Are You Responsive Enough?

“Day by day, the number of devices, platforms, and browsers
that need to work with your site grows.
Responsive web design represents a fundamental shift in how
we’ll build websites for the decade to come.”
Jeffrey Veen - Author of the “Art and Science of Web Design”

So what is a responsive website ?

Firstly, a responsive website is what is now often referred to as ‘mobile-friendly’, we prefer the term responsive.
There are now so many different size devices available to browse the internet, as a result a website needs to be able to adapt to all the different device sizes.
A website built with this ability is called  ‘responsive design’.

A responsive website will literally change design as you change device. On a desktop there will be room for a large impressive banner and complex drop down menus. When a responsive site is viewed on a mobile phone, the banner may change to a simple logo, or the menu may change to a better suited mobile phone menu.

The website will interpret the size of your device and display accordingly.
Of course, this is not done by magic (unfortunately), nor can a non-responsive site be made responsive (technically it can, but don’t go there).

A responsive site is designed from the ground up, with each device taken into account at the design stage. This is where experience is important to capture your market on all devices.

Is it important to have a responsive website ?

The simple answer is YES. VERY.
For two main reasons;

1. We are now past the tipping point in 2014 where the number of web interactions from mobile devices have surpassed desktop device. If your website is not mobile friendly you will lose effectiveness and possibly customers. 46% of consumers are unlikely to return to a mobile site if it didn't work properly during their last visit (www.gomex.com)
    
2. Google has started ‘penalising’ non-responsive mobile sites in their ranking calculations. Google is giving ranking preference to those sites that a mobile-friendly (ie; responsive)
    

“More than half of Australia's biggest companies will "disappear" from Google
on mobile devices as the US technology giant changes the way it ranks searches.
From Wednesday, Google will prioritise companies that have
"mobile-friendly" websites when people use the search engine
on their smartphones or tablet computers”

Sydney Morning Herald 21st April 2015