Today, more people own a mobile device than a toothbrush. With the rapid increase in number of smartphones and tablet users, your business must be able to adapt to this growing trend and be flexible to ever-changing technology. If you want to succeed in this highly competitive online market, you need a mobile-friendly website for your business.

What is Responsive Design?

Whatever platform or device is used to view your website, a responsive design ensures that viewing is optimal for the user. It normalizes the look and feel of your website regardless of devices. You know a website has implemented a responsive design when you don’t have to zoom in for small text or struggle with navigation. A responsive design adapts to the user's screen size, resolution, and then projects an optimal view for any device.

#1 Reach the mobile market

Based on a report by comScore, the number of mobile users has now surpassed the number of desktop users worldwide in 2014. Without a mobile marketing strategy or mobile-friendly site, your business will lose a big slice of this market, which your competitors will happily accommodate.With responsive design, you are equipped with the right system that provides a satisfactory mobile experience to your users, thus giving you the opportunity to reach and cater to the mobile audience.

#2 Improve user experience

Responsive design allows you to have a consistent user experience. Instead of maintaining and designing a desktop and a mobile site, you will only implement a responsive design for one site that has a unified design approach across all devices. Users will be familiar with your site’s navigation and functionality, and this leads to a positive impact on user experience. With a positive user experience on your website, you can increase conversion rates, sales, and revenue.

#3 Be on the good side of Google

Google favors responsive websites and would display and rank those that are mobile friendly. A non-mobile web design is detected and classified by Google as an issue or error that needs fixing. If you want your website to be on the good side of Google, having a responsive web design is not just an option but must be a standard practice.

#4 Save money and time on mobile development

Responsive web design solves your problem of having a separate desktop site and mobile site. You spend double the money and double the time and effort maintaining two platforms and systems. There is also the possibility that you might provide inconsistent and mismatched information about your company, products and services. There is the risk of uploading the wrong version on one system or updating one version without doing the same for the other.The implications are clear with two separate systems while the alternative responsive solution sounds simple and efficient. It is easier to manage, cuts costs and time, and reduces the risk of errors.

#5 Avoid duplicate content issue

The risk of duplicity is high for a website that has two desktop and mobile versions. This means you are releasing the same content about your products and services in two different platforms. On the other hand, a responsive web design keeps one platform for your content, helping you avoid the risk of duplicate content issues and penalties by Google.

#6 Centralised analytics and reporting

All of your analysis and reporting is consolidated in Google Analytics whether for mobile, desktop, or even across browsers and operating systems. With a single responsive website, you don’t have to worry about tracking and monitoring the user journeys and redirections between two site versions. This allows a centralised tracking and analytics for easier monitoring and reporting.

#7 Stay ahead of competition

It is still surprising how many businesses have not implemented a responsive design for their websites. Having this understanding of the advantages and benefits of a responsive design is an opportunity to stay ahead of the competition, cater to the mobile consumers and get that big slice of the mobile market. Perhaps, the only important question that a business owner must ask today is “How do I start?”References:http://www.thebyte9.com/news/responsive-web-design-what-can-it-do-for-your-businesshttp://codeboxr.com/blogs/top-5-advantages-of-responsive-web-page-designFor more information on responsive web design, contact us today and get a free consultation.