One of the first things I would like to demystify with this article is the difference between a mobile responsive website and a mobile application or “app”. A responsive website delivers a custom tailored version of your existing website optimized for the device you are viewing it on, but primarily for mobile devices. A mobile application is a separate entity that can be installed on a users phone and needs to be released across individual application networks such as the “Apple App Store” or “Android Apps”.
Depending on the business you are running, experts are saying you should consider the mobile platform that fits your business model best. This article will cover the top 3 reasons for enabling a responsive design on your website.
1) Better user experience
As with a regular website, your main goal when someone reaches your website should be to convert them, and by using a proper responsive design you can keep the users focus where you need it to be even when they are browsing your website via a smartphone or tablet. By changing the way the site displays (the skin), you can draw attention to important information and make the information easier to digest.
2) Easier to manage
Another excellent reason for using a responsive design is to ensure you only have to manage the content from one location. Since responsive websites only display a different format of the same information it makes managing the content a lot easier. If you have a separate site for mobile it would require you to have a separate SEO campaign as well. It is a no-brainer that managing one SEO campaign is easier than two. This is a huge advantage a responsive website has over a separate mobile site.
3) Because Google says so
Google is king when it comes to search engines (they own 67% search market share), so when they recommend responsive web design, it is wise to take heed. Not only do they recommend it as the optimal website configuration, but they actually refer to it as the industry best practice.
In conclusion, responsive website design is not only the industry best practice, it provides a better user experience, makes your content easier to manage and is recommended by Google. If you are looking for help implementing a responsive design contact us today.
