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Why Responsive Web Design Is Important
You can reach a wider audience with responsive design, no matter where and how they browse. A lack of responsive design can also do the opposite, alienating your website from potential customers who are looking for a mobile-friendly experience. Research shows that a mobile-friendly website can cause you to lose as many as 90% of your customers. This is a large number of customers and revenue. Three major advantages of responsive web design.
Responsive Web Design Helps Consumers Discover Your Website
Many people use their mobile devices to access Google 63%, in fact. Google penalizes sites that do not have a responsive design. The mobile-first indexing of Google can have a direct impact on how your website is ranked and cause it to fall down the SERPs in favor of websites with a mobile-friendly layout. If, as the statistic above shows, the majority of users are searching for your website on their smartphones, and your site does not have a responsive design, then customers may never find it.
The Responsive Web Design Will Keep Your Customers On Your Site Longer
The bounce rate of websites on smartphones is almost 40% (compared with only 27% for tablet computers). A web page that loads within five seconds is guaranteed to have a 70% increase in viewing time. Google and mobile users alike expect a quick, high-quality mobile experience on your website. You can meet these expectations with a responsive design.
Responsive Web Design Helps To Build Positive Brand Recognition And Builds Trust Among Consumers
Finally, 57% of consumers said they are not likely to recommend businesses with poorly designed mobile websites. More than half of consumers who are unhappy with a company's website are likely to have a negative opinion about that business. The responsive website design element will delight online shoppers and encourage them to recommend you to others. It will also bring them back for more purchases.
Adaptive Internet Design Vs. A Customized Responsive Website Design
Both design types provide a better user experience. The execution is the difference. Didn't get it? You don't have to worry. We will explain it. The adaptive Web Design has an additional feature that is touch-friendly and ensures the information on the website will be displayed correctly regardless of browser size. It determines first the settings of the device (text, brightness, language, etc.). The device is then updated with the new information.
The adaptive design could be quicker to implement than Responsive web Design for web. Responsive design allows sites to be displayed on mobile devices. It offers a better experience for the user and quick responses. Wide range of people combine elements of design into a single website because they believe that design and user experience are important.
How to Create a Responsive Website Design
It was possible to create your own responsive website with CSS and HTML. This is like driving on a long backroad when there is an expressway available. The expressway, in this case, would be a CMS or website builder. A CMS allows you to create your website even if you don't know how to program. This includes responsive design. Site builders are similar to CMSs, but they sacrifice some of the functionality that a CMS offers in exchange for their ease of use and lower price. You can achieve responsive web design using a site builder or CMS that supports responsive designs. Here are some common options.
WordPress
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world. It maintains its superlative status by offering the Gutenberg editor, one of the easiest website builders. WordPress has thousands of templates and themes to choose from, many with a responsive design.
Squarespace
Squarespace offers beautiful site designs as well as creative tools. Squarespace provides 60 mobile-optimized template options from which to build your website quickly. Squarespace's editor allows you to switch between desktop, Tablet, and mobile views to make sure your designs are responsive to all devices.
Wix
Wix offers both free and paid subscriptions. It offers a drag-and-drop editor that is easy to use, as well as free hosting and security features. All Wix templates offer a mobile-optimized experience to visitors. The Wix editor, like Squarespace's, allows you to preview your website on different devices.
Best Practices for Responsive Website Design
Responsive design is simple with a CMS or site builder that's intuitive. Even if you use the best CMS available, it won't compensate you for media and content that is mobile-friendly. That part is your responsibility. We'll discuss some best practices for responsive web design to help you create a mobile-friendly experience for your customers and visitors.
Do Not Neglect Your Buttons
What are the ways that site visitors interact with these buttons on your desktop website? You may want to reconsider how mobile users can interact with these CTAs if they pop up, scroll, or are at the bottom of your website. You could, for example, place a CTA top so that visitors can view it from any page. It doesn't appear in the header when you view your site on a mobile device. Consider moving it or adding it to your hamburger menu, which is the three lines at the top of the page. Visitors can still click on it.
