You’re at a mall and before heading into a crowded department store, you want to check out their website to see if they have a pair of pants you’re looking for. You pull up their page only to find you have to navigate a site that’s set up for a desktop. Ugh! It’s frustrating isn’t it? Rather than fight the crowd inside, you simply move on to the next store’s site to see if you can find what you’re looking for.
A Few Reasons Why You Need a Responsive Web Design
Provide a Great User Experience
It’s now a simple fact of life: More and more people are looking at your website on mobile devices. (In fact, we see some of our e-commerce clients experiencing up to 90% of their bookings exclusively made on mobile devices.) There is nothing more frustrating for mobile device users than to arrive at a website and be forced to look at a desktop version on their mobile phones. It is extremely hard to navigate and does not have the same level of functionality; users have to zoom in and out to navigate through the site, which can not only be really frustrating, it can be a deal breaker. With everyone on the move these days and decisions being made on the go, people want a user-friendly site that works just as well on all platforms. As the world of technology continues to advance, more and more people are surfing the net with mobile/tablet devices, and you need a website that is fully functional on all platforms to keep viewers satisfied and willing to return to your site.
Consistent Branding = An Increase of Sales
If you’re launching a new website, or restructuring an existing one, having a responsive web design layout makes a big difference when it comes to carrying out your brand (colors, design layout, images) across the different platforms. Ensuring that your site is accessible to desktop as well as mobile users will result in an increase in site visitors and ultimately, an increase in sales and profits.
Boost SEO Rankings
When your site has a responsive web design that is functional on all different platforms, there is no need to have another site just for mobile devices. With only one strategic URL, you can easily strengthen your SEO and drive more traffic to your site. Google began ranking mobile-friendly sites higher starting in April of 2015.
Enhance User’s Offline Browsing Experience
Having a responsive web design allows site owners to deliver quality content to audiences across different devices. The offline browsing capabilities of HTML5 mean that sites can be easily accessed ‘on the go’. As HTML5 enabled tablets and smart phones continue to gain users at a high rate, this will become increasingly important. Email, newsletters, and content contained in hybrid HTML5 web applications will increasingly be consumed on the move and in the absence of an internet connection.
Mobile Usage on the Rise
Up to 55% of website visits are now from users who are accessing them by mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. This number is only going to rise over the next five years. (This number is higher depending on your type of business)
Cost Effective
Having a responsive website saves a lot of money for any business in the long run. Too many companies are still trying to maintain two different versions of their websites – a desktop version and a mobile version. Using a responsive site design that’s user-friendly across platforms means that they will only need to cover the cost of one site, and you won’t lose customers who become frustrated by a poor web design.
Have a Competitive Edge
As anyone who surfs the web knows, even in the year 2016, not everyone has a responsive site for their business. Having a layout that is user friendly can help you stay ahead of your business competitors. In the digital age we now live in, you can lose customers before they ever walk in your door if you don’t provide them with a good website experience.
New Trends
Just as everyone wants to follow the latest trends, nobody wants to have a website that feels outdated. Having a sleek site with all the latest technologies that provides a great user experience on all different platforms can be really beneficial for any business.
In this new digital age everyone goes to the web to get information about anything. The Yellow Pages? Those fingers walked away a long time ago. Something as simple as providing a responsive website can go a long way toward improving your business.
