If you haven’t heard the term “mobile responsive web design” or “mobile optimized web design” it is time to start familiarising yourself with them. If you already have built a strong online presence, and a high-functioning website, you’ve already done most of the leg work.
Having a mobile responsive site – that looks great and navigates efficiently on a mobile phone – is something you simply can’t do without. Below are some of the reasons it is important to have a mobile responsive website.
The Sheer Amount of Mobile-based Traffic
The first, and most important reason to optimize your site for mobile has to do with how web traffic has changed over the last several years. Back when the first iPhone came out, not only did few people have one, they certainly weren’t using it to access and surf the internet to the extent they are today.
People spend an ever-increasing amount of time on their phones, constantly connected to the internet. More and more, people are using their phones to make purchases, sign up for services, and engage on social media. Without a mobile responsive design, you risk losing out on new customers, and alienating your current ones.
Websites don’t Display The Same Across Hardware
If you have ever tried to visit a website you like, that you have only ever visited on a large tablet or a desktop/laptop computer, and found some highly problematic layout changes, it is likely because the site wasn’t optimized for mobile browsing. A website designed for a desktop or laptop screen and operating system is not necessarily going to display how you want it to on a mobile screen.
This can cause major problems, because it could end up creating for an unpleasant browsing and navigation experience. It may even hurt your bottom line, as people tend to simply move on if purchasing from you is too difficult.
Search engines want to see mobile friendly/responsive design
Mobile friendly is not a new concept, and even as far back as 2015, Google announced that it had made mobile responsiveness/friendliness part of its ranking criteria. The logic behind this is that, given how many people use their mobile phones to access the internet, a site which made mobile-based browsing unpleasant, or difficult was delivering a worse user experience.
So, not having a mobile responsive design can actually hurt your organic search traffic. When people search for the products or services you offer on Google, or perform organic keyword searches you are trying to rank for, Google might penalize you for it.
There are cost savings
Many people incorrectly try to maintain two websites: one for their mobile-based users, and one for everyone else. Doing this, however, can quickly get very expensive, especially if you are not doing the design/upkeep yourself. If you understand the basics of mobile responsive web design, you can make your site easy to use regardless of the platform.
Added flexibility
When you have a single website with mobile responsive design principles incorporated into it, you can make site-wide changes much more quickly and effectively. Trying to make updates, or changes to two sites simultaneously, especially when time is of the essence, can get very stressful. Only having to make changes to one site cuts down on site management headaches.
Mobile responsive and friendly design is basically non-negotiable in this day and age. There are simply too many people using their mobile phones to access and browse the internet, and too many options out there for them if your site is painful to use. If you are new to mobile responsive design, and wondering what’s in it for you, the above information has hopefully been enlightening.
Disclaimer: This content does not necessarily represent the views of IWB.