Consider the size of your clickable areas. On a smartphone or Tablet, visitors use their fingers instead of a mouse to click links and buttons. Clickable elements on mobile phones should be 48 pixels tall or more. This includes buttons and form fields as well as inline links and menu navigation.
Use Vector Graphics That Are Scalable
Your website should include illustrations and icons that are formatted in scalable vector graphics. SVGs are infinitely scalable, unlike other formats such as JPGs or PNGs. Your website will provide a quality browsing experience to users of any device. Also, they make your website load faster - which is good for the user experience and ranking on SERPs.
Be Sure To Scale Your Images
Images and icons aren't the only types of media that change size depending on devices. Images must also be scaled. Mobile websites, for example, may require images with a resolution of 400 pixels, whereas desktop websites may require 1200 pixels. This can cause your website to load slower. Consider uploading multiple image resolutions and specifying which image you wish to display on each device. This is usually achieved by assigning specific "source" objects with different "media tags" (e.g., Tablet or mobile) into your website code.
Take Care With Your Typography
The font on your desktop website may look great, but it might not be readable on a device a quarter the size. Visitors who can't see your website will not click or purchase anything. If you change your website's fonts to cater to mobile users, your desktop users may be left with words that are too large and do not match your branding.
Our best tips for responsive typography:
- For desktop and mobile content, the standard body font size is 16pt.
- Avoid ultra-thin fonts which fade on smaller screens.
- Make sure that all headings and body content are larger than the subheadings.
- Typography should be in contrast to the background color of your website.
Use The Device's Features
Customers and prospects can call you on their smartphones, even if they can't do it over their computers. Consider switching your "Chat Now!" CTA into "Call Now!" and include your business phone number instead of email. If your business offers a mobile app, encourage visitors to download it from your site. They may not be able to do this on their computer.
Test Your Website Regularly
Test your responsive website using different browsers and devices. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test will show you how well your website performs. Experts has created a handy tool that will allow you to see your website in different sizes. Of course, you can also use your own mobile device.
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Let's Look At Some Of The Unique And Major Advantages
In recent years, responsive design has been one of the most talked about topics. Why not? In a world of multi-platform devices, everyone is surrounded by smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The web development scene has changed dramatically with the rapid adoption and use of mobile devices.
Take A Look At These Astonishing Statistics
Google has conducted a research study that shows 98% of users use multiple devices to accomplish a task in a single day. A second research study confirms the impact of mobile internet on our daily lives. It states that 82% of users never leave home without their smartphones, 74% go online with them, and 55% search for something using the internet.
Mobile internet usage will surpass desktop use by the end of the past year, as smartphone sales have already surpassed PC sales. More than half of local searches are currently conducted on mobile devices. It is obvious that if this trend continues, mobile search will surpass desktop search within the next few years. In addition to the above facts, eMarketer is a company that provides research and analyst services. They have predicted that by the end of 2023, over a third (56%) of the population of the world will use smartphones.
This report states that mobile phone users are adopting smartphones rapidly due to the decline in prices and advancements in 3G and 4G networks. This report also predicts that in 2023, the number of Smartphone users worldwide will reach 2.75 billion. These compelling arguments prove that Responsive Design will be the future of online presence and online marketing and web development.
Google Loves It
This is the most important reason. Google has publicly endorsed the use of responsive design as it adheres to its high standards for high-quality content and a clean linking structure. The custom web design is based on a single URL with the same HTML. This makes it easier for Google crawlers to index and organize a website's content. CSS is used to alter the way a page appears on a specific device. A separate mobile site has a different URL, and its HTML is different from the desktop version. This means that Google must crawl and index multiple versions of the site.
Google also recommends responsive web designs because users can interact, link and share content on your site more easily with a single URL. Users do not need to be redirected in order to view your website on a device-optimized version, which speeds up the loading time of the page. User agent-based redirection, on the other hand, can reduce your website's overall user experience.
Enhanced User Experience
The ability to adapt to different screen sizes and devices is one of the best basic features of responsive design. Instead of shrinking text and images to fit the screen, responsive websites will fill the frame, providing your users with a seamless experience. A website with responsive design offers a great navigation system that allows users to easily access content without having to scroll or resize, regardless of where they are located and what device they are using.
