Whenever I talk to prospective clients, I generally like to let them know that, these days, the Internet is easier to access than water. It may sound like a ‘tongue and cheek’ comment, but when you think about it, you walk around with your phone much more often than you walk around with a water bottle.
Let’s take a moment to come to understand what a responsive design website actually is. If gaining online sales is critical to your company’s success, a Responsive Website design is completely the way to go. Why? Because it’s better and your competitors are most likely using it as well. No more zooming in or out on your smartphone. A responsive website adjusts perfectly to any smartphone, tablet, or desktop. At any given hour of the day, your business is able to make sale. You just have to make sure that you have the tools to do it.
Responsive website design gives the viewer an optimal viewing and interactive experience. The fit is fluid and perfect on any viewer’s screen.
There are many different reasons to convert your website into a responsive website design. Today, we are going to look at four important reasons.
Search Engine Optimization
When Google recommends something as an industry best practice, it is generally a good idea to listen. So in February of 2015, when Google announced that they would be “expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal”, many businesses converted to a responsive design to maintain their SEO ranking.
The reason Google highly encouraged companies to do this is because it is easier when a company utilizes only one URL. It helps Google organize content. If you use a separate mobile site for the same business, Google puts in about double the amount of work and it creates clutter on the Google search engine.
Furthermore, if a user is on their tablet and shares a responsive site on Twitter, and somebody else clicks on that same site on their computer (yes, some people do tweet from their computers.), the result is a traditional version of the website, even though a responsive design was initially shared. Encouraging your visitors to view a single site using any device enhances SEO. Google believes that a responsive web design is the easiest for users to share, link to, and interact with, as all content remains on one website and one URL.
One Website: Saves Time and Money
Responsive design conversion will save you time in several different areas. From a web development standpoint, instead of designing and developing two separate websites, the same HTML code can be used for both. This in turn, will create cohesion as you are working off of the same site and there will be no inconsistencies.
Due to these time saving techniques, there will be a lot less money spent on developing, maintaining, and updating, as you are making changes on one website.
In addition, websites designed specifically for smartphone traffic do not offer the navigational techniques available on traditional websites. The focus on creating one website eliminates the need for two separate web addresses and keeps the customer focused on ‘you’. Your complete investment of funds is focused solely on one URL, which leads me to my next point!
Better User Experience
A company’s website is often a user’s first point of contact. I like to think of it as the foyer of any business and the first impression. Having a responsive website gives a feeling of familiarity no matter what device you are using. It allows you, as the user, to feel at home within the website.
A positive user experience helps visitors read content in a meaningful way. The content moves freely and fluidly on all devices.
Equally as important, a responsive website is designed to be easy to navigate and have clear and easy direction. The user will be better able to focus if they do not have to zoom in and out to click a button or to read the text. Drop-down menus can also help with the navigation of the site. Overall, this will help you reduce your ‘bounce rate’. The easier it is for users to navigate through your site, the longer the users will stay on the site. If users feel comfortable and convinced while reading the information from any device, there is no reason for them to seek out your competitors. The first company to serve their needs wins.
Smartphone Statistics
Statistics are showing that smartphones and tablets are taking over the Internet marketing industry. What was once a ‘computer-run’ industry is now convenient Internet ‘on-the-go’. The Pew Research Center shared a few 2015 statistics that caught me by surprise and may be equally as shocking to you.
- 64% of American adults own a smart phone in the United States. This is a 29% increase since 2011.
- 10% of Americans who own a smartphone rely on their data plan and do not have any other personal form of Internet access
- 15% of Americans who own a smart phone have very limited access to any other means of Internet.
- Google released a statistic in June of 2015, stating that $970 Billion (28%) of US retail sales were influenced by mobile use.
Website design is the only way to go. It is cost effective, user friendly, and highly recommended by Google. I probably could have just written that Google highly recommends everyone to convert their website into a responsive design. You most likely would have been convinced, but I hope I have been able to give you a little more insight into why this is important for your business. Making a sale no longer ends when the closed sign goes up. The sale can be made at any point during the day or night. The question is, are you going to be ready when that customer comes looking, or will your competitor win out?
