Have you ever received a badly formatted email? Or seen a webpage that rendered strangely on mobile? Unfortunately, despite mobile sales exceeding desktop sales, some companies still haven’t recognised the importance of a responsive web design. A responsive webpage is a webpage that adapts to fit the size of your screen without compromising on design and user experience. 

Why Responsive?

Google lists a responsive web design as one of the industry’s best practices.  This is because responsive websites only utilise one URL and the same HTML whereas sites that use a separate mobile website means Google has to crawl and index multiple versions of the same website. Having one website rather than two means website managers won’t have to create separate SEO campaigns designed for the mobile and the desktop.

When users share particular webpages, desktop users who get sent links to a mobile version of a site see a version that has less content and a more simplified design. On the other hand, mobile users who click on links meant for desktop use, see a compressed and distorted webpage in their browser. Responsive web design ensures that users across all mediums are getting the same level of user experience and are accessing the same content.

How to Ensure Responsiveness

User experiences need to be designed for the devices that it will be used on. If you don’t have a talented web developer on your team, another measure you can take is by using pre-made templates on a site like WordPress or Squarespace. 

Having a webpage that looks renders cohesively across multiple devices, means better customer experiences and higher level of visitor retention. As we move into the digital era and technological growth starts to accelerate, websites are becoming more competitive and customers are making their decisions based off on what a company's website looks like. Having a website that's fit for format means you have a higher chance of staying competitive in this ever evolving landscape. 

Written by Lina Lau, Digital Executive at Step Change

Lina’s natural flair for Java code meant she was presenting theories to her own lecturers before even graduating. A computer science and law major, she brings unique ‘systems meet psychology’ approach to marketing and strategy. Strategic problem-solver at heart, she honed her tech skills by teaching herself how to hack and understanding crypto currencies. Her diverse range of skills and natural love for entrepreneurship and understanding businesses led her to Step Change.