In the past, Mobile-Friendly Web Design simply meant a website should shrink down to fit the dimensions of a smaller screen, i.e. smartphones & tablets. A website would look and operate on a mobile device exactly as it would on its desktop counterpart, just not as conveniently. This lack of mobile sophistication often resulted in a poor user experience. These carbon-copy mobile versions of desktop sites required plenty of zooming, meticulous finger dexterity, and sluggish load times.
Needless to say, “mobile-friendly” doesn’t exactly translate to “user-friendly” and what good is a website without its users? Moving forward, a responsive mobile-friendly design will be critical to the success of any digital strategy. With the variety of devices… the world is going mobile and businesses must make sure they are adapting to these changes.
All things considered, responsive web design is an approach that ensures users may have a good experience regardless of the device they are using. A responsive website will respond to a user’s action and situation based on the platform, screen size, and orientation. With adaptive responsive design, your website will be able to flex, resize, and mold itself into any shape it needs to take on. Power to the user.
Mobile Use Keeps Growing… and Growing
Having long passed the 50% mark for overall internet searches and current numbers showing that 80% of internet users now own a smartphone, mobile internet has become a part of our daily routine. Every day people use their mobile devices to perform a variety of tasks, from information inquiry to seeking out professional services and even big-ticket purchases.
Businesses and marketers take heed: Go where your customers are, optimize for their benefit, and be present when they’re ready to take action.
How To Increase Conversion / Decrease Bounce Rate
If you’re running a desktop website on a mobile screen, you’re subject to losing out on many potential customers. Calls to action will likely be overlooked, contact pages shrouded by graceless menus and links that make us all thumbs when it comes to clicking on them.
As the use of mobile by the consumer market continues to increase, so too does the need for content that not only looks great but functions well on a small screen. Optimization is key and users will not stick around for long if they have to squint, zoom, or wait for your website to load. Intuitive experiences that are quick and engaging will keep visitors on your page longer and drive more customers to make a purchase or connection.
Dig Deeper: Why Is Conversion-Centered Design Important?
SEO Ranking
OK Google, index my mobile website. While Google has been gearing up for years for a mobile-first approach, beginning in early 2018 the search engine giant will be rolling out their Mobile-First Algorithm. Meaning they will be indexing the mobile version of a website before the desktop version.
With mobile-friendliness now being used as a ranking signal in search results pages, businesses and web developers need to accommodate these changes or suffer the consequences of lower search engine rankings.
Development Simplification
While great and pretty much essential for the user, a responsive build for a website from the get-go will make things easier for the web developer as well. Instead of expending your full efforts managing and optimizing two versions of the same website (desktop & mobile), a responsive design allows you to optimize, update, and market only a single site. By consolidating your efforts into one responsive site that works great across multiple devices, you’ll have more time and money to pursue unexplored avenues or put it right back into optimizing your current digital strategy.
Responsive design is a win-win scenario for both the developers and the users.
One Website Working for Two
Today more people search the web on their mobile devices than those who search using desktops and seemingly will only continue to grow. Without thoughtful responsive mobile web design as a part of your web development efforts, you could be turning away hundreds or even thousands of potential customers and users. The new standard has been set.
Ready to Get Friendly and Mobile?
At West County Net, we’re experts in helping our clients go mobile. We partner closely with each of our clients and are passionate about their online success. Contact us today to learn how we can take your website into 2018 with a responsive mobile friendly web design.