4 Benefits of Responsive Web Design
Seven years ago, putting together a website was easy. You could buy your hosting, your domain name and pick up a basic/average looking template design for a few hundred dollars.
But that was a time when most people used their desktops and laptop computers to surf the web. These days, people visit your website from their watches, their smartphones and their tablets.
That basic website design is no longer going to cut it and responsive web design is the way forward. Responsive web design is a one-design fits all layout for your website that will look great no matter which device it’s viewed on. Here is a list of benefits to it.
1. Responsive Web Design Looks Good on Every Device
According to Walker Sands Communications, one third of online traffic comes from mobile devices. Failing to accommodate to that could result in a huge loss of visitors of your website. Which could be disastrous for your company and your profits.
Hence, you need to be ready for the traffic coming from smartphones and tablets. People are actually browsing the web on their smart gear more often than on laptops. It simply is quicker. You can do it on a train, or simply when you wait in line in the shop and have few minutes to spare.
Having your website prepared for that and looking beautiful on those screens too will have a positive impact on your conversion rates.
2. Responsive Web Design Offers User Friendly Navigation
But it’s not just the general look of the site (e.g the font and the images you use) that you need to think about. The navigation may also need some work. Something that many website owners forget is that menus and buttons that look good on desktops may be awkward and hard to click on mobile devices.
For example, if you have a drop down menu on your site, you have to make sure that the drop down bit works perfectly. Often, users click on something they didn’t mean to and go to a page that they didn’t want to be on.
If you have put all the relevant information on your site, then you want users to actually be able to access it. What you don’t want them to do is to get lost, confused or angry because they can’t find something as simple as your contact page. And more importantly you don’t want users to have trouble-clicking your website content!
3. Responsive Web Design Equals Higher Conversion Rates
Responsive web design leads to higher conversion rates. A study from Aberdeen Group noted that websites with responsive web design have 11% higher visitor-to-buyer conversion rates than those without.
This statistic is unsurprising when you consider the fact that 71% of users expect a mobile site to load as fast as the desktop version. And that 74% of consumers will abandon a website if it takes more than 5 seconds to load. The longer they spend on your site and the easier it is to use on their mobile device, the more likely they are to buy.
4. Google Punishes Sites That Aren’t Mobile Friendly
Responsive web design is also important for referrals. Google punishes sites that are not mobile friendly. If your site isn’t suited to mobile devices then Google will push it down in the search rankings. But if it is mobile friendly, not only will your site rank higher. It will also be labelled as mobile friendly, making it a more attractive for people on their tablets and smartphones.
Furthermore, when it comes to social media referrals, half of those come from mobile devices. If your brand/company has a Twitter or a Facebook page then they will be wasted if you do not have responsive web design. But if you do? Then you stand a better chance of turning those referrals into sales.
Statistics’ sources: Mobile Marketing Engine, Internet Retailer, Kuno Creative, Econsultancy
