Responsive web design (RWD) is the process of making a website easy to navigate across a wide range of devices such as mobile phones, computer desktops and laptops. It is the mode of approaching the coding and laying out of a website to enable the website provide an optimal experience in viewing, make it easy for the user to read while enabling navigation with minimum panning, scrolling and resizing. The designer with the task of creating a responsive web design, make sure that the screen layouts, website navigation elements, images, video/audio players can easily re-adjust themselves to a wide range of devices.
There are benefits that come along with a responsive web design. First, it is totally super flexible. This means that the contents are fluid, implying that they can easily move from all screen resolutions in any device. It is not selective and allows both the grids and images to move. It behaves just as a liquid does, it draws in and spreads out, allowing the content to fit in the allotted space and the appearance is retained with no distortion at all. Fluidity of the responsive web designs has enabled achievement of a similar outcome in website content on the screen of a device.
It gives the user excellent experience; the user gets to find the ability to discover content which is the foremost in the success of metrics. Which is the experience of the user that enables visitors to any website consume content through the device they prefer or is available to them, anytime they wish to. A responsive web design has its main purpose which is to provide the optimal experience for users, regardless of the device they are using. It accommodates the professionals who are usually very busy during the day and the wide-awake college students who want to access the site anytime to do any research.
It is usually very cost effective, and most people find it pocket-friendly. The advantages of having a single site with the ability to conform to all needs of all devices is of great significance compared to having two different websites. The operation cost of one website is less than that of two and also saves you the agony of having to manage two websites. Responsive web designs also enhance the SEO efforts by directing all the visitors to your website to a single site, regardless of what devices they have preferred to use to access your site.
Mobile responsive websites explained
Google also recommends it. Google has a 67% search market share, therefore, have the authority to issue commands, and all the search marketers have to submit to them; they are that powerful. Therefore being recommended by Google gives the responsive web designs an upper hand in their operations. Google has preferred responsive web designs as their recommended mobile configuration and the industry’s best practice. Since they have one URL and the same HTML. Google also prefers the responsive web designs because of the content that is made to leave one URL or one website is very easy for users to interact with and share on separate mobile sites.
Tip: Google recently started to send notification through Webmaster Tools to remind webmasters that mobile responsiveness is important to them. As per the 21st of April, responsive websites will be given a boost in the search engine rankings. Make sure your site is fully responsive before that date by contacting us today!
Interested in a custom coded website? Read more on this blog post