Responsive Design

Thank you Apple, Samsung and every other smartphone manufacturer out there for making our very own handheld computers. (i.e. tablet, smartphone, smartwatch, etc) You have changed the way the world consumes information. For better or for worse, you have changed the marketing industry creating jobs (thank you again) and entire agencies dedicated to reaching consumers inside these small devices.

Responsive design, in reference to a website, means the website was designed and built to respond to the size of the screen on the device you are using. This is hugely important if you think about the amount of search activity that happens on mobile devices. Think about the number of different screen sizes there are out there.

Did you know that 90% of smartphone users are checking out your website and online reviews, on their smartphone, before they make contact with your business? That’s nine out of ten people. (basically everyone).

We use search to get all kinds of information about products and services we need or want. If your website is not designed to respond to user screen size it may be hard to read or navigate. The user may not get the information you would like them to and you may lose a potential customer or client.

Responsive Design as part of your SEO Strategy

If just the visual design on that smartphone wasn’t enough, it also can play into your SEO strategy, or lack of. Search engines have placed huge importance on responsive design as more and more searches take place on mobile devices. In fact, in 2017 the search engines made specific changes to their algorithms to account for mobile search. Search engines are smart. They know the size of your device and want to return sites that you can actually read and navigate.

Designing for mobile first has become the gold standard in website design. A good responsive design is paramount to a good user experience and that is just one factor that has changed the way developers and designers work.
I believe we will continue to see changes in the industry as technology changes. Frustrating? No! Just make sure you find the right partner to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in this fast paced world. I personally think this world is exciting, but I love change and a good challenge.