In our previous article What is responsive website? we concluded that a responsive site was about ensuring that no matter how a user accesses your website they are presented with an attractive, easy to use and navigable website that has been designed to help them achieve their goal.
However, you may be thinking that although this sounds very nice, does it affect your website? And even if it does, is it worth investing in?
To answer the first question, I’ll refer to the statistics I quoted in the previous article; 72% of the UK now own a smartphone, and it is predicted that 50% of households will own a tablet by the end of 2014. These are staggering numbers, and they are continuing to grow, so it is highly likely that your users are browsing your website from mobile devices. If you want to know for definite then you can find out your mobile usage statistics from Google analytics if you have it enabled on your site.
A better experience is good for your brand
It sounds like common sense, but if your website is easy to use then that will be a positive experience for your customer, making them more likely to remember you and return to your site. When you’re looking for a quick answer to a question, or looking to make an easy purchase, few things can be as off-putting as a site that’s difficult to navigate and needs to be endlessness dragged around the screen in order for your customer to reach the essential buttons. A responsive site ensures a good experience for your visitors.
It can increase your conversion rates
The numbers speak for themselves here. Several companies and organisations have gone public with figures following responsive redesigns of their websites.
Regent College’s Responsive Redesign resulted in a 99% increase in unique visitors*, 77% increase pageviews* and 63% increase in online applications*.
The clothing brand O’Neill’s Responsive Redesign brought a 65.7% conversion rate increase on iPhone/iPod*, 101.2% revenue growth on iPhone/iPod*. On Android devices* there was an astonishing 407.3% conversion rate increase, 591.4% revenue growth on Android devices*, 20.3% conversion rate increase on non-mobile devices* and 41.1% revenue growth on non-mobile devices*
Google likes it
Responsive design is Google’s recommended way of serving websites to mobile browsers. Following Google’s recommendations is best for your SEO results as it means they’re more likely to rank you higher as a useful website to a searching user.
A responsive site = easier management
Having one responsive site, as opposed to specific ‘desktop’ and ‘mobile’ versions of a site, means that there is only one set of content to manage – making adding content and keeping it up to date much easier (especially when using our Nest content management system). Everything is in one place.
It is future-proof
Building your website in a responsive way will ensure that it is more future-proof, as it will be designed not just for one screen size, but to display well across all screen sizes – this means it will hopefully still be displaying well in a few years as screens sizes change and resolutions increase. If you plan to be around in the long term, it’s worth investing in a website that is robust and will stand the test of time.
These are just some of the reasons for considering a responsive site, if you’re convinced, or you’d like to talk to us about how going responsive could help your business then get in touch we’d love to help.