Put simply, a responsive website is a website where the template has been coded to adjust to different screen sizes. With Google’s latest algorithms emphasising the importance of user experience and the removal of desktop focused search rankings in favour of mobile, ensuring your website is fully responsive is critical to the online performance of your business.
A responsive website is a single website, using a single domain, that automatically changes to fit the device regardless of size. Break points to switch between mobile, tablet, and desktop browsing are generally:
- Desktop maximum width 1196px
- Tablet (wide) maximum width 991px
- Tablet (standard) maximum width 767px
- Mobile maximum width 543px
A well-designed website should be accessible on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, offering the same level of user-experience.
Mobile Responsive Websites
With more than 60% of all online searches being carried out on mobile phones, it is essential that your website is accessible to effectively convert the traffic into sales or enquiries.
Mobile-friendly websites include a number of elements which should be optimised for a smaller screen, these include:
- Being able to read content without having to zoom. Using a text size that is easy to read.
- Being able to view all content without scrolling horizontally. The content should fit the screen.
- Sufficient spacing between clickable elements such as text links, buttons, and images to avoid mis-clicks.
- Fast page loading and stable content.
- No flash or intrusive pop ups.
To provide the best possible user-experience, many web designers and developers recommend offering refined content on the mobile version of the website to reduce scrolling and to prioritise the most important information.
Tablet Responsive Websites
Tablets have a screen size and resolution that it generally part way between a mobile screen size and a desktop. Although tablet use is declining in regards to online browsing, it is still advisable to optimise your website to display correctly on these devices.
Why is a responsive website important?
There are many reasons why it is important to develop a website that is responsive, these include:
- Effective targeting of all potential customers
- A consistent user-experience
- Improved Google rankings
In a survey conducted by Google, they found that 75% of users prefer a mobile-friendly site. When visiting a business website, 67% of people said they were more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly website and 74% said they were likely to return to that website.
Conversely, 50% of people said they were less likely to visit a site that wasn’t mobile-friendly, even if it was a brand they liked. In fact, 79% of people said they would return to the search results if they didn’t like a mobile website.
Given these figures, it’s unsurprising that Google recommends building websites that are mobile responsive. They include mobile usability data in Google Search Console to track issues with mobile performance. They also have a mobile-friendly test which analyses the current version of a web page to identify issues.
Create a responsive website for your business
If you are ready to create a responsive website for your business, view our pay monthly web design packages and purchase online today. Our team of web designers and developers will create a custom website for your business that is built with SEO in mind. Not only will your website be responsive for mobile, tablet, and desktop, it will be designed to Google guidelines to help establish the foundations of your online marketing campaign.
If you require assistance in choosing the right web design package for your requirements, call us on 0333 3208099 and a member of our team will be happy to help.