The Importance of Being Responsive
Any designer building websites today, should be well versed in Responsive Site Design. A fundamental piece of the design process is the knowledge that the website will be viewed on many types of devices from computers to tablets to smartphones. Understanding this from concept to completion helps the designer to offer full responsive capabilities.
It is important to clarify some terminology for the benefit of a client. Adaptive websites are not necessarily responsive ones. An Adaptive website will change in to fit predetermined screen and device sizes. Responsive sites are fluid meaning they will adapt and respond to any screen or device.
Both are good designs modes but Responsive sites will offer more seamless and broad choices. Responsive sites are created in such a format that not only does the site fit any screen or device; the site itself will adjust and change its look accordingly through the use of a fluid framework. This is one advantage of the Responsive Design method. Adaptive sites use a rigid framework.
There are drawbacks to both design models. Responsive design offers less control over the layout despite the fact that it will adjust the layout depending upon the device. It can also often be slower to load. Adaptive sites may adjust to different devices but require more maintenance and the designer to build a separate site for use on differing devices.
The cost of both design modes varies. Responsive designs can be less expensive even though it requires the developer to spend significant time coding while offering the most user options. It also requires less labor-intensive building for multiple sites. Since adaptive requires more building, it can get expensive over the long haul.
There are several benefits to using a Responsive or even an Adaptive design
1. Improved SEO rankings. Google, Bing and Yahoo give preference to sites that incorporate these elements. This can improve your search-ability. Responsive designs have a massive advantage here.
2. Being on the cutting edge of technology and design helps you maintain an advantage over your competition.
3. The two can be used together to create an even more unique web experience.
Test your site now – Better yet, Test your competition’s site!
It’s easy! Just type in the web address (URL) in your phone or tablet’s browser. Or, just go to the site on your computer and drag your browser’s window to make it super skinny and see what happens.
If the site stays the same and you have to drag around to find the content you want – or to see the full site, it is not responsive at all. Worse yet, it is being penalized by major search engines for not being so. Depending on your industry, 40% or more of your visitors are looking you up on mobile devices. Do you really want them to have to hunt for you?
Working with Contemporary Websites you won’t have to worry about this at all. We’ll never think of starting you off with a static non-responsive site. We don’t care if you’re dog-sitting, carpet cleaning, housesitting, renovating homes, or running a law firm—we understand the value of providing the best business tool for your money.
Contact us today and let’s talk about your needs.