Benefits of Responsive Web Design

We’re in an age where you can access the internet from handheld devices. Mobile phones and tablet devices are now the most talked about subject in technology, so it comes as no surprise that most major companies invest in responsive web design to make their website flexible for different formats.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Responsive web design is a set of techniques used in web development to make a the images and layout of a website flexible. In short, the practice makes websites adapt to the size of the users browser window screen, using fluid dimensions.

It’s getting more important to consider responsive website design as an investment before building any website. More people are moving from conventional laptops to tablet devices for browsing the internet, so it would be unwise not to maximise the usability of your website.

Take this scenario for example. You approach a web design agency in London, you give them an idea for your business website. Everything goes very well in the project, and you are given a website that looks great, and generates leads for your company. You are happy with what you’ve been given, and then you make the final payment and get your website online. You should be satisfied with the work done, right? Well you later will realise that the website doesn’t look good on mobile devices, and you send an email to your web agency asking if the website is iPad and mobile compatible. They reply saying no, it wasn’t in the original brief of the document. You will then have to pay more money to upgrade the website.

You don’t want this scenario to become a reality, so before you sign off on any spec document, make sure that you’ve covered you mobile and tablet options with your project manager.

Responsive Web Design SEO Benefits

Not too long ago, to view a website on a mobile device you would have to be redirected to an entirely new site. This was to cater for individual device needs, e.g. one website for computers, one for tablets, and one for mobiles. Each website would have to have their own links, and it was a pain to manage because each one would have to be monitored separately. One responsive website means that you can manage one website with one set of links, without having to redirect users to another website where they will have to deal with server loading time. A responsive website improves SEO and reduces the amount of maintenance hassle, meaning there won’t be a drop in your website speed either. It’s a lot more stress free for the owner and the visitor.