When it comes to creating a stunning website, it can be easy to overlook the practicalities. Especially in terms of multiple devices. With mobile search now more common than desktop search, it is more important than ever for your website to look good, and be usable on all devices. And this is why responsive web design is essential. Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. We provide, high quality, effective, web design solutions for local companies and businesses across Manchester, and the surrounding area, including Wigan and Southport. This means that all of our websites are responsive. But how important is responsive web design?
What is responsive web design?
So what exactly is responsive web design? Well, a website that is designed to respond and adapt to the screen size of the device used to view it, is known as responsive. And this responsive web design is all about flexibility and fluidity. Web designers make sure that the appearance of the website will be altered slightly depending on the screen size and orientation. Which means that all your text, images, buttons and navigation elements will be suitable for your users. No more oversized images, or buttons that are simply too small to click on. So ultimately, your users will have a better user experience. This dynamic approach to web design, also means that you can use the same website, for both your mobile viewers and desktop viewers. And you wont need to build a mobile friendly option.
How important is responsive web design?
So why is it important for your website to respond dynamically to the screen width used to view it? Well, it is important for a number of reasons, including:
- providing the best possible user experience
- Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) rankings
- promoting sales
Providing the best possible user experience
Users need to be able to access the best version of your website, no matter which device they pick up. To disadvantage one group of users with a sub par website, really only serves to shoot yourself in the foot. Metaphorically speaking of course. After all, every user is a potential customer or conversion, as someone who may be tempted to part with their cash, or sign up to your services. So it really is in the best interest of your company, to provide the best browsing experience. And this means responsive design. Responsive design will ensure that every single element on your page is suitable for your purposes, and is presented carefully. In practice, this tends to mean that your elements will be stacked vertically, rather than positioned horizontally next to each other. Which is much better suited to the vertical scrolling nature of mobile devices, as well as the smaller screen width. In addition, this also means that simple but common mistakes can be avoided. Some of these common mistakes include:
- navigation bars too small to click on
- overly large images
- or hover menus (ever tried to hover on a mobile phone? It doesnt work)
Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) rankings
The importance of responsive web design doesn’t just end with the users though. Although they ought to be your primary concern. Responsive design also helps secure your position on the SERP rankings with Google. This is because, Google updated its ranking algorithm to make sure that websites designed with a high quality mobile version would be ranked higher on mobile search results. The mobile first update means that designing mobile websites is more serious than ever. And responsive design is the best way to approach this. For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.