convenient to use on the go. In order to provide your customers with an excellent user experience, you need to make sure that your site can be viewed and interacted with from any device. This will boost customer satisfaction and help build trust through better service.
The Bottom Line
A responsive website and a mobile friendly website will both add to your credibility and visibility. However, responsive website design is a broader phenomenon that includes making the website mobile friendly. Therefore, instead of focusing your efforts solely on building a mobile friendly website, you should invest in a responsive website design. This way you will get a powerful, functional website that is capable of giving a high level of performance, irrespective of the screen.
Author Bio
Jacob Davis lives in Rocky Mountains with his dog Malibu. He writes, makes music, and paints for a living. He has ghost written many projects for clients.