Be Responsive to Your On-the-Go Audience

It’s no secret that mobile phones and tablets have pretty much secured their place as technology which will constantly be at our sides indefinitely. People are steadily moving away from cumbersome laptops - much as they stepped away from desktops in recent times - and are instead embracing the power to browse on their mobile devices. This has inevitably led to the need for websites to embrace their audience’s method of choice. Sadly, not all brands have got the message: responsive websites make for happy browsers (and loyal customers).

Responsive websites change the layout of pages to fit the screens of mobile devices more easily, making for a smoother, more polished look overall. But it’s not just about making your site look more attractive by fitting the screen size beautifully – responsive websites make for an entirely more pleasant browsing experience, without the tricky screen-pinching to zoom in and out of text, or having to rotate the screen just to fit an image in. A website that is truly responsive will represent an ease of use equivalent to that of the desktop version, allowing for seamless navigation and a successful user journey ending in a conversion.

Although more brands have embraced responsive functions in recent years, some websites are guilty of continuing to be unresponsive. For ecommerce sites, the damage this can cause is even worse, as Walmart no doubt understood in the time before they refreshed their American site. Abandoned baskets and lost revenue are a guaranteed site on an unresponsive ecommerce site, and it takes hard work and unnecessary spend to try and fix that.

Some brands have seen the light, only to head in the wrong direction. Responsive websites have been overlooked in favour of mobile websites, which usually feature limited functionality and content. Users expect more – they have access to the entire internet in the palm of their hand for most of the day, and have come to understand that there’s no need to wait to be at a computer to make a purchase or browse anymore.

Furthermore, over the coming month Google will be updating its search algorithm - and those websites which aren't optimised for the smaller mobile device screen are almost guaranteed to fall by the wayside.

Google's mission has always been to make the user experience easier, as well as providing the most relevant search results. With 94% of users now browsing local information through mobile devices, Google's algorithm update will see a marked increase in discrimination against non-responsive sites.

In short: don’t let your brand’s reputation and customers suffer because of an unresponsive website – when competitors are offering complete responsiveness and functionality, you’ll find that browsers on the go are more likely to turn the other way.

Interested in making your website look, feel and act better on mobile devices through a responsive website design? Get in touch to find out how Christian Michaels can help.

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