Web development traveled a long distance in a relatively short span of time. It has incorporated new features that make the website look appealing to its users. Responsive web design is one such feature that has made the websites fit on every screen irrespective of their size.
A brief history
Prior to 2015, a website viewed in the mobile screens used to look shrunken and was challenging to use. One has to continuously pinch and zoom the screens to view the website on a mobile screen. As the number of mobile users began to increase, Google rolled out an update in their search algorithms.
This update took into account the website’s mobile view as a factor that influences the ranking of the websites. To date on which the update was rolled out was called Mobilegeddon.
What is a responsive website?
A responsive website is essentially a website that changes the layout according to the user’s device to provide the best experience.
Qualities of a responsive website are:
- Text is readable without pinching and zooming repeatedly.
- Available space for tapping the tabs.
- Horizontal scrolling is not available.
Importance of responsive websites
Improved SEO ranking
Every website wants to rank higher in the search engine results. Having a responsive website enhances SEO rankings. Goggle analyses any website’s responsiveness as one of its parameters while determining the SEO rankings.
If the website is not responsive, it will result in lower rankings and, therefore, less chance of attracting users.
Seamless User Experience
UI/UX has become one of the crucial factors that help the user have a positive experience while using the website. A great user experience retains the customer for a longer duration.
Responsive websites make it possible irrespective of the device that the customer is using for accessing the website. It increases the navigability of the website and helps in retaining the customer.
Please read our blog to know the importance of UI/UX https://shivila.com2021/11/10/relevance-of-ui-ux-in-app-development/
Increased traffic to the website
According to traffic statistics of the website, in the first quarter of 2021, almost 54.8% of the global website traffic was from mobile devices. This figure shows that more than half of the worldwide internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
Therefore, the responsiveness gives an impetus to the traffic flow on the website. On the other hand, if a website does not render on a mobile device efficiently, it can have a damaging effect on the company and can lead to the loss of a precious customer.
Provides the option of scalability
The term scalability implies the ability to change or scale according to the need. Responsive websites provide the brands with the option of scaling the websites based on their requirements in the future.
The fluidity of the responsive websites ensures that the websites can be effectively deployed for any new devices without the hassle of redesigning it again and again. Responsiveness makes it ready for any change that can happen in the future.
Faster loading time
Data shows that 53% of the users leave the site if the loading time is more than 3 seconds. Website’s that are responsive provide faster loading, thus helping in retaining the customer for a longer duration.
The fluid grids and responsive images facilitate a faster loading time. It provides the user with a positive experience while using the website leading to a better reputation and more business opportunities.
Simple to maintain
Two separate websites for mobile and desktop requires spending double time in maintaining those sites. Teams have to focus most of their time and energy on doing additional tests and constantly update the sites. This requires additional resources and cost and less time to focus on other strategies.
On the other hand, with responsive websites, the maintenance time is drastically reduced. The teams can focus their energy and resources on other tasks that are equally important, like content marketing, additions or deletions of products, etc.
Wrapping Up
The number of users accessing websites from smartphones has increased in large numbers. Therefore, the brand’s website should look and work great on different platforms to attract the user. If you do not have a responsive website, make sure to redesign it and make it more responsive. It will help your website ranking and help in attracting more business.