Responsive web design is still a relatively new approach to designing websites, even though the technology isn’t new, but what is a responsive website exactly? More importantly, why does your business website need to be responsive? This article answers those questions and explains why having a mobile responsive website saves money in the long run.
The History
Back in the day, web developers only had to make websites look good on computers. That all changed when smartphones took over the Internet. Developers initially dealt with this issue by creating mobile sites to complement their desktop sites. However, as the number of smart devices exploded, it has become increasingly difficult to account for all screen sizes. Responsive web design addresses this problem by making websites scale to all devices without the need for different versions. Our website, ProjectPi.ca, is an example of responsive web design. Look at the video below and see how our website scales as the display size changes. If our website weren’t responsive, it would not scale, and users would have to scroll horizontally to see the contents overflowing to the right.
Why You Need a Responsive Site
The year 2016 was the tipping point between mobile and desktop usage. StatCounter reported that it was the first time worldwide mobile Internet usage, by site visits, surpassed desktop; and according to comScore, via Smart Insights, 67% of time spent on the Internet that year was on mobile devices. Even on my own personal blog, desktop-only accounts for 31.7% of the traffic in the last 12 months. So chances are, over 2/3 of the prospective customers visiting your websites are on mobile devices. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, they will likely leave before being converted into clients.
Nearly 8 in 10 of consumers would stop engaging with content that doesn’t display well on their device – Adobe, via IronPaper
Mobile Apps?
There’s an app for everything nowadays, and many web design agencies will try to sell you a mobile app when you shop for a website. However, for most businesses, having a mobile app is unnecessary unless your business has special needs for one. Think about it, why would you even need a mobile app when your website is properly designed to be responsive and functions just like a mobile app? You don’t, and it’s just a way for agencies to make more money.
Beyond Mobile
Even on desktop computers, modern operating systems such as Windows and Mac allow users to split a screen into two, which in most cases, changes the orientation of browsers from landscape to portrait. In addition, more and more smart devices such as Tesla’s cars and Samsung’s refrigerators come with web browsers built-in. You might think that having a web browser in a car or a fridge is just a gimmick, but there are actually use cases for having one because it streamlines sales processes. So unless you want to risk losing business opportunities, you should make sure your business website is responsive.
Savings
While a properly designed responsive website costs more money to develop initially, you will save money in the long run by not having to design or maintain a separate mobile version of your website. Unless your business has special requirements that call for having a mobile app, a mobile responsive site is just as functional as an app, so you save money there, too.
Summary
Having a responsive website is key to providing an enjoyable user experience to potential clients visiting your website, and you definitely don’t need to spend additional money on mobile apps for that. We build mobile-friendly websites just like the one you’re on right now. So if your website isn’t responsive, why not get in touch with us to see how we can help?
