The Importance of Mobile-Friendly Web Design
Almost everybody now has a smartphone, a tablet or both, and the sudden popularity of these devices has changed the way that people are viewing the web. As a nation, we are no longer looking at website through the large, spacious screens of our desktop and laptop computers, rather we are peering through these smaller screens, where space is a rare premium.
As a result, even website built relatively recently, in 2012 or 2013 but before the smartphone boom are at a large handicap on the web. websites that are not mobile friendly are frustrating for visitors, which not only decreases the chances of converting leads online, but also the chances of ranking well in search engines.
There are a few options when it comes to mobile friendly websites, with pro’s and con’s for each:
Dedicated Mobile Site
Some businesses choose to provide mobile visitors with an alternative version of their website, hosted and managed altogether separately for their ‘desktop’ version. While this method is mobile-friendly, there are a number of issue that can still cause your website to perform poorly:
- A dedicated mobile site is still not optimised for all screen sizes
- Can act negatively on search results due to content being duplicated
- Can frustrate many users through not giving as much information
Responsive Website
A responsive website is one that delivers the same information to every website visitor but that adapts it’s design to suit the screen size of that user. For example, a tablet user holding his/her device in the portrait orientation will see a design that differs slightly from a user holding a tablet in a landscape orientation, or a mobile user, or a desktop user and so on.
This means that every visitor to your website is getting the best possible user experience, and will be able to find the information they need as easily as possible. What’s more, search engines such as Google see this method of mobile-friendly web design as the preferable option so will rank your website above competitors on all devices.
Conclusions
It is vital now to have a mobile friendly website for your business, however to get the full benefits from it there are decisions to be made. Website success today is about user experience above anything else, and so the best approach differs from business to business. Bulletpoint are experts in responsive web design, and can help improve your website.