The way people access information has changed drastically over the past few years with the thanks to technology and the marketing teams behind tech companies. Simply put, people like to get their information on the move so it’s not surprising that users spend about 69% of their media time on smartphones.
With statistics like that, designing your mobile-responsive website design is no longer just a nice feature, it’s a necessity. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re probably losing more sales than you’d like to know or admit.
When designing your website it’s extremely important that you consider how it will look on multiple devices: desktops, laptops, tablets and most importantly, mobile phones. Responsive design is when websites are created with multiple devices in mind, ensuring the user has an optimal viewing experience.
The vast majority of customer interaction with the online world is done on mobile phones so it’s essential that your website is designed to be responsive. Meaning that the design and content get stacked and shuffled around to adapt to smaller screen sizes.
Not only that, marketers are optimising for mobile and focusing more on mobile marketing at an increasing rate so responsive design should be at the forefront of your website goals.
80% of smartphone users check their phones before brushing their teeth.
If you’re still not sold, think about how you browse and shop online. Without even realising it, your favourite websites and online experiences most likely utilise responsive design. The beauty of good design is that it’s transparent.
57% of users say they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website. If that’s not enough, consumers are more likely to not only recommend, but buy from the business that has a better website and offers a better mobile experience. For all your hard work, you want that result.
It’s not just all about screen size. Ease of reading and navigation are at the forefront of responsive design. The way a user will interact with your website should be your biggest consideration.
The navigation menu on smaller devices appears differently to desktop computers. To allow for the stacking of responsive websites, the navigation menu is required to be condensed so it can fit on smaller screens. A common way is to use a hamburger menu.
Suggestive of a list, when you click the hamburger icon a drop-down menu is revealed, making it easier to view menu options on mobile devices while maintaining design.
Then there’s the whole SEO thing to consider. Basically, if you’re making it hard for people to access information, Google’s smart little bots are going to deduct SEO ranking points from your website. A big hell no for all of your hard work and investment.
So, how do I make sure my website is mobile-responsive?
1. The best way to achieve responsive design is to get yourself an experienced web designer. A good designer will not only design your site to be user-friendly but so that it still actually looks good and achieves your goals when the design gets shuffled on smaller devices.
2. If you’re just testing your business idea and going down the DIY route, then do a little research around best practices for web design. Most DIY platforms available these days utilise a drag and drop builder and are set up for mobile friendliness.
3. This one is a no-brainer but also easy to forget when you’re excited to get your site live. Make sure you test your website on multiple devices and browsers to ensure everything looks great before launching.
If you fall into the category where your website is outdated then it’s time for a refresh because you’re missing out on a whole lot of other features that help turn those clicks into sales and make your business operations run more smoothly in general.
