Why You Need A Responsive Website for Your Business

A message to all business owners that have not upgraded to a responsive website; do it now!

There are many great benefits to having a responsive website. It is shocking to see that some businesses are yet to change over from their static website to a more mobile friendly and responsive website. From affecting your rankings to the usability of your website; there are so many areas that are affected when switching over to a responsive version of your website.

Why You Need A Responsive Website

A responsive website is where your site will alter its appearance depending on the device it is being viewed on. The website will appear as normal on a desktop computer, but when the browser is resized or the site is viewed on a mobile device; the sites appearance will change. The text will condense and the images, contact information and all the other site content will be organised into a format where it is still usable and readable.

No matter what device or browser is being used, a responsive website allows all kinds of viewers to be able to find and access the content on your website. However, if you decide to stay with your static site, expect to see some changes in a lot of areas; like your rankings.

We will be covering just why you should upgrade to a responsive website throughout this article.

Your Rankings

You rank very well for a wide range of keywords. However, you have a static website and have decided against making it responsive. Sound like you? Well you might want to reconsider that decision. Google will be favouring responsive websites that are available to be seen easily on any device and browser.

This won’t be as simple as dropping static sites. Instead, they will be giving responsive websites priority and will be giving them a boost. Therefore, if you stick with your static site and one of your competitors has a responsive site; you might see them get ahead of you. Google have already passed many updates over the years to work on improving the rankings of responsive websites.

With some of the more recent updates, many businesses are starting to see some drastic changes to their search results. This is going to be a large case when the next update is released; the mobile-first indexing update.

Mobile-First Indexing Update

Back on the 13th April this year, we covered what exactly is the mobile-first indexing update and what it is intended for. Well time has passed since then and its release is impending. Focusing on mobile versions of websites, Google wants to focus on improving the results of mobile friendly websites. Instead of showing the results based of the desktop version of a website, Google will now be looking at the mobile version first and then ranking the website based on that.

They are doing this because of the increase in mobile searches. More and more people every year are doing searches on their mobile phone. This means that more people will be looking for a mobile friendly website rather than a desktop site on their phone. Googles update will aim to improve the rankings of responsive, mobile friendly websites by looking at a variety of different factors.

These factors include looking to see if your site as separate URLs (e.g. www.sdgwebdesign.com for desktop and m.sdgwebdesign.com for mobile) or uses dynamic serving. Have a read through our other article to find out more on the ins and outs of the mobile-first indexing update.

Loss of Potential Business

Nearly 60% of searches are now being performed on a mobile device. This means that there is a higher chance for people to come across your site on their phone than their desktop. If you have a static site, they are highly likely to back off and go to someone else’s site that is responsive. This is a lot of potential business being sacrificed for the sake of saving some money.

Google Analytics is a great tool if you have it implemented on your site. It collects information, including where your traffic comes from. There are sections where you can get details on what devices people are using when accessing your site. Not all sites will have an increased number of mobile viewers compared to desktop users. However, if your site does have more mobile viewers and you are leaving your site un-responsive; you are sacrificing a lot of potential business.

Improved Online Reach

When the mobile-first update hits, people should expect to see their rankings change. If you are a business owner that has declined the upgrade to a responsive and mobile friendly website; you should expect to see your rankings drop. This reduces the chances of new potential customers to find you. Vies versa, utilising a mobile friendly site will enable more people to find you online.

Broadening your online reach should be a primary goal for your business. More and more people are searching online for products or services and if you don’t make yourself known; you will get lost in the crowd. Utilising a variety of SEO techniques and having a responsive website are just some of the key ways in which you do this.

Your online reach isn’t only beneficial for people to be able to find you, it lets them learn more about your business. They can then pass this on and before you know it, more people know who you are and might even be inclined to get in contact!

Increase of Online Shoppers

This is more of a focus on e-commerce websites, but does still apply for websites providing a service. More and more people are shopping online every year. This means more people are looking online when they need something. If you don’t have a website, you are losing a lot of business that could eventually put you out of business (unless you are a very large organisation). Having a static website won’t serve you much better either!

Utilising a responsive website when selling products means that people can easily use your site on any platform. More people are using their phones when browsing shops or businesses. If they are not able to easily browse your store, add items to their basket and checkout; they will go elsewhere. The same applies to any site. If someone is not able to easily access the website and get what they are looking for; they are highly likely to go elsewhere.

With the increase in mobile shoppers, your business would benefit greatly from a good website. A well designed, easily to use and informative website has many benefits. Add the ability to be seen on any platform; you have got a recipe for a highly efficient website.

Different Devices and Browsers

As mentioned already, a responsive site allows the website to be seen on any device or browser. This is highly efficient at ensuring all potential customers have access to your website, no matter the device or browser they are using. Some people will keep using their desktop as they might be sat in front of one. However, there are those that will shop while they are out. They could be shopping on the train or bus or could just be browsing through businesses while at a café.

There are so many devices available and they are often have different sized screens. From different sized laptops to tablets and mobile phones; a responsive website will enable you to reach all these devices. A static website will require the user to zoom in and scroll around to read any text or look at images. This also goes for when they want to navigate to a certain page. A responsive website will enable your potential customers to easily navigate through your site and get what they need. Removing the need to zoom in and out while also having to scroll across the site to view everything will give people a much better experience.

Usability

The ability for it to be used on any device greatly helps your sites usability. It enables users to quickly and easily view or use your site without too much hassle. Information from the desktop site is condensed to be available on a different platform. This means that no matter what someone is using, they can view your site. This is especially helpful when someone comes across your site on a desktop; remembers your business and then tries to view your website later in the day on their phone.

Having a website that is easily usable by anyone who visits your site is a quick way to keep visitors on your site or at least bring them back in future. An easy to use site that provides its users with the information they need is the best kind of site. Making it responsive covers the easy to use part; utilising SEO techniques and making your site interesting is how you give the user what they need.

So, Why Is It So Important to Have a Responsive Website?

A responsive website aids any business looking at improving their online image and to avoid being penalised by Google when they bring out further updates to their algorithm. There are many other benefits, all of which have been mentioned in this article. If you are a business owner looking for a re-design or for a new website; get in contact to see how a responsive website will help you.