In the field of web design and development, we’re quickly getting to the point of being unable to keep up with the endless new devices and screen resolutions. For many websites, creating a separate version of your website for each resolution and new device would be impossible, or at least impractical. This is where responsive web design comes in.
What is responsive web design?
Responsive web design makes your website look good on all devices. It allows your content to resize, hide, shrink, enlarge, or move to make it look good on any screen. One website across all devices.
Why use responsive web design?
1. Mobile usage is HUGE.
With more mobile devices on the planet than people, the use of mobile devices is growing by the second. Using a mobile responsive layout means that all of these device will be able to display your website beautifully.
– 80% of internet users own a smartphone. Smart TV’s, smart watches, etc. are also on the rise.
– 60% of all internet traffic is now via a mobile device.
– In May 2015 Google announced that “more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US and Japan.”
– According to a 2012 report, more than half of local searches were performed on a mobile device, with over 70% resulting in offline sales.
– In the U.S., 25% of internet users only access the internet on a mobile device.
– 61% of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience.
2. Positive user experience
According to Google, if a mobile user lands on your website and is frustrated or doesn’t see what they are looking for, there’s a 61% chance they will leave immediately, meaning that a mobile friendly layout is essential. It’s also said that if they have a positive experience with your mobile website, a user is 67% more likely to buy a product or use a service.
3. A responsive website is preferred for SEO
As of June 2012, Google has declared responsive web design as it’s preferred method of presenting information to mobile users. Responsive websites now typically perform better on Google search results.
4. Speed
According to the Google developers, content above the fold on a mobile device should load in under 1 second and the entire page should load in under 2. This is typically not possible when loading a desktop website on a mobile device. When a user has to wait too long for a page to load, there’s an extremely high chance they will leave your site.
5. Future proofing
A responsive design displays the content of your website based on screen size, not device. This means that in the future, as new devices such as TVs, glasses, smartphones, watches, etc. are being used for browsing the internet, your responsive site will still display perfectly.
A responsive website layout is no longer just a nice feature to have; it is now extremely critical that your website provide mobile users an easy-to-use experience, making it a necessity which literally impacts the growth of your business.