Why You Should Consider Responsive Web Design (and How to Know if It’s Best for You)

Are you thinking to revamp your website?

Then of course you’d have prepared your web design checklist?

Sure you didn’t forget anything? Right from standards-compliance to security, from performance to typography, from architecture to usability, from content to SEO and maintenance?

All check? But what about your site’s mobile friendliness? How do you plan on catering your mobile audience? Have you thought about making your site future friendly, if not future proof?

Today, you can’t ignore responsive web design if you aim to give an optimal experience to your audience and to increase leads, sales and conversions.

Also Read: 6 Web Design Trends That Will Dominate In 2017

What exactly is responsive web design

Responsive web design is an approach to design adaptive, flexible websites in a way that helps give a sustainable experience to users.

Based on fluid grids, CSS3 media queries and flexible images (and at times server side components), responsive websites, often coupled with device agnosticism, cater users across not just available smartphones and desktops but also across the devices that’re yet to be made.

For those who think responsive design is hands down a loser when it comes to performance, you need to rise above aesthetics and prioritize performance. There’re tons of techniques like conditional loading and tools like Google Page Speed that help create a high-performance responsive design.

If you’re curious to know more about how to improve site performance, you may want to check out this post – Your Page Speed Is More Important than You Think.

Is it right for you?

Google recommends responsive design – but that doesn’t mean it’s a right fit for you. You should know about all your mobile options and determine what most ideally suits your business.

Your two options:

• Responsive web design
• Separate mobile website

Responsive design is best for websites with more content and less user interactions – that’s why most blogs use it. Folks like TechCrunch, Smashing Magazine, Mashable and The Next Web all have embraced responsive design with both hands. Responsive design is generally not considered the best option for ecommerce websites.

At ResultFirst we recently went the responsive way as it helps us best cater our audience –people who’re interested in learning about/growing with digital marketing.

Separate mobile websites, on the other hand, are best for websites that’re task focused and/or have heavy user interaction. YouTube, Amazon, ebay, Flipkart and Facebook are some of the best examples. These websites may deprive users of valuable content, if used with information rich websites, because, in Brad Frost’s words: “mobile users will do anything and everything desktop users will do, provided it’s presented in a usable way.”

What’re your thoughts on responsive web design and separate mobile websites? What did you choose and why? We’ll see you in the comments.

Also Read: What Are The Responsibilities Of Web Designers