Google also says that if you get frustrated when a user visits your mobile website, they are 61% more likely to go to another website (most probably your competitor). If the user's experience on your mobile website is positive, they are 67% more likely to make a purchase or use a product. Google now uses user experience as a ranking element, so moving to a responsive web design can be beneficial for your company.
Cost and Time Effective
Web developers had to create several versions of the same website for different devices before responsive web design. It took a lot of effort to update a website, and they also had to maintain a mobile domain. A separate code base was needed for a mobile version.
After the app development of responsive web design, web developers created a single site for all screen sizes. They used a single source code version and only one CMS to update the web page. A single website is easier to manage and costs less in maintenance compared to two websites. Responsive web design can save you both time and money.
Improved SEO
Search engine optimization is another benefit of responsive web design. Google's Webmaster Trends analyst, Pierre Farr, says that responsive web design is preferable to mobile templates for SEO. One URL is used for a responsive website, making it easier to crawl by search engines and reducing the chances of SEO mistakes.
Google hates duplicate content, so it is not a good idea to have multiple versions of the same site. Instead of optimizing and building links on multiple sites with responsive web design, you only need to create a responsive website and optimize the content for a singular URL. Responsive design increases your visibility and rankings in search engines as the link structure remains the same for each device. All these factors are why responsive sites tend to be ranked higher in search engine results than separate mobile sites.
Increased Conversion and Sales
The conversion rate for your website increases dramatically when you have responsive websites that include mobile-specific features like GPS route planning, click-to-call, and content that is easy to read and looks great on all devices. Your customers can access your site and make purchases using different devices with responsive web design. This results in increased sales and a higher conversion rate.
You will lose a customer if a visitor has a problem landing on your website using his preferred device. Users are more likely to switch brands if your website isn't responsive. To expand your business and achieve your business goals you need to reach more customers than your competitors. A general rule states that the more people you reach, the better your chances are of improving conversion rates. A responsive design allows you to expand your audience and increase the likelihood of converting visitors into potential customers.
Need only One SEO Campaign
You'll need to manage and run two separate SEO campaigns if you have a mobile version of your desktop website. With responsive web design, you don't need to run separate SEO campaigns for both your desktop site and mobile version at the same time. You can instead incorporate mobile-specific keywords in your responsive site and run a single SEO promotion campaign. The main advantage of responsive design over separate mobile templates is this.
Great fFor Social Media and Blogging
If you are an inbound marketer and have included elements of social networking and blogging in your marketing strategy, there's no doubt that mobile devices have been driving a large amount of traffic to your website. ComScore reported that 55% of users access social media websites on their mobile devices. If you share content links and have a responsive website, you will not only see high conversion rates and a low bounce rate, but you will also gain a loyal following.
Read More: Web Design Made Easy With These Basic Tips
It will Adapt to Future Devices
Responsive design has the benefit of being 100% future-proof. When developing a responsive site, the template size is adapted to the screen size instead of the device. Your website will look great on any screen size. Your responsive website will look stunning and amazing when new devices are introduced in the future, such as watches, TVs, glasses, etc. You can update your website content instead of creating a new one every year.
4 Examples of Responsive Web Design to Get Inspired
Dropbox
Dropbox has made our list due to its mobile-first, utility-centric design. Dropbox is a San Francisco-based software company.
Dropbox Desktop Version
Dropbox's home page starts with a standard bar of navigation at the top. Each button in the bar is also a dropdown menu when hovered over. This allows all user shortcuts to be gathered into one area that's easily accessible but not cluttered with too much information. The responsive web design allows a company to give their users information without cluttering up the page.
These buttons are located in the upper-right corner of your navigation bar. They allow you to access contact information, download the desktop and mobile app, sign in, or register. Next to these buttons, the "Get Started" direct consumer CTA is located. The color of the button is blue, which is the same as Dropbox's brand logo. This helps to draw users' attention. In the middle of the homepage, there is another CTA button that says "Find Your Plan." The button is the same color as the "Get Started." The CTA and Dropbox logos stand out on the mostly black-and-white page.
