Look around you, in your office, at the bus stop, at the shopping centre food court, at the beach, at the coffee shop, and even in traffic, someone has a smartphone in hand, right? It is such a common behaviour that, not thinking about how it can influence your business can leave you behind.
Most of them are browsing apps or mobile-friendly sites. We need to make sure our business are available to these mobile users. Otherwise, the chance of them leaving our site, on account of a bad usability experience, and going to a competing site, is enormous.
What is a Responsive Site and why it is important for leveraging your Digital Marketing strategies?
Responsive sites are intelligently designed to adapt to any resolution without distortion. A responsive design identifies the width of each device so that it can determine how much space is available and how the page will be displayed in order for those spaces to be fully utilized. It also adjusts the dimensions of images, fonts, and other elements of a web page, so they are not disproportionate.
In very practical terms, it is the website that, with the same layout, fits perfectly to any resolution in a harmonious way, passing the same reading experience to the user, regardless of the device that is being accessed.
Now that you’re already contextualized and have already understood what a responsive website is, here are 7 reasons why you should use this feature on your site.
Advantages in having a responsive website:
1. Improving user experience.
The competition is huge within the internet, and according to Google Think Insights, if users access your page via a mobile device and cannot find almost straight away what they are looking for, there is a 61% chance of them giving up and moving to another site.
Improving user experience essentially involves adapting to the mobile reality. Several important factors like functionality, usability, performance, and appearance should be carefully planned so that the user has a unique experience and familiarizes himself with the website as quickly as possible.
Well designed responsive websites have faster loading times and are easier to navigate (with better spaced links on touch devices, correct dimensions of layouts that zoom, better arrangement of images and texts, etc.).
The results cannot fail to be positive, ranging from a better brand positioning to a significant increase in the conversion rate of its visitors.
2. Decreasing bounce rate.
Having a responsive website reduces the number of users who enter your site and leave without any interaction.
By displaying the same content that you view on the desktop in a functional way on other devices, eliminates the need to compromise on site quality or user experience. This ensures that visitors always receive the information they are looking for, which keeps them on your page, engaged with your brand.
Failing to do this and having high bounce rates, might send a signal to the search engines that your site is not delivering relevant content to users, which might lead to a drop in its display and rankings.
3. Increasing page speed.
Google Page Speed Developers recommend that the initial content on a mobile device should take less than 1 second to load, and the full page less than 2 seconds. After all, if a page takes too long to open, there is a high probability that the user will close the window and look for what he needs elsewhere.
The problem is that, for the most part, a complex desktop version of an online page cannot be loaded on a mobile device in such a short time. In addition to harming user experience, this issue can also affect Google’s site ranking.
Fortunately, responsive sites are developed optimally for mobile devices. Because of this, the page is lighter and can even be loaded faster than the desktop version.
If you are curious to know the performance of your current site on a mobile device, Google has a specific tool for this at https://testmysite.withgoogle.com/intl/en-gb.
4. Improving Search Engine Rankings.
Back in 2015, Google launched their Mobile Friendly Update, affectionately nicknamed by webmasters as “Mobilegeddon” (Mobile + Armageddon). Google’s intention is to favour sites that are responsive or have a mobile version over those that aren’t. They also intend to roll out a new Mobile First Index update in the early months of 2018.
Since Google is the most popular search engine in the world, responsiveness is essential for any business to gain prominence, and naturally, increase organic traffic.
5. Increasing sales leads and leads conversion.
People are increasingly confident to buy via mobile, and this growth will benefit companies that have responsive and easy-to-navigate websites. Again, according to Google Insights itself, if a customer is satisfied with your site and gets a positive browsing experience, there’s up to a 67% chance of him buying your product. So it fair to say that if your website does not have a responsive design, it is making you lose money.
Along with more potential sales, another rate that increases significantly on responsive sites is that of converting visitors to leads and these leads to customers, especially if you use social networks to promote your services.
6. Gaining more shares in Social Media.
Growing access to social networks via smartphones makes it even more important to have a website that fits that format. A responsive website can render numerous shares and provide a viral effect that your brand would not have if the site were not mobile friendly. More shares mean more possible leads accessing your site at the recommendation of friends.
7. Preparing for future devices.
One of the most significant advantages of responsive design is that it is done based on the size and resolution of different screens, taking into account not the type of device used, but the width of the display. That is, no matter what device screen resolution your visitor is using, the layout will adapt.
This opens a loophole for future devices, which can be released at different resolutions. A responsive layout makes your site ready for any devices like tablets, smartphones or even those that do not yet exist.
Thinking about responsiveness is key to continuing to compete in the digital marketplace.
The mobile reality is undeniable. Google searches over mobile phones have already surpassed those made by computers. Netbooks, tablets and especially smartphones are the present and the future.
Smartphones have changed the entire organizational concept of society. We use them to talk, make and share photos, videos, search services, products, companies, shopping, among others. Therefore, it is critical that any site provides a pleasant experience for mobile users. Having a responsive design is no longer merely a good strategy but a necessity, because failing to adapt is to lose a huge market niche that only tends to expand.
So is your website responsive? Not yet? Do not waste any more time. Adapting your site is essential to gaining a competitive advantage!
If you need help creating a new website or want more information, drop us a line at SWOT Digital and we’d be happy to discuss how we can help you.
