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Need Your Website Taken Seriously? Responsive Design Is a Must

The mobile era is truly upon us. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 90% of American adults own a cell phone. Of those, more than 60% own a smartphone with online capabilities. A growing number of Americans use their cell phones as their main means of connectivity, and these figures don’t even count devices like tablets and smartwatches.

Now’s the Time to Introduce a Responsive Website

With all this in mind, a responsive website design is more crucial than ever. What is a “responsive” website? Responsive sites are designed to adapt to the “form factor” of the device a visitor is using. Responsive sites instantly resize content, eliminate clutter, and introduce navigational aids so mobile users have a premium experience.Responsive-Website-Design-Jul-Creative

Without a responsive site, mobile users might find your pages impossible to navigate. Content can appear jumbled, oversized, or over-magnified. Non-responsive sites react poorly to touch screens and might crash on mobile devices. Even if a site retains some minimal level of performance, mobile users are likely to give up and go elsewhere.

That's not the only reason to choose responsive design:

1) Responsive Design is More Flexible than Traditional Design

Mobile devices benefit the most from responsive design, but traditional computer hardware is also affected. No matter what the size of a user’s display, its functional resolution, or its color palette, a responsive site is simply better. Even browser compatibility issues are less likely.

2) Responsive Design Helps You Connect With Users Where They Are

Business travelers, entrepreneurs, and many others consume a great deal of content through mobile devices. They might have a limited window of availability to “surf” and compare options. A responsive site makes it easier for them to discover your content on their terms.

3) Responsive Design Offers Lower Upkeep Costs than Traditional Design

Today, many businesses maintain separate desktop and mobile websites. Responsive design means those days are over: A single site can now be the destination of choice for all users. That means less duplicated work and a potential savings of thousands of hours.

4) Responsive Design is Exceptionally Easy to Manage

The basic principles of responsive design are “future-proof,” so the latest hot devices will be able to access your site in the future. No longer will a site need to be retooled for each and every device that comes online. Plus, sites will be easier to optimize and monetize.

That’s Not All … “Big G” Demands a Shift to Responsive Design

Electronic commerce accounts for more than $1 trillion in worldwide economic impact yearly. In the United States, a huge percentage of that is facilitated by "Big G's" or Google's search engine. If your business depends on Google traffic, making the jump to responsive design is imperative.

Google wants users to get “what they want, when they need it,” so it has made major algorithm changes to drive non-responsive sites lower on search results. The effect is especially pronounced when users browse on a mobile device. The faster a business switches, the less the impact will be.

Responsive Design: It Just Works

What happens when mobile users reach your site? Responsive design means a single URL, content base, and code: Your site reads the width of a user’s browser to resize pages. Responsive code  re-imagines sites as flexible grids and images to stretch or shrink as needed. No unusual upkeep is needed, so there is no reason not to switch.

As mobile devices proliferate, responsive design will be the trend that defines the next generation Web. To please mobile customers and maintain your search engine ranking, consider a shift to responsive design now.

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Topics: Website Development