“Do I need a responsive website” is a question I’ve been asked more frequently in the past few months.
The phrase “responsive website” is often used by the more geeky crowd (I guess that includes me!) so those who may be unfamiliar with the term “responsive website” let’s tackle this first.
What is a responsive website?
According to Wikipedia: Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach to web design aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling—across a wide range of devices (from desktop computer monitors to mobile phones).
Here’s What Google Says…
In the USA, 94% of people with smartphones search for local information on their phones. Interestingly, 77% of mobile searches occur at home or at work both places where desktop computers are likely to be present.
In Summary….
A mobile-friendly website is aka as a responsive website.
But, Do I REALLY Need a Responsive Website?
I can’t think of any valid reason or situation when I could honestly answer “no.” – Randi Thornton
My 2 Reasons You “DO” Need a Responsive Website1. Your Website Visitors
I am not going to quote numbers that represent how many people use a mobile device to browse the web. All you need to do is think about your internet history. If you are like me, a few years ago if you were to “Google” anything, shop online or just wanted to surf the internet you did this on your desktop.
Today, at least one-quarter of my internet time is spent on either my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 or iPhone 6 Plus. I get so frustrated when I visit a website that is not responsive.
Frustrated might be putting it mildly.
It goes deeper than that. I feel like the business of non-responsive website does not care about me. And they certainly don’t want my business… right? If they did, why would they not care about my experience? Do they really think I am going to waste my time and energy trying to find what I want and scroll their website when I can find someone who does have a website that is designed to display beautifully on my 5.5″ Retina HD display screen?
According to Google…
The desktop version of a site might be difficult to view and use on a mobile device. The version that’s not mobile-friendly requires the user to pinch or zoom in order to read the content. Users find this a frustrating experience and are likely to abandon the site. Alternatively, the mobile-friendly version is readable and immediately usable.
2. Google
As a website developer with over 15 years SEO experience, I have a passion for making websites SEO friendly. I believe a website built on solid SEO foundation maximizes it opportunity to be discovered on search engines by people searching for your products or services.
After all, what are the benefits when a beautiful website is launched onto the World Wide Wide and no one knows about it?
So… when Google publishes text content, videos and adds mobile usability to it’s Webmaster Tools about responsive websites I take notice.
And think about it….
The monster search engine’s job is to return the best results when someone does a search. There is no denying providing a list of websites that will deliver a positive user experience to the masses is more favorable.This is the second reason why you need a responsive website. You want to make Google happy to encourage Google to send online prospects your way.
Special Tip! Go to http://ami.responsivedesign.is to view your website on a variety of screen sizes!
If you have questions about responsive website, let me know. Together we can make the World Wide Web a great user experience no matter what device used.
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