Just when we thought we’ve got everything covered in our marketing goals this year, there’s still one thing we’ve left to explore. And, cue drum roll please, its…responsive web design.
What’s responsive web design?
Don’t worry if you seem lost right now, not everyone has heard of this game changer yet. Responsive web design in a nutshell is simply a web design that adjusts automatically to fit into any type of browser. Whether you’re browsing the web through your desktop, tablet, or smartphone, a website with a responsive web design molds itself to the size and parameters of your screen. This means no more awkward looking web pages, microscopic text, or displaced images—just a website that maintains its original structure and looks good whether on your pc or mobile.
Why is this important?
If your business is extremely dependent on your website that losing potential visitors means losing sales, you might need to convert into a responsive web design. Here are top reasons to convince you.
1. You can widen your reach to tablet and mobile users.
Statistics tips the scale in favor of responsive web design. According to Mobile Marketing Statistics of 2015
– 80% of consumers will use a smartphone to search the Internet,
– 57% of users won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site, and
– 41% of people have used a mobile device to look for a product after seeing it in a TV show or advertisement
According to Statista, by 2017, the number of mobile users around the world would go over the 5 billion mark. And, more consumers are buying products online through their mobile devices. A chunk of that is a potentially huge market you’re going to lose every day without a responsive web design. Paying for a responsive web design makeover is a small price to pay when the reward is reaching a wider audience.
2. It enhances user experience.
Websites not optimized for mobile devices don’t do well in mobile search. This means missed opportunities for search traffic. A responsive web design makes your content consistent and accessible even through smart phones, which helps you capture mobile search traffic.
3. It can increase sales and conversion rate.
If your website is not mobile or tablet-friendly, you won’t be able to convert these users. But if your content is consistent and accessible across all types of devices, you’re making it easier for them to browse your website. This puts a positive impact on overall user experience. A positive experience encourages more conversions and sales.
4. It’ll save you time and money on site management.
Managing a separate desktop-friendly site and mobile-friendly site costs you more money and time. Also, this creates duplicate content, which Google doesn’t support. Instead of maintaining content in two sites, a responsive web design only involves creation of a single site that’s accessible to any device. In the long-run, this is more cost-effective for your business.
5. Everybody else is doing it…or at least, they eventually will.
Back in 2013, Peter Cashmore said that “2013 is the year of responsive web design”. So, does that mean you’re late to the party? Nope. In fact, most of your competitors are still figuring this out since, they got caught up in applying online marketing and optimized web design strategies. Plus, it’s a given that most businesses lag behind at least a year when it comes to applying cutting edge developments. But if you start now when not so many sites are utilizing this feature, you’re going to stand out from your competitors. We are hoping that by the end of the year, many sites would’ve caught up with this idea.
6. If you don’t, your future online is bleak.
If the reasons above aren’t enough to convince you yet, this might. Mobile is the new desktop. With the future moving towards web users favoring their mobile devices, customers will bounce off your website and move to your competitors if they see it isn’t mobile-friendly. If you want to add more years to your business, it’s only logical to take this next step with a responsive web design.