You probably have some memories of the days when desktop computers ruled: if you wanted to access the Internet, you were usually sitting at a desk waiting to connect.
Nowadays, someone can access the Internet in seconds from nearly any major location. Consumers are using the web to get information about products or services that they want to purchase, or to find businesses in their area that they want to visit.
This means that any person or company looking to become an online marketing specialist has to be conscious of people viewing their websites on all types of devices. A site that is set up to be properly responsive will get more views and attract attention from more potential consumers. There are a few key reasons why you need a responsive website design to succeed in the modern realm of Internet marketing.
The Rise in Prominence of Mobile Devices
Mobile devices, including tablets and smart phones, can be found everywhere you look. From the classroom to the boardroom to the construction site, professionals in many different capacities are using mobile devices for work and play.
Just how prevalent are mobile devices in today’s society? According to the research, in the first quarter of 2014 the use of mobile browsers accounted for about 15% of the total use of Internet browsers in Australia. Contrast this with the numbers from the same timeframe in 2012, where mobile browsing only accounted for 7.75% of total browsing.
Browsing activity is also going up. In 2013, it was reported that 90% of Australian Smartphone owners use the Internet on their smart phones daily, while 52% of Smartphone owners visited the website of a business or service after local search. The facts don’t lie: society is shifting more and more towards mobile browsing. If your company is unable to offer sufficient value for mobile users, you might even run the risk of having a negative impact on your users, since many people who are browsing on mobile devices will navigate away from sites that are unfriendly or difficult to use.
The SEO Benefits of Responsive Web Design
Another reason why you need a responsive website design is so that you can enjoy the SEO benefits that come with having this kind of website. Google and other prominent search engines reward sites that can be loaded on multiple devices, for several reasons:
– Cutting down on duplicate links: companies that do not have a responsive website and instead choose to create multiple pages for their mobile, desktop and social sites often create duplicate content by mistake, which can cause confusion and frustrate users who accidentally load the wrong version of your page
– Improving your bounce rate: the bounce rate of a website is defined as how quickly someone leaves the page after they navigate to it. If your site is responsive and can be loaded properly on the user’s device, they will stay on the page a bit longer. Many search engine optimisation specialists believe that bounce rate is critical for businesses that are looking to improve their page ranking, even though there is little evidence that bounce rate directly affects your page ranking.
– Helping your social media marketing efforts: many people need a mobile device to browse the Internet and find content about brands that interest them. When this content is compelling enough, mobile users will then often share this content with others in their network. One of the reasons why you need a responsive website design is so that you can improve your presence on social media and build links more quickly
Improving Your Responsive Design
Of paramount importance to maintaining an efficient, responsive website is making sure that you stay on top of updating and improving your page so that it can have what is necessary for visitors to access it from any device. You should consistently be running tests and measurements to see how your site is performing on a variety of devices: this feedback will help you ensure that your mobile device can work effectively.
Now that you have a better understanding of why you need a responsive website design, take steps to work on your design to ensure that it is responsive as possible. Hiring a skilled web development team is one way to ensure that your business gets a responsive website that attracts as many people as possible by providing them with relevant information, whether they are accessing it at home on a desktop or while they are out and about using their mobile device.
George heads the creative team at Australian based agency, Social Garden. With an exceptional eye for design and a strong following within the industry, George is forever seeking for techniques at the pinnacle of digital design. Follow George on Google+ here.
