Responsive Design - Now or Never?

Cutting to the chase right away – responsive design is the single most important feature your website needs right now. Quite literally above and beyond everything else, responsive web design really is the be all and end all. Why? Well, quite simply because as of 2016, the total global smartphone user population hit the 2 billion mark for the very first time. What’s more, 60% of web searches now originate from mobile devices and the figure is accelerating like never before. To call mobile the future of the web is misguided – it’s already happening. As for Google and Co…well, these guys are of course dedicated to giving their customers exactly what they want. And if it’s mobile-friendly websites the masses want, these are what the major search engines will focus on. Which has certainly proved true, with Google having made the decision to start rewarding multi-device compatible websites as far back as April 2015. Which means that if you’re not already up to speed with the new standard, you’re already a year behind. Don’t feel too bad though – research suggests that around 90% of smaller and newer businesses don’t have mobile-optimised websites.

Now or Never

The simple fact of the matter is that time is running out to get your website and your business in front of a growing global mobile audience. It’s already become apparent that not only do consumers respond well to quality mobile sites, but they expect them as standard and will tolerate nothing less. Likewise, poorly-presented mobile websites exponentially reduce the likelihood of conversions, accelerating bounce rates and harming brand reputations. But these are mistakes that so many businesses are still overlooking, despite the fact that more than half of all e-commerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. By overlooking the importance of responsive web design, businesses of all shapes and sizes are blissfully unaware of the fact that they’re driving customers directly toward their rivals. And once you’ve well and truly turned them off, the likelihood of them coming back is near zero.

A Simple Transition

The beauty of responsive web design is the way in which it provides you with a single website of impeccable quality that is suitable for all needs and purposes. It’s not a case of having a stripped-down mobile website for smaller device users, but a single web entity that actively adjusts to the needs of the visitor. And contrary to popular belief, converting an existing website to give it full responsive prowess is both possible and less terrifying than it may come across. Either way, it’s an investment in your business that will need to be made sooner or later. The only question being exactly how much business you’re happy to allow slip through the net in the meantime, harming your reputation and bolstering your rivals at the same time. The sites that Say Web Design develop are optimised for mobile devices as standard. Get in touch with us today to discuss your responsive design requirements.