Almost six in 10 – that’s how many web search queries come from mobile devices.
What’s more, when it comes to doing online research, 80% of people turn to their smartphones. That shows that consumers’ reliance has switched from laptops to mobile devices.
Now the question is, how does your website display this information on smartphones? Does your website even appear on mobile search engines?
If not, it’s likely that you haven’t switched to responsive site design yet. In this case, you’re missing out on the benefits of a website that features responsive web design.
What exactly is responsive web design though?
What can it bring to the table that traditional design can’t?
That’s exactly what we’ll share with you in this list, so be sure to keep reading!
1. Responsive Websites are All About Meeting User Standards
One of the biggest benefits of responsive design is that it satisfies user demands. User needs and preferences, after all, are what gave birth to responsive design.
Take horizontal scrolling, for instance. Even desktop users don’t like it since it can be a pain to scroll to the right side of a page. Moreover, a study found that web users focus on viewing the left side of a page 80% of the time.
Horizontal scrolling is even worse on mobile, a fact that an Instagram glitch proved in 2018. IG users complained about it, with many even saying that they hated it.
Responsive web design gets rid of horizontal scrolling, regardless of the device used. On a desktop, this means all vital website elements appear on the entire screen. Users don’t have to scroll to the right, although they can scroll down for more info appearing below the fold.
Responsive website design will automatically adjust what it displays on mobile devices. Its goal is to make web pages easy to view on mobile devices so that it’s quicker for users to navigate the site. It adjusts its display and navigability based on the device the user is using to view it.
For example, a responsive site may only display two columns instead of three when viewed on a tablet. This then makes information easier to locate and also digest. On a smartphone, the site may display only one column so that users don’t have to “pinch” to resize the screen.
2. Helps Extend Your Website’s Reach to Mobile Device Users
A 2019 Pew study found that 81% of Americans now own a smartphone. That’s an impressive 4% increase from 2018’s smartphone ownership in the nation. Furthermore, it found that 52% of U.S. adults now also own a tablet.
But that’s not all.
On average, smartphone owners check their phones 52 times a day! Overall, adults spend over 11 hours a day on their various mobile devices.
All these stats prove how massive and continued the growth of mobile device usage is. They also further emphasize our first point, which is to meet user demands.
If your site has a responsive design, then it’s easy for users to access them via mobile devices. This means you can extend your site’s reach to more users, and not just those on PC or laptop.
This alone can already increase traffic to your site. In short, increased traffic is another of the top benefits of a responsive website.
3. Google Itself Recommends the Use of Responsive Web Design
If there’s one source of recommendation that you can trust, it should be Google. Big G itself suggests the use of responsive web design.
Not only because it’s more user-centered, but also because it helps Google algorithms. The keyword here is “algorithms”. Meaning, there’s a link between responsive design and your site’s search result rankings.
4. It Makes Your Site More Visible in Search Engines
Googles’ take on the importance of responsive web design should be enough reason for you to use it in your own site. Delving deeper though, it’s because responsive site design gets rid of content duplication.
With responsive site design, you’d only need a single URL for your desktop and mobile sites. If you use a separate mobile site, you’d also need to use a different URL. The content may be the same, but Google’s algorithms still consider the URLs different.
Since they’re from “different” sources, Google regards them as duplicates. And we all know that the search engine giant doesn’t like duplicate content.
By addressing this issue, Google will have an easier time indexing your web pages. The easier it is for the search engine, the higher your odds of showing up in its results.
5. Responsive Design Improves Site Speed
Faster loading times is another of the biggest advantages of responsive web design. Remember: responsive design automatically makes page and content adjustments. This includes optimizing pages, especially multimedia content, to load faster on a device.
This optimization can then reduce the amount of time needed to display graphics. For instance, large image files get converted into smaller ones if viewed on a smartphone. This size reduction then makes them load and appear faster to viewers.
Site speed is a Google ranking factor because affects user experience. That means meeting this factor also means satisfying the needs of users.
6. It’s Easier to Maintain A Website with Responsive Design
Having a website with a responsive design means you’ll only maintain a single URL. All changes you make with that URL will reflect on that site, regardless of the device used to view it. Even if you hire someone to do maintenance for you, they’ve got less work.
This then eliminates the need to perform the same revisions on a separate URL for your mobile site. Thus, it saves you both time and resources, which you can use for other more important tasks.
7. End Users Love Responsive Websites
A website with a responsive design is all about giving its visitors a great experience. It makes searching for valuable information quicker. Its ease of navigation also encourages users to stay longer by exploring more of the website.
All these can then help reduce your site’s bounce rate. Rather, it enhances users’ experience, which can then lead to more prospective leads. The more leads you garner, the more chances you have of converting your leads into sales.
Reap the Benefits of a Website with Responsive Design Now
There you have it, some of the biggest benefits of a website that boasts a responsive design. At the end of the day though, it’s all about making certain your visitors love your site. It’s about ensuring that you meet, perhaps even exceed their needs and demands.
Also, remember that as a website owner, your goal is to rank better on search engines. If Google says it’s important to use responsive web design, then who are we to debate that.
Want even more tips on web design that will make you a website construction pro? Then be sure to check out more of our other posts and guides!