Why You Need A Responsive Web Site
What is a responsive website? A responsive website is a web site designed to appear across all screen sizes. Initially web sites were designed only to be seen on average desktop screens.
There wasn’t the need to design web sites to be seen on smaller screens as mobile internet devices were not widely available then. Now a website needs to be seen on all internet ready devices.
Why is a responsive website so important for any business?
With the fast growing popularity of mobile devices and their ever changing screen sizes, and mobile devices users are usually searching online for an instant desire for information to either visit a physical business premises or wanting to purchase an item from an online store immediately, then it is becoming more and more important to ensure your business does not lose out on the traffic.
Restaurant responsive websites
If you have a restaurant type of business, ensuring your website is highly ranked, visible online and easily seen on mobile devices, with fast load times, easy to navigate menus then you will have a high chance of being found online by mobile searches looking for a place to eat in your locality. The responsive design, needs also to take into account easy to find contact information, so they know where you are and a phone number to call if they need to ask for directions or availability of stock.
Being found on Google maps is another highly important task to ensure you comply with. This will also help your potential customers find your restaurant easier.
E-commerce responsive websites
Potential customers using mobile devices are searching the internet on a whim, with often an immediate desire for that latest handbag or pair of shoes, or gift for somebody special or themselves! Having a responsive e-commerce web site will ensure that you are found by mobile users, often not at home and with high purchase possibility. Of course the responsive web design still needs to have fast load times, easy to navigate design and easy and fast purchase options.
Is it necessary to have a responsive website or an App?
The difference between a responsive website and an App, is sometimes, visually, not much different to the visitor. The main benefits of an App is that it can be seen offline and for size of the information.
If you have a large e-commerce website, then providing an App which contains all your products is a great method of increasing customer experience. Customers could feel privileged that you have provided a free App, so customer experience will be increased. The load times can be fast (saving on memory download times and costs) and can be easily updated when using WiFi. Using an App for your customers, can also enable you to provide a lot more information on your business or products and update fast with new products or services.
You can get websites that feel like an App but may not be accessible offline. Again, customer experience should dictate if this is necessary or not.
It is not necessary to have an App but user experience, size of site and ability to access information offline will determine if an App is preferable.
Responsive Websites – Summary
A responsive web site is one that can be automatically seen on varied screen sizes, a MUST HAVE for any website that targets mobile devices, which is probably 99% of all web sites.A responsive website must be fast loading, simple to navigate and easy to find information, purchase items with the fewest amount of clicks and easy to find contact details. A responsive website that has a lot of information, with slow load times, will deter users from visiting your site. Not having a responsive design will also prove damaging to their experience too.