October 31, 2013

What is responsive web design?

Responsive websites have specific back-end coding and technology that stretches, shrinks, and visually adjusts the layout of awbsite when viewed on various non-PC devices, like mobile phones, tablets, eReaders, or smart TVs. Though responsive websites use the same basic HTML code as their PC-based counterparts, small changes to the site's CSS determine how the content is displayed on different devices.

Responsive sites look modern and fit in with today's web standards. Websites that are laid out only for computer can look dated and difficult to manage when uploaded to modern mobile devices.

Using a responsive website can also have a positive impact on your website's SEO. Because it's the same content as the static site, search engines don't need to crawl both mobile and static websites.

It's easier to make sure that you're getting the right content in front of your customers at the moment they want it, especially if your business is doing an email marketing campaign. Many users read their emails while waiting in line or commuting and they can easily navigate to your website and have an enjoyable experience instead of needing to remember to return to your site at a later time.

Some responsive websites can take longer to load. Because the images on a responsive site are just visually scaled down and not re-sized for fastest load times, smartphone and tablets can notice a lag in loading speeds, especially when being used on a mobile network (not a Wi-Fi connection)

Since the website content is now stacked vertically to accommodate smaller screen space, important features can get overlooked by users due to long scrolling.

If you're unsure if a resposive webste is right for business, it's important to take into account who your customers are, how they interact with your website, and when and where they are most likely to access it.  Visit http://www.bopdesign.com for more information.