The goal of responsive website design is to adapt to the screen of the users and provide an optimal experience. Responsive design has lots of benefits, one of the most prominent is the quick load time.
The other day, I was browsing the Spectrum website from my phone to pay the monthly bill for my Spectrum Triple Play packages. The experience was crisp. I don’t have to switch to desktop even if I want to browse the website to check new promotions and deals. I can do it on my phone.
Responsive design has become the need of today since we are dealing with mobile users. If your website is in its developing phase, do consider getting a responsive web design. You will enjoy these benefits:
1: More Traffic
How do you read the news? Do you open the news site from your desktop or prefer doing that on your mobile device? I am sure your answer is a mobile device. Hence, it’s important to have a website that is responsive.
Your business should be where all the customers are – mobile devices. The first step towards this is getting a responsive website designed.
2: Lower Cost of Development
It takes less time and money to create one responsive website than a standard desktop version and a mobile version separately. Even if the cost of investment is relatively high in the beginning, the expense is less as compared to having 2 separate websites. You will be saving money in the long run because you are not running and maintaining two versions.
3: Less Maintenance
Maintaining two separate mobile websites means running separate testing and support. On the other hand, responsive design uses standardized testing methodologies for optimal layout on every screen.
When you are dealing with 2 separate screens, you have to create 2 content strategies, deal with two different administrative interfaces and have two different design teams. This can be a lot not just in terms of money but management.
Responsive design is a one-size-fits-all approach. You have to deal with fewer developers, business owners, and customers.
4: Faster Page Load
Users now have a shorter attention span than before. Users tend to abandon a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. In other words, if your website is not optimized for mobile users, they might not return. With a responsive design, you don’t have to worry about that. It uses modern techniques such as caching to improve the load speed of the page.
5: Lower Bounce Rate
Responsive web design offers a satisfying user experience to the visitor. They are likely to stick around your website for a long period of time. Hence, it will automatically reduce the bounce rate. Your visitor will be kept engaged.
6: More Conversion
Reducing the bounce rate is only half of the battle. A responsive design helps convert more. When a visitor lands on your website, they are not directed to the device-specific version. This means the moment they land on your website, the process of deciding whether to buy or not starts. Having a single website that looks the same on all professionals will make your customers happy.
7: Easier Analytics Reporting
Analytics provide you with all the details about where the traffic is coming from and how a user interacts with your website. You can then make the necessary improvements from there. When you have multiple versions of a website to manage, developers have to track use journeys over multiple conversion paths. This is time-consuming.
A responsive website simplifies the monitoring process. You create a single analytics report and see how your content is performing.
8: Google Loves It
Google loves responsive website designs. A website that has less bounce rate and stronger backlinks is ranked higher. And mobile-optimized websites are usually ranked better.
When you are managing two separate versions (desktop and mobile), you are dealing with the issue of duplicate content. This impacts your search ranking negatively. Having a single website eliminates the issue of duplicate content.
9: Better Offline Browsing
A responsive website also offers offline browsing capabilities through HTML5. This means the website can be accessed on the go. Most websites are supporting this feature. This allows users to access content, email newsletters and other features on the go even if they aren’t connected to the Internet.
10: Smooth Browsing Experience
The first impression always counts. A website that offers the same experience on smartphones and desktop will always offer consistency. Google “Spectrum service area” on your smartphone and desktop separately to experience it. You will have the same smooth browsing experience. If a user has to do pinching, zooming and shirking a little more than often, they are likely to give up on your website.
Responsive design has numerous more benefits to offer. We are still in the infancy of this field. People are accessing websites through not just their smartphones but virtual reality headsets. The future is loaded with new possibilities.
Benefits such as lower maintenance costs, improved conversion, better search engine ranking, etc. have got many businesses to switch to a responsive design. When are you planning to switch?
