So you've heard about "responsive design" but not sure what it is? Take a read of our previous post what is responsive design to get you started.
But why is responsive design so important?
1. Mobile web browsing is growing... fast
Mobile traffic reaching websites is booming - and growing each day with the increase in the range and affordability of smartphones and tablets.
In May 2014, the amount of web traffic coming from mobile devices has reached over 30%, more than tripling the amount of May 2012.
With this surge in mobile traffic, you have the potential to alienate 30% of your visitors by not providing them with a user experience optimised for their device.
A survey performed by Google found that 48% of users said that if a site didn’t work well on their smartphone it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business. Do you care about your customers? Let them know with an awesome mobile experience.
2. One website for all devices
"But having different sites for each device is harder to update", I hear you cry. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
A responsive website is actually all the same content and information - the code that displays the site to the user is smart enough to respond to the size of the device it is on. For example, on a small screen smartphone, the site will feature bigger buttons, larger easier-to-read text and be optimised for a small screen experience, typically for the reader to touch and swipe with their finger.
Meanwhile, the same site on a desktop computer will respond differently featuring a more spacious layout, more components shown at once, and navigation optimised for a mouse.
As the website owner, all you have to do is update your site once, and know that all of your visitors, regardless of what computer or device they are using, will be able to use your site.
As developers, we aim to provide optimised assets for your visitors including cached
3. Help towards your Search Engine Optimisation
Google looks favourably on responsive websites, giving them a boost in their ranking, especially when users are searching for you on a mobile device.
Responsive websites can help lower your bounce rate by providing a site optimised for every visitor, regardless of their device, as well as provide a single URL for any page making it easy to share and email links to others.
What next?
Want to know more about responsive design and why it is so important to your your website?
Marty Friedel
Marty has a background in Computer and Information Science, software development, web development, multimedia and web accessibility, and is Mity Digital’s resident nerd.
Outside of his programming work, Marty is a keen landscape photographer, and also teaches Les Mills group fitness classes.