Download the Mobile Version of Dropbox
Dropbox's mobile app replaces the navbar at the top of the screen with a popup menu. This button allows users to access a hovering navigation bar that includes dropdown menus for platform-wide shortcuts. The Dropbox icon in the upper left corner of the mobile website doubles as a button for navigation, leading to a simple and responsive version of the desktop site. The default mobile website is now completely different.
The mobile browser window begins with two grids arranged in a fluid order, one above the other. CTAs are linked to Dropbox's primary subscription models, "For Work" or "For Personal Use." Simple 1x1 grids promote Dropbox's many features and benefits. A brief section about partner integration is then included. This is a good design if you want to separate your products or services by industry. This design lets visitors see what's relevant to them.
GitHub
GitHub, a platform for developer collaboration, uses a simple and responsive web design. It focuses on the overall attractiveness of the website as well as user accessibility. GitHub, a big tech company headquartered in San Francisco that specializes in Git version control and web hosting, is another example of a responsive website.
GitHub Desktop Version
GitHub's desktop site has a standard navbar in the upper left corner, where the relevant buttons also act as dropdown menus when hovered over. In the top right corner, there is a search bar as well as a sign-in and signup button. This is standard practice on most interactive platforms. By following the convention of placing the sign-in/sign-up buttons at the top of the page, your users will feel more comfortable with the UI/UX design.
GitHub Mobile Version
The mobile site also follows standard conventions, replacing the navigation bar with a popup menu button in the upper right corner of the page. On the mobile site, signup takes precedence over search and sign-in. This is a good option if you are growing quickly and getting a large number of signups every day.
A full-length signup bar is displayed, followed by a flashcard panel that includes a CTA to create a free GitHub account. GitHub, like most of the other websites in the list, prioritizes gaining subscribers and new users through its mobile website, leveraging this medium's high accessibility.
The New York Times
The New York Times website is an excellent example of web design because it's modeled after something familiar in the real world: a newspaper. The template follows the conventions of newspaper design, including classic typography. It is a process that arranges content in a paper according to relevance.
In order to accommodate the limited space, the mobile version of the website replaces the CTA that appears at the top with a popup. This is displayed briefly when the user first enters the site. The navigation bar is replaced with a popup menu at the top left corner of the screen.
Media queries are used to display stories sorted by importance and relevance in 1x1 grids on the mobile version. The publication displays long-form stories in 1x1 grids that are swipeable. This allows them to display full-length stories on their mobile site without forcing users to scroll.
After every few articles, the mobile page will include a small CTA for a subscription. The page ends with a special navigation link to all of their daily games, such as Wordle, Spelling Bee, and the prestigious Times crossword. It makes the games instantly available to mobile users, who can play them on their screens while they commute.
Shopify
Shopify's professional yet approachable website design is centered on accessibility for users, which makes it a great case study. Shopify, a multinational online store based in Ottawa, Ontario, is an alternative to WordPress.
Shopify Desktop Version
Shopify desktop has a familiar UI/UX design with a navbar at the top of the screen. The buttons in the navbar are expandable dropdown menus that users can access with a single click. The dropdown menus help users to find specific features or pages on the website without cluttering the homepage. This neat design reduces clutter and lets users find their feet.
The login button and the "start free trial now" button are located in the upper right corner, just like most interactive platforms. Below the navbar, a large button with a striking design informs users of Shopify editions. It also encourages them to explore new features. Hovering over the button changes its color to grab attention. Use different fonts and colors to draw users' attention to the areas where you want to see higher conversion rates.
Shopify Mobile Version
Shopify's mobile app follows a similar UI/UX design as its desktop version. However, the lighter color palette creates an illusion of more space on a small screen. It's worth noting!
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Conclusion
People today search the internet on many devices to find information. Every business must ensure they are available at the right time. Sites and pages can be adapted to any screen size with a responsive design. This improves the user experience.
A website is crucial for your online presence. However, responsive design is equally important from both an SEO and a user perspective. A responsive website will easily adjust to any screen size simply. We cisin a web design company that is ready to help you out.
