How will marketing responsive web design change the way people build and engage with websites? Unless your website is ultra-complex with specialised features, most people do not need to rely on the services of web developers and designers, but there is one thing that all websites should have whether you pay a developer or do it yourself and that is responsive web design.
What is Responsive Web Design?
As technology has grown and the way we use it has changed over the years, the meaning of responsive web design has also developed. On a very basic level, responsive design changes to suit the needs of its user.
A website with responsive design is set so that it automatically scales its elements and content to match the size of the user’s screen, so site viewers no longer have to do extra scrolling or panning when an image or block of text has exceeded the width of their screen. If a user has to resize, scroll, zoom or pan to view content it means that the website has not been optimised for use on various devices. If a website is too difficult to use, it often becomes a deterrent for site users who may become potential clients or customers.
And good news if you were thinking of building your own website – you no longer need to build a specific version of your website for smartphone users, instead, with responsive designs, the screen automatically resizes to fit the device of the user.
What are the benefits?
Easier Management & Understanding of Technology
Changes can be made without you needing to chase up your designer to fix a typo or update old content. Because responsive design allows those who do not have developer knowledge to easily create and maintain their own websites, it means that more people are learning how to build websites and work with new technology.
Improved UX
This might be the most integral benefit of all. Site visitors look to a company’s website for reliability, if their website is hard to use, chances are they will lose interest. Responsive design cuts out any extra work (scrolling, panning, zooming) for users and ensures that your website looks it best on every screen.
However, this is not the only way in which responsiveness is a crucial factor in user experience. If you want to run complex marketing campaigns or require funnelling on your website then website responsiveness is a must to ensure that your website visitors are able to navigate your website at all stages.
SEO
Since Google ranks websites that are mobile-friendly higher than those that are not, responsive design gives your website the edge over search engine competitors.
Cost-Effective
By allowing users to build and manage their own websites, forgoing the need for a web developer, responsive web design can save users a bit of money. Not to mention, you no longer need to worry about losing potential customers if they find it too difficult to navigate your website.
So you know what the basics of Responsive Web Design is now, but what else contributes to a smoother responsive experience?
Web Hosting:
When starting out it can be hard to know where to begin, we recommend making sure you start by finding a web hosting service that suits your needs and can provide the best support for your website. To get the best out of a responsive design you need a web host that will ensure your website is fast, able to handle a lot of traffic and easy to manage.
Two current favourites are Inmotion Hosting and SiteGround. You can check who’s the better web host here
Email Providers:
Does your business require the use of email marketing campaigns and funnelling? Yes. Then read on. Making sure you use the best email provider will ensure you get the most efficient use of management.
Two current favourites are SendGrid and Mailgun. You can check who’s the best email provider here.
In summary:
As technology grows, the way we interact with it changes meaning that there are changing demands in what we require from websites. A better understanding of how these changes work and how we can build on them are important factors for any person wanting to build a website to know before embarking on that journey.