As a webmaster looking to improve your website, it is likely that you have been informed numerous times that you need to have a responsive web design. Whilst this is true, it can be difficult to justify the price of a responsive web design, when you don’t really know what it means.

1. More than just mobile web design

Whereas a web design for mobiles is limited to viewing on smartphones, a responsive web design is suitable for all devices. This means that the same website can be viewed on desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones, as well as any other devices that come out like smart glasses and watches! Responsive web design is both intelligent and flexible. Using clever CSS coding they can determine the device they are being viewed on so they can adjust and adapt for optimal viewing.

If you choose to go for a separate design for tablets and mobiles, you will be missing out on the opportunity to future proof your website and improve its user experience.

2. Responsive web designs can save you money

Although London web design companies tend to charge more for responsive web designs, by investing in one, you can save money in the long run. If you build a responsive site, you will not have to build a separate design for tablets and mobiles, cutting your development costs dramatically. You will also be able to save on maintenance costs, as you will only need to maintain one website for all devices, rather than three or more separate sites.

3. Responsive web design is SEO friendly

Although Google tends to keep a lot of its SEO criteria secret, back in 2012 they let it be known that the search engine prefers responsive web design to mobile templates. This is due to the fact that a responsive web design only has one URL, making it easier for Google and other search engines to crawl it. Having a responsive web design will not only help your website to perform better in searches, but also make it easier for you to maintain.

4. It will lower your bounce rate

If visitors are trying to browse your website from their smartphone or tablet and your website is not responsive, it is likely that it will have a high bounce rate. Having a high bounce rate means that users are visiting your website and leaving shortly after because for one reason or another they are not satisfied. This may be due to the fact that your website does not adapt well to their screens sizes or devices, so they are struggling to browse it and carry out their actions.

By building a responsive website, you can ensure that your web design is suitable for all devices and therefore stand the best chance at keeping your visitors for longer. The longer they stay on your website, the more pages they will view and the more likely they are to convert in some way, whether this is registering with your website, buying your products or signing up to a newsletter.

5. Responsive web design often involves mobile-first thinking

When building a responsive web design, many developers choose to think about the smallest screen sizes first. They can then format their content and design navigational elements to work for the smallest sizes and work their way up to the largest sizes (desktop). By doing this they create much simpler navigation (necessary to a good user experience) and more engaging content.

6. It can help you increase your conversion rates

If you want to stand the best chance at being able to increase your websites conversion rates, you need to ensure it provides an excellent user experience. By building a responsive web design for your website, you can ensure you are catering to all users’ needs, no matter what device they are using to browse your website. If your responsive web design provides a fantastic user experience, users are more likely to convert.

7. Responsive web designs adapt to future devices

By investing in a responsive web design you can future proof your website. Although we currently have a wide range of highly functional devices to browse the internet on, technology companies are constantly developing new products and you never know what the future may hold. One of the benefits of responsive design is that it is not based on a particular device or screen size. This means that no matter what screen size users are viewing your website from in the future, it will be compatible and optimised.