By Tom Veal 10th October 2015
By Tom Veal Business
Our clients often ask us if they should make their website responsive. Our answer is always – absolutely.
So what is a responsive website? In a nutshell, it is a mobile-friendly website which adapts when viewed on different screen sizes so it always looks at its best.
We believe all websites should be developed to be responsive. Here are our top 6 reasons why.
1) Mobile usage has skyrocketed – and is still on the up
How often do you see somebody using a phone or tablet? We’re betting pretty often. Smartphones and tablets have become our go-to for online shopping, social media and web browsing – they have become an integral part of life and many people rely on them all day, every day. Latest stats show that smartphone usage is up 394% and tablet usage is up a whopping 1,721% as these platforms now combine to account for 60% of digital media time spent. 66% of all emails are now opened on a phone or tablet and more Google searches are performed on mobile devices than desktop computers.
In other words – if somebody is viewing your website, the chances now are it’s on a mobile device.
2) Recommended by Google
Internet giant Google has stated that it prefers responsive web design as the recommended mobile configuration and now ranks ‘mobile-friendly’ websites favourably over websites that are not ‘mobile-friendly’ for mobile search results.
It is more efficient for Google to search and index your online content when you have just one URL and the same HTML across all devices. This makes it much easier for users to share, engage and interact with the content on your site compared to a website that has different pages for mobile and desktop users. Why? Because if somebody shared a page from your desktop site on social media and somebody else viewed this link on mobile they will not be seeing the optimal version of your site. This will result in a high bounce rate and users will go elsewhere, which will drop your Google ranking and impact your SEO.
3) Better user experience = more sales
I’m sure you have experienced the frustration of not being able to easily navigate a website. With a responsive design, users won’t have to bother with zooming and shrinking the screen, or risk missing your ‘call to action’. We now know that if somebody using a website gets frustrated or cannot find what they need there if a 61% chance they will leave and head to another website which means you miss out on potential customers. However, if a user has a positive experience with a website they are 67% more likely to buy that product or service.
By providing an optimal user experience visitors will engage with your site for longer. Make sure your website is designed with a ‘mobile-first’ approach.
4) It will increase your conversion rates
As well as making for a happier user, a responsive website can also result in more conversions for you. If a user is struggling to navigate your website on a mobile or tablet device it is far more likely that they will go elsewhere. And with 69% of tablet users said to have shopped online in the last 30 days, your desktop-only website could well be driving potential customers away.
Even better, research shows that mobile users are more likely to make impulse buying/enquiry decisions than desktop users. By having a responsive website you are able to better engage visitors and profit from those impulse decisions.
5) Social media is mobile
Most companies now understand how crucial social media is as part of an overall marketing strategy. If your company is not yet on social media you could be missing out on a lot of leads. And even if you’re not on social media it is still important that your website is responsive. Why? Because social media has gone mobile so again, if any of your pages are shared on social media then mobile users following these links will be seeing a non-optimised version of your site and are more likely to bounce.
6) Get ahead of the competition
With a staggering 85% of websites still not optimised for mobile viewing, the chances are that some of your competitors are not taking advantage of responsive design. This gives you a window of opportunity to get ahead of the game and increase your market share.