Do you deny the fact that a website looks and works better if it is created to work on various screen sizes?
As per a study, people spend up to 4.2 hours a day scrolling their smartphones and 54.85% of global traffic comes from mobile devices.
However, a “mobile version” is not enough to capture a wide audience. It needs to be made to fit screens of laptops/desktops, tablets, etc. Not only does it look the best, but responsive web design also leads to entire user experience improvement with 3x higher conversions.
This guide will serve you as a walkthrough of everything you need to keep in mind about responsive website design.
What is responsive web design?
Responsive web design helps to create websites that respond to the viewer’s device. It adjusts functionality and the layout to display the content aesthetically. In other words, responsive web design makes the entire web content adapt to various window sizes of their respective devices.
Ethan Marcotte coined this term first in 2010, after getting inspiration from the creation of architecture. He also described responsive web design as mainly consisting of three elements- Flexible images, fluid grids, and media queries.
Responsive web design ensures that there are cropped images or missing pieces- without designing the website separately for each screen size.
What are the 3 components of responsive web design?
Making the website responsive includes the following three things to be aligned as said by Ethan Marcotte:
- Media queries– It’s a way to apply the CSS rules to the page based on the displaying browser and its respective screen size.
- Fluid grids– It’s a percentage-based design that adopts as per the screen size.
- Flexible visuals– Images sized as per the relative units from preventing the same from displaying outside.
Why responsive design is essential for your business?
You may ask why responsive design matters for my business? Just a quick answer- building functional websites for multi-screen consumers plays a pivotal role to orchestrate the entire flow of business. For example, mobile responsive websites are essential as most of the traffic is coming from mobile websites.
If you are not ready to take the plunge to invest in responsive web design, then the following reasons will help convince you. Here we go-
1. Improved user experience
When a user browses any website and its relevant content, he/she expects a fluid experience across all the channels. For example, a buyer visits an e-commerce website with his smartphone and buys a product by using his laptop. This simply means he traversed the same distance by accessing the websites from different channels. The responsiveness of the website helps the person to continue the buyer’s journey without impedance.
Responsive web design ensures the design of a website looks at its best no matter the size. Therefore, no zooming, pinching, and unnecessary scrolling to navigate around.
2. Cost-effective
Creating websites for different screens won’t make sense, whereas it can be done with responsive web design. Apart from the other savings, this could be added to the list. Once done and dusted with responsive web design, you don’t need to think about screen size updates, A/B tests, etc. You will get everything ready under one umbrella.
3. Faster loading speed
Google has its algorithm to rank a website including the responsive factor of a website. Responsive websites load faster which decreases the bounce rate and increases the page-visit time. To improve the responsive web designs, compression and adaptive images can be introduced.
4. Easier development and maintenance
As stated earlier, developing a single website version is always faster than developing separate versions of a single website. This is conducive for both marketing and development teams whose job is to maintain the effectiveness of a website. Latest image and content updates can be maintained easily with a responsive website.
With a responsive website, updates and improvements are easier tasks to accomplish. Organizations don’t need to create duplicate websites for each screen. Instead, they will get more time to accomplish value-generating activities like content marketing, A/B testing, product development, etc.
5. Improved reach for mobile and tablet users
With the evolution of technology, the number of mobile users has also increased significantly. A study shows that people who are visiting mobile-friendly websites are more likely to return to the same site. On top of that, the chances are higher that they will make a purchase too. On the other hand, the rest users who don’t find the site responsive leave the site immediately. A responsive website clears all these doubts. In a nutshell, it will help to reach your business among mobile and tablet users. Are you ready to make your business website responsive?
6. Highest conversion rates
Websites that are not responsive fail to convert. According to a study, responsive web design can convert better than normal websites. A responsive website implies a smoother browsing experience, which converts better.
Bear in mind that the competition is high nowadays and based on that you need to design your business website. Buyers are very much receptive while they are spending their bucks. A responsive website not only ensures a smooth experience, but it compels your audience to spend some time browsing the pages of your website.
Effective tips to make your website responsive
- Make your website mobile-friendly- Users prefer larger designs on their smartphones. Based on that, you should design your website by alchemizing UX features. Make sure the designs are intuitive and all the layouts are aligned properly.
- Determine the small screen elements- Small screen design matters the most. Therefore, use responsive breakpoints to decide and understand what is required for layout style.
- Try a pre-designed theme- A pre-designed theme can be useful to create a responsive website. You can make changes to images, colors, or the content as per the guidelines of the framework. You can refer to WordPress which offers responsive themes.
- Adopt fluid grid- Ensure the images have a base of 4 px. You can test across the common breakpoints for mobile, laptop, and desktop displays. It could be relevant for your audience.
Summing it up
Responsive web design is conducive in terms of gaining more quality leads for your audience. If you feel that different versions of your website aren’t responsive, you can opt for responsive web design. Trust us, you will get all the benefits under one umbrella.
If you are looking for professionals nearby, we have a few recommendations for you-
1. Bedi Creative
They deliver clients with top-notch website design, development, consultation, eCommerce services that meet the present market demand. Having worked in many verticals, they understand the unique audience vectors and challenges of each industry and cater custom web development solutions.
2. Togetherdigital
A full-service digital company with promising web design and development services, they’re perfect if you are looking for responsive web design services and more. They curate solutions based on sectors – whether you’re an NPO or B2B enterprise, so they can be apt for those looking out for niche experts.
3. CodeClouds
Recognized globally for their exceptional eCommerce, web/mobile app development and design, their team of 500+ developers come with years of experience. Hire developers who understand your business and get started. In case you already have a website and would like a redesign without causing any harm to your existing SEO, you may find their blog a helpful read.
