According to Google, more than 50% of web traffic comes from mobile. Is your mind blown? No? Good. We’re not expecting anyone’s jaws to drop at that statistic. We’re all well-used to browsing, shopping, researching, and Tweetbookgramming on our small screens. So the importance of having a mobile-friendly website should come as no great shock.

Responsive web design is an absolute must to cater to the majority of web users in our multi-screen society. You’ve got to make sure your website is as sleek and on point on your mobile as it is on desktop. By now, that much is instinctively true. Here’s exactly why it’s so important to invest in having a mobile-friendly website…

1. Responsive Web Design Means Better User Experience

At one time or another, we’ve all experienced the frustration of having to navigate a non-responsive website on our phones. It can feel like a game of Operation trying to select the right button without our massive thumbs clicking on the buttons surrounding it.

Elegant and responsive web designs completely eliminate that frustration. Buttons, menus, texts, and images are all perfectly sized no matter what device you’re using.

2. Responsive Web Design Means Better Engagement

Improved user experience leads to decreased bounce rates and increased session duration. If your users can easily navigate your responsive website and find what they’re looking for with minimal fuss, they’re more likely to stick around and hear what you have to say.

3. Responsive Web Design Means Increased Revenue

If your website is a dream to use, that’s one less obstacle for getting your customers through to completing a transaction. Whether you’re running an online store, or you’re using your website to promote your services, a responsive website that’s easy to use is far more likely to convert leads into sales. Kaching!

4. Responsive Websites Are Easier to Manage

There’s an alternative to responsive web design, and that is to create a separate mobile website. But separate mobile sites are more difficult to manage than responsive websites. You’ll essentially need to duplicate your marketing efforts to drive traffic to both your mobile and desktop websites, costing you time and money.

5. Responsive Websites Have SEO Perks

There’s another major con to separate mobile sites. Last year, Google announced that in order to improve your ranking, website owners should ensure that content is the same on desktop and mobile. Responsive websites automatically include the same content, whereas mobile websites are typically a pared-back version, meaning there’s less content for Google to trawl.

Since Google now indexes mobile and websites first, if you have less content on your mobile website, this will put you at a disadvantage.

6. Responsive Websites Reduce Page Load Speed

Responsive websites load faster, which not only improves user experience (see point 1) it’s also a major factor in search engine rankings (see point 5). Google rewards pages with fast load speeds because that means it can index websites more efficiently. Good for Google = great for your website.

7. Responsive Websites Are Better For Your Social Media Followers

Are you one of the many cell phone users who scroll through social media before getting out of bed? Or on your way to work? Or how about on a second screen while watching TV? The chances are that the majority of your Tweeting and Facebooking and Instagramming happens on your smartphone or tablet.

The same is true for your customers. When you link your website to your social media posts does it lead them to a responsive website that is optimized for their smaller screen? Or will they have to squinting and zooming and accidentally pressing the wrong buttons?

There you have it. When building a website, make sure you make it responsive. If you need any further information or assistance in building a responsive website, get in touch, and our professionals will be happy to help.