

“Responsive web design offers us a way forward, finally allowing us to design for the ebb and flow of things.” -Ethan Marcotte The term was actually coined in 2010 by web designer Ethan Marcotte. Now you can understand why responsive web design is not a shiny trend anymore, but more of a shift in the thinking behind building websites. With the number of device types out there on the market today, this seems completely inefficient…right? In the past, developers built more than one site in order to accommodate different screen sizes. The importance of responsive web design is that it offers an optimized browsing experience.īasically, your website will look great and work well on a desktop (or laptop), a tablet, and a mobile phone’s browser. A responsive website has a fluid and flexible layout which adjusts according to screen size. Responsive web design (RWD) creates a system for a single site to react to the size of a user’s device-with one URL and one content source. Let’s get into the details about the why and how.įirst of all…what the heck is mobile responsive design and why should you care? What is Responsive Web Design? To ensure your website offers an experience tailored to handheld devices (without creating a separate app), consider why responsive design is important as a mobile solution. It’s true that over 60% of searches online now come from a mobile device. This means that they are not getting found online. Websites not optimized for all these smaller screens can experience a decline in their search engine rankings. What is a responsive website?Ī responsive website changes the layout to offer an experience based on the device being used, especially ideal for mobile viewing.Ī mobile responsive website includes design elements such as:ĭid you know the number of smartphone users internationally surpassed 2 billion in 2016? In fact, 40% of users have gone to a competitor’s website after a poor mobile experience. If it is not, your brand may be losing out on leads and sales. Simply put, a website needs to be user-friendly on a smartphone. The date was aptly named Mobilegeddon. This reason alone can justify why responsive design is important!

Can you recall the shrunken version of a desktop site on your phone, where you have to pinch and zoom to see anything? It was likely not an optimal experience!īecause of this, back in 2015, Google rolled out a change to the search engine algorithms which now factor in a website’s mobile presence as a ranking signal.
