Responsive design is the “big thing” in web design right now. Why? Because these days, website traffic doesn’t only come from laptops and desktops. In fact, a recent study by Statista showed that these devices only make up 55.41% of website traffic in Australia. The same study showed that 39.88% of internet traffic was via mobile phones and 4.68% via tablets. To provide the most satisfying user experience, you have to make sure that your website looks equally as good on screens of all shapes and sizes. That’s why ‘Responsive Design’ is such a fundamental element in web development!
But what does ‘Responsive Design’ actually mean?
What Is a Responsive Design?
A responsive design makes a adjusts the layout of your website depending on the screen size it is being viewed on. As a result, it looks clean and visually appealing on any device whether it be mobile phone, tablet, and desktop.
How Responsive Design Works
To make your website responsive, you have to add some additional code to your existing site during the web development process. This code provides instructions and performance parameters to trigger the changes, and make your layouts fluid. This way users viewing your site on mobile are still receiving the same information as they would if viewed on desktop, only the content is transformed and rearranged for better viewability.
Why should you invest in responsive design?
We live in a multi-screen society. Because of this, it’s important for your site to be viewable across as many devices as possible, because you never know what device your customers will be using to view your website.
In summary, the benefits of choosing responsive design for your website include:
More Mobile Traffic
It’s increasingly important for companies to have websites that render properly on smaller screens so that users don’t encounter distorted images or experience a sub-optimal site layout. Think of it this way, your website might have the most amazing design for desktop view, however, if 30% of your customers are only accessing your website using their phone you’re your website isn’t responsive, its likely they will get frustrated and move on to a different site. There goes a potential sale.
Faster Mobile Development at Lower Costs
Making one responsive website takes considerably less time than making a stand-alone mobile application in addition to a standard desktop website. Since time is money, responsive design naturally costs less than the alternative. Even if the initial investment of a responsively designed website does end up being more expensive, it will still prove to be more cost effective than creating two separate websites, as a result of the money you will save in the long run on maintenance costs, special configuration costs, etc.
Lower Bounce Rates
A responsive and optimised site across all devices provides a much better user experience for your potential customers. Therefore, chances are they’ll stick around for a longer period of time and explore different areas of your site. If your site isn’t responsive, it is much harder to keep the visitor engaged and therefore more likely that they’ll bounce.
Improved SEO
Responsive web design is becoming as important to search engine optimisation as quality content. Better bounce rates translate into higher search rankings, but there’s an extra SEO benefit for mobile optimized sites!
Are you looking to build a new website which incorporates a responsive design and drives traffic to your business? Maybe you already have a website but it needs a refresh! Look no further than BRANDiT! Our Web Development team are here to bring your vision to life! Contact us today by calling 07 5619 3017 or send an email inquiry to info@brandit.rocks. Otherwise, visit our website to learn more about us and our range of services.