What is the Importance of Responsive Websites?

Having a responsive website is becoming more important than ever before. We live in a world of technology and mobile devices, which means that ignoring mobile screens is just not an option from a modern marketing perspective. To cater towards normal desktop computers and mobile devices, you need to be proactive. If you choose not to do so, you are negatively affecting your business by limiting your website and it's usability. Companies that want to tailor to consumer needs, and keep up with their digital marketing strategy, will continue to adopt responsive websites. Currently, one half of all local searches are performed on mobile devices. Many mobile users report having difficulty interacting with regular webpages on their mobile device, and 44% complain that mobile navigation of a normal website can be difficult. 

So what is the difference between a mobile website and a responsive design website? A mobile-specific website features only part of the "regular" version of the website. Usually, a website optimized for mobile viewing is a simplified version that projects the main parts of the website to viewers. A responsive design website is the same content and features as the normal website, but it is designed to match the viewers mobile device better.  It also leverages typically ignored SEO factors while making it easier for Google to assess a website for standard search rankings metrics. Instead of losing sight of the content, the page simply adjusts to match whatever size you are viewing it in. Responsive website design adapts to mobile devices accordingly and delivers seamless content to any viewers. 

Responsive Design is both affordable and easy to maintain and it has several SEO benefits that traditional websites do not have. Here are some reasons why responsive web design’s marketing benefits are reason enough to make the switch.

Keeps your content consistent across several different sites With a Responsive Web Design, you don’t have to worry about updating several different versions of a website in order to keep the mobile, tablet and desktop versions consistent. Update one, update all. This increases the value of your site to visitors, and in turn, the search engines.

Compiles all inbound links to one location When a person searching on a mobile device plugs a URL into a mobile search engine, the desktop URL is often redirected to a mobile-specific URL. Inbound links (links to your domain) are seen as votes for your site by the search engines. The more inbound links your site has, the higher it will rank for various keywords related to said links. The problem, however, is that mobile sites receive hardly any of the “link juice” earned by these inbound links because they have different URLs (and are accessed through redirects), and it results in lower mobile rankings. Fortunately, a responsive webside design site  has the same URL across all devices, which ensures that mobile, tablet and desktop rankings are all on the up and up.

Responsive websites are prepared for the future. A huge benefit of responsive designed websites are that they are specifically coded for screen size, not device. No matter the screen size someone is viewing your website, it will still have the proper look and feel for that device. And, since technology is always changing, having a responsive website can be a beneficial asset for your company. As new devices, like TVs, computers, tablets, or mobile phones, emerge in the future, your responsive site will be able to adapt, and still retain it's original design.

Interested in redesigning your website to be responsive? Click the button below for a FREE website redesign strategy session!