Responsive web design continues to grab the attention of internet marketers who are looking for a way to capitalise on the existing qualities of the organisations for which they are responsible at a time of great change.
Mobile devices are forcing site owners and search engines alike to rethink the way they operate, with browsing habits being dictated by the ease with which smartphones and tablets facilitate fluid and fast access to the internet.
It is even reshaping the concept of e-commerce to the point that eventually individual retailer sites may ultimately become redundant, at least if Google has its way.
All of this should not be ignored by small businesses, so here are three reasons that responsive design can benefit companies of all sizes.
Future-Proofing
Adopting a responsive approach to web design is an act which recognises the way the web is moving – smartphone ownership continues to rise and consumers are increasingly content to carry out transactions from their handsets.
Mobiles are also moving to replace real-world payment cards and even cash as the de facto standard for bricks-and-mortar transactions, and there is ongoing streamlining of the various services involved as contactless payments and digital wallets evolve.
This means that a responsive site which is adopted today can help a business cope with whatever trend takes the fancy of the hardware market in the future, whether it is bigger displays, flexible devices or the emerging Internet of Things (IoT).
Customer Satisfaction
Online shoppers, especially in mature markets like the UK, know instinctively what to expect from an e-commerce site or any web-based business in general. And so when these expectations are not met, people are quick to condemn a site as being archaic, unintuitive or simply ugly.
Even if responsive design as a term is not talked about much by mainstream audiences, it is becoming common enough that people can detect its absence. Even the practice of running a separate mobile-optimised domain for portable-device users is no longer enough to guarantee satisfaction; the unified experience offered by responsive design is too compelling to ignore.
So businesses may need to seek the services of companies which offer web design that can help small firms flourish.
Search Optimisation
Both Google and Microsoft have used their respective search engines to penalise any site which is not easy to view from mobile devices in recent months, while adding mobile-friendly tags and giving a rankings boost to those that are in tune with modern browsing habits.
As a result, organic SEO is now heavily reliant on catering to the needs and desires of mobile users. And small companies may sink or swim based on whether or not they have taken the time to jump on this fast-moving bandwagon.
Ensure the site is fully optimised by performing software testing services on it either by referring this to people you know to try on their own devices or go to a professional operation like that of https://www.bugfinders.com.
There are many more reasons to make responsive web design a priority, but small businesses should already have established that this is a trend of which they cannot afford to remain ignorant.