Responsive website design is an approach to creating a site that uses flexible layouts. The purpose of it is to design a website that can detect and adapt to the user’s device and screen size. Regardless if the user is on a desktop computer, an iPhone, or a tablet, the site’s layout will automatically adjust so it remains user-friendly.
At a time when people are searching the web on multiple devices, responsive website design is more important than ever before. It’s a trend that’s becoming a standard and your business may be left behind if you don’t make the switch soon.
How it Helps
New devices that can access the internet are changing the way web developers do their job. Websites that are “responsive” use x and y coordinates for grid layouts and percentages for images instead of fixed-width layouts. This creates a more fluid layout that is able to reconfigure itself in order to match the size of the display.
Responsive design also eliminates the need to build a separate, mobile version of a website. Typically a mobile site requires all new code, but using responsive web design allows web developers to create multiple style sheets with repurposed HTML code.
Implementing a responsive web design for your site allows your content to be seen at any time of the day – regardless if your clients are at home or in a store. Internet search habits have changed thanks to smartphones and tablets. It’s not uncommon for someone to perform initial research on a product on their phone or tablet before investigating it in more detail and making a purchase on their home computer. They may even make the purchase from their mobile device.
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly you might be missing out on a valuable customer. E-commerce sites can’t afford not to catch users shopping across multiple devices. As the number of devices, platforms and browsers grow, the importance of responsive website design strengthens.
Want to see how your site looks on mobile devices?
Use the handy tool from StudioPress on www.studiopress.com/responsive .
Or test the way Google sees how mobile-friendly your site on https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly .
Leave a Reply