Digital-first is the new way of life for us. In today’s day and age, the internet has become more of a necessity rather than a choice, especially for the millennials and Gen Z people. The need to stay connected all the time has evolved so much more in the last decade, and we have intelligent tech interventions to thank for that.
It is no surprise that most of us are glued to some screen or the other for most of our days, whether it is computers, mobile phones or smart TVs.
Smartphone and mobile data usage has also increased exponentially in the last five years, and this rate of growth is not going to stop anytime soon. We have a long way to go and we already have more than 24 million active global smartphone users. With more and more consumers using mobiles for most tasks, it becomes important for marketers to consider this as a medium of communication. There’s nothing more convenient than an app for everything, or if not an app, then at least a mobile-friendly website. Hence, the need or importance for responsive web design.
Responsive web design as a concept came around in 2010 and has been dominating online businesses since then. A website with a responsive web design is one that can adjust itself for proper viewing by the user on each screen that it is being used on, no matter what device it is.
An automatic reformatting occurs for an enhanced user experience, depending on the type and size of the device screen. This means that the user does not have to zoom in or out to read text clearly, there is adequate space for tap targets and no extra horizontal scrolling.
Why Do You Need a Responsive Website?
Here are a few reasons responsive web design is extremely critical for businesses and brands today:
- Google recommendations: We have already established that websites with a responsive design are will gain more traffic from mobile users, but that’s not all. Not only does this prove to have an advantage for interacting with consumers, it also benefits the business itself since Google ranks websites according to their mobile-friendliness. They reward websites that have a great responsive experience. This means that the more responsive your website is, the more chances it has of being recommended by Google.
- Enhanced user experience: Responsive web design enables users to interact with the website from all kinds of devices and improves the communication efforts of the brand towards them. This not only helps build long-standing relationships but also enables a seamless customer experience, start to end, thus aiding brand awareness and recall. It makes customers more likely to come back to your business for future services/product purchases.
- Better overall maintenance: It might be initially expensive to execute, but having a responsive website is more cost-efficient in the longer run. Responsive web design means you only have 1 website to look after; it’s also quicker and less expensive than making a stand-alone mobile application in addition to your desktop website. A responsive website also boosts SEO tremendously, making it easier for the business to target consumers even on paid budgets.
All in all, it is critical for growing businesses and brands to have a website that is responsive in order to connect better with consumers and to get maximum returns on their efforts of building a website.
Want to know how to build one? Get in touch with us and we’d love to help!