What is responsive design?

Responsive web design is something offered by just about every decent web designer nowadays. If they do not offer it then you want to steer well clear. This is because responsive web design is absolutely vital when it comes to succeeding with a website. So; what is responsive web design? Well, that is something which we are going to cover on this page.

As you may know; mobile device usage is on the rise. More people are using mobile devices (i.e. smartphones and tablets) than ever before. In fact; it is predicted that by the end of 2014 more people will be using mobile devices than actual computers to access the internet. This means that many of your website visitors will actually come from a device other than a PC or Laptop. You need to cater for them.

Mobile devices have smaller screens than computers. This means that websites that display fantastically on a desktop computer are not going to look right on a mobile device. For example; the user will have to zoom in to read text, and the navigation of the site is going to be absolutely abysmal. If your site is not optimized for mobile devices then you will be throwing away a ton of customers. This is where responsive web design comes into play.

Responsive web design is a technology which enables a site to ‘adapt’ to the size of the screen. For example; if a user accesses a website through their iPhone then the website will be able to recognize this. It will automatically display the site which is optimized for smartphones. The desktop version of the site will remain hidden unless the user accesses the site through their desktop computer instead. The benefit of showing a mobile site to the customer is the fact that it has been designed especially for the smaller screen. This means that the text is readable without the user having to zoom in on the page, and the navigation system is going to be an absolute breeze to traverse through. In short; people are going to have absolutely no hassle browsing through your website. This is exactly what you want. After all; the last thing you want to do is annoy your customers.

In the past people opted to develop a separate mobile website for their business. This was all well and good back then because it was the only technology that existed. This is not something you want nowadays though. If you have two websites then you need to keep them both up to date. This can be a lot of hassle. If you have a responsive web design then you are only need to update one website. This reduces the workload considerably. It is also going to be easier for your customers as they will not have to browse to a different site just to see it displayed properly on their mobile device.

Why not talk to your web designer today about the option of having a responsive design created for your business?