As consumers increasingly migrate to mobile devices for web searches and shopping it is imperative that you consider how your site will look on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Your website design strategy should focus on mobile as much as possible.
Responsive web design is an approach to website design strategy that allows a site to adapt to the device and platform that it being displayed. By using responsive design, you can be certain that the consumer will get the best experience no matter what type of device they are using.
It is estimated that by 2016 local mobile searches will surpass traditional desktop searches. People are now using their mobile devices for Internet searches even when they are at home. Now is the time to move your website design strategy to the mobile experience.
Here are three reasons why you should implement responsive design as part of overall website design strategy.
1. It’s Google Friendly.
Google dominates Internet search with just over 67% of the market. So when they say responsive web design is the recommended mobile configuration, web designers better take notice. Google even went so far as to say responsive web design is the best practice for all designers.
The reason for this is that a responsive designed site has one URL and HTML that makes it easier for Google to index and organize the content appearing on the website. Contrast this with a website that has separate desktop and mobile URL’s and HTML. This makes it difficult for Google to index and recommend the site.
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2. Multi-Device Experience.
By implementing responsive design as a cornerstone of your website design strategy, you ensure that your customer will get the same experience no matter what device they are using. This is important because you have no idea what type of device or screen size consumers will use to access your website.
As an example, if a customer accesses your site on her lunch break via her smartphone and finds something she likes. She waits until she gets home to make the purchase and uses her desktop to make the purchase. A responsive designed website will deliver a seamless experience and she will make the purchase with no problems. Conversely, if she is using the mobile URL on her desktop the site will display differently and not have the same functionality. This could cause her some frustration and she may not make the purchase.
3. Ease Of Management.
If you have separate mobile and desktop sites you have essentially doubled your workload. You will be managing separate marketing and SEO campaigns. By using responsive website design, you can easily manage both the mobile and desktop versions of your website.
There are some advantages to having a separate SEO strategy just for mobile, however. Someone searching for a local restraint may search for a term like, “Chinese restaurant Chicago.” Adding search terms like a city or neighborhood can have added benefits.
By incorporating responsive design into your overall website design strategy you will not only be positioning your company for the growing mobile usage by consumers but you will also be saving yourself some time and energy.
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