Responsive Design Is Here to Stay and Here's Why

The trends in web design shift and change from year to year. Flat design might be all the rage one year, and two years later it is dated and out of favor. If you want a site that’s current, there is one trend that seems to be holding steady year after year, and that is responsive design. The need for responsive sites has grown on an upward trajectory for years.

Mobile responsiveness takes into consideration many factors, but, in a nutshell, it simply means that if someone visits your site via a mobile device, they have a great experience. If your website isn’t already responsive to mobile technology, there are many reasons it should be — here are eight of them.

1. Smartphone Usage Is on the Rise

Responsive design has gotten more and more important as smartphone saturation has increased. Nearly all adults in the United States — about 95 percent — own a cell phone, and about 77 percent of Americans own smartphones. This upward trend of smartphone usage is not likely to end anytime soon.

The result is more and more people accessing the Internet during their downtime. If your site isn’t responsive, you’re missing out on massive traffic potential.

2. Adapting to Screen Size Makes Sense

If you can create a site that easily adapts from a full screen to a tiny smartphone screen, doing so makes good business sense. Instead of frustrating half of your site visitors, you instead turn every user who lands on your page into a potential customer.

A good responsive design may not look the same from device to device, but it will be clear and professional on every size screen.

3. Visitors Expect Mobile Responsiveness

Consumers often have specific expectations out of business websites, including that the site will have a responsive design. They expect the same experience no matter how they access the site — on a laptop or a mobile phone.

Of course, there are many other expectations you should pay attention to both for mobile and non-mobile versions of your site. For example, the logo needs to be in a predictable location and linked to the home page, the navigation structure should be clear, and the layout should make sense for the site visitor.

4. Mobile Makes Up the Most Traffic

People don’t just own smartphones, but they’re using them to get online more and more. Some are now using mobile devices exclusively for online browsing. Mobile browsing now makes up about 56 percent of all online Internet traffic — it has outpaced other types of browsing entirely.

Ignoring the growing trend of people accessing the Internet via their phones is akin to ignoring half of your website traffic. If you want to reach all those who might be potential customers, you must ensure your site is mobile ready.

5. Google Ranks Sites Higher for Mobile Readiness

Your site’s SEO depends upon whether you’re mobile ready. Google now recommends that you use a mobile responsive design and will knock down the rank of those sites who aren’t mobile-friendly. Google even offers a tool so you can test your site and see just how mobile-friendly it is — or isn’t.

6. It Keeps Your Text Readable

Since responsive designs typically sit on a grid design platform, these grids then adapt based on the screen size. The size of the text automatically is set to a size that is clearer to read. This means those on a tiny screen won’t have to zoom in to view the text, then have to awkwardly scroll to read the entire block.

Giving the user readable text is one of the most critical tasks of the site developer. Responsive design automates this process no matter what size screen the end user owns.

7. Reduces User Frustration

A site that is user-friendly is one that people are more likely to visit and recommend to family and friends. Anything you can do to make the user’s experience a better one reduces the frustrations a user experiences and improves the impression you make on them.

When the screen automatically adapts, you avoid a situation where the user flees your site in aggravation. Your bounce rate lowers, and you keep visitors on your site longer, giving you a chance to convert them from visitors to customers.

8. Increases Conversions

Another benefit of responsive design and why it isn’t going away anytime soon is that it increases conversion rates. About 69 percent of those who owned tablets used their devices to shop in the last month. If a user has to go to their laptop to complete a purchase, you drastically reduce the odds that they’ll finish the sale. Thus, it impacts your conversion rates.

Even a slight increase in conversion rates equals success for most businesses. A current customer is worth more than a new customer because they are more likely to bring you repeat business and cost less to acquire. Every new customer you have gives you the potential for more and more profit.

Mobile Responsiveness Continues to Grow

The upward trends in people using smartphones means mobile responsiveness isn’t going away anytime soon. Those who currently own smartphones are likely to upgrade to newer, faster and better ones as new products are released on the market.

We live in a hectic world, where multitasking might not always be the best way to work, but it is one way to get tasks done on the run. A mom can now go to her kid’s soccer game, log in to Amazon via her phone to order new soccer shoes, text her husband that they’ll be home soon for dinner and then record a short video as her child scores the game-winning goal.

If you want to keep up with the pace of this technological world, your site has to be ready to adapt, as well. It’s well worth the investment of time and resources to ensure your website is as mobile-friendly as possible.