8 Reasons Why you Need to Have a Responsive Website in 2018

8 Reasons Why you Need to Have a Responsive Website in 2018
Published

02 Apr 2018

Content

Michael Signal

The move towards responsive websites has been happening for a few years now. But in 2018, the need for a responsible design has gone from maybe to definitely. With devices coming in all shapes and sizes, and big data players actively telling people ‘make the web responsive’ there’s really no time to delay.

What is responsive web design?

Simply put, responsive design is an approach to web design that ensures web pages render correctly and are optimised for a variety of devices and screen sizes. Responsive web design is necessary to make your website look good across all devices (smartphones, tablets and desktops). Still unsure why this is so important for your business? Read on to find out why you need to make your website responsive this year.

1. Mobile is a priority

In 2016, 43.6 percent of all web traffic came from mobile phones, an 8.5 percent gain on the previous year. This information demonstrates a trend you’ve probably heard before. Mobile is taking over.

Google even has a ‘Mobile First Index’ which will roll out in early 2018. This index will prioritise mobile pages in search results. That means that if you want any chance of appearing on page 1 of Google, you will need to work on the mobile responsiveness of your site. So if you’re not on the responsive design bandwagon yet, it might be time to jump on. After all, mobile is just the beginning of the device revolution.

2. Responsive design gives the best user experience

Without a great UX, your customers won’t engage with your website. Technology continues to push web properties to provide faster, better and more responsive engagements.

Responsive design is the solution to this. An experience that is comfortable for the user across multiple platforms. That feels familiar yet engaging. These are the hallmarks of a responsive website. With customer expectations so high, you want to provide the best UX in 2018.

3. Lower ongoing costs

Mobile usage isn’t going anywhere, and as the Internet of Things begins to play a more significant role in our lives, we’ll see even more devices and screens in different shapes and sizes.

Moving forward, it’s much more cost effective to have a responsive website that looks great on any device than it is to manage and deploy multiple versions of your website.

In 2018 there’s never been a better time to make sure your site looks as good on the desktop as it does on smart phone and home devices.

4. A seamless, integrated experience

Your users will come to you through many different methods, and regular visitors will return on different devices. A responsive website provides that seamless user experience that is key to driving customer satisfaction with your product. If you’re an ecommerce store but your checkout process isn’t mobile friendly, you’ll have a hard time getting users to convert.

In 2018, your users will check your site on their phone, then continue when they’re in front

of their desktop, then maybe even on the couch on their tablet. Make their experience awesome across all devices with a responsive website.

5. Better SEO rankings

A responsive website will improve your website SEO in a number of ways:

  • Satisfied user behaviour onsite affects SEO ranking factors – i.e. a good bounce rate will indicate that the user stays on your site longer, which is indicative of a positive user experience
  • Single urls for content across all devices
  • Customers more likely to return and share content, which has run-on benefits for SEO.
  • Easier to maintain a single CMS

Better SEO means more organic traffic and interest customers. In 2018, competition for clicks is higher than ever, so it pays to start your responsive design today.

Google actually recommends using responsive design in their webmaster guidelines. What better testament to responsive design can you get?

In 2018 we’re seeing a trend towards bright colour use and bold fonts. These design trends help content stand out, particularly in collaboration with lots of negative space (i.e white space).

The rationale behind this trend is that these touches help capture your visitors attention quickly. After all, you only have a small amount of time to engage your visitor and keep them on your site. These design features need to translate well across all devices, signifying a doubling down on responsive design.

7. Responsive design stands out

It’s amazing how quickly new ideas spread online. Responsive design is quickly becoming visible as the mark of a successful, trustworthy and on-trend website. By changing to responsive design now, you’re giving your web property the best chance to stand out from the crowd and make a great first impression.

8. Responsive websites are easier to manage

By following responsive design principles you’re actually making your website easier to manage. That’s because:

  • Changes are quicker to deploy
  • Content scales across all devices
  • You don’t need to manage multiple sites
  • Your website is up-to-date with current trends.

This last point is important. We won’t ever see a return to ‘desktop’ style websites, but whatever the next big trend is, you can be it will grow out of responsive design, meaning your better positioned to catch the next wave as well.

Get a responsive website in 2018

With a decade of experience providing innovative digital solutions, EB Pearls is perfectly positioned to deliver your new, responsive website. Let us take the fuss out of web design and development for you. Our team of dedicated designers and engineers are highly experienced in creating beautiful, seamless websites that will delight your customers and have them coming back time and time again.

Talk to EB Pearls today and let us help you move into a responsive future.

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Mike

Michael is the creative brains of the company and he leads the UX and UI team at EB Pearls. He has experience of over 20 years in interaction design and have designed digital products for Fortune 50 companies all over the world.

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