Having a presence online is an undoubtedly important aspect of running a successful business. But in an ever-changing technological world, it’s equally as important to cater your online presence for all visitors. A user-friendly website includes more than accessible and concise information and beautiful images — it also needs to adapt to every screen.
Consumers are constantly on the go and seeking out information on the move with mobile devices. If your website is slow to load or not responsive to smaller screens, consumers are likely to look for other more accessible sites. Which means a loss of business for you.
A responsive website is one that is designed to adapt to each viewer. Whether consumers are using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, the site will fit each screen variation. For mobile users, a responsive website design is especially important. Most smartphones are about five inches tall. This means that your consumers only have around five inches of screen available to view your website. A responsive site is designed to fill that space — compressing the full-scale design, minimizing the menu to be unobtrusive but easily accessible, and organizing information based on importance. Mobile consumers can peruse the site with ease and still have access to the full range of information and options available with the full-scale design. That ease of access and clean design will translate into a stronger search engine response and increased web traffic.
A non-responsive website is stagnant and difficult to use outside of the full-scale design. It requires mobile users to dig for information that should be easily accessible, which is likely to discourage many users from searching any further. Each user that clicks away from your non-responsive site will likely be looking at one of your competitors instead, especially if they have a responsive site. Not only can a non-responsive site pull customers and sales away from your business, it can funnel those same sales into your competitor’s pocket.
The easy solution to avoid this problem is to update your website to be fully responsive. Even websites created in the past few years may be lagging behind current technology and not fully adaptable. Since a fully responsive website is more than just a condensed, less useful version of your full site, it requires smart design to create a fully functional site in a smaller space.
Your mobile website should be as beautiful and well designed as the full-scale version. The site functions as the online face of your business. You want it to show well in every light. An effective mobile design means prioritizing information, understanding your consumer and their purchasing habits, and creating an effective brand throughout. A creative agency can work carefully through each step, making sure that your end result is a well designed, beautiful, and engaging website that fits and functions on every device.
