Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking that creating a basic website is sufficient for having an online presence. A few may also have a mobile website. With our rapidly changing world, however, neither of these options will truly suit the needs of the growing number of smartphone and tablet users. Responsive web design is the solution.
Responsive web design does exactly what its name implies – it responds to the device that a person is using. Pages will look similar on any type of screen, and if there is less room, the structure of the page will change to fit the space.
So why is responsive design necessary? Because you want your site's viewers to have the most pleasant user experience as possible.
"A traditional website design that looks great on a desktop will often times look out of sync on a mobile screen," said Florida-based marketer Jonathan Long on the website Business 2 Community. "This forces the user to move the screen and zoom in and out while attempting to browse the website. Many users will leave a website as quickly as they landed on it if they have a difficult time navigating the site."
Here are a few more reasons why you may want to consider responsive design:
- It prevents the problem of having duplicate content, which can result in penalties from search engines.
- It will put you ahead of many of your competitors, as many businesses are not ready to invest in this technology yet.
- Responsive design will help you hold on to your customer base and possibly increase it.
Small businesses interested in increasing and improving their online presence should consider partnering with an internet marketing agency like KeyMedia Solutions.