When browsing a website, what device do you typically use? Do you prefer to use a mix of your laptop and mobile or do you only use your mobile? Many people choose to view websites from multiple devices. They also tend to click on website links from emails or various social media apps. With so many device types available to us, a responsive web design has never been more important.

What is Responsive Web Design?

To put it plainly, responsive web design is a design approach that automatically scales web pages to suit every screen size and device. The goal is to build web pages that detect the screen size and orientation of the visitor’s screen, automatically adjust the size accordingly. Ideally, the text should be easy to read without having to zoom in, there should be adequate space between each section of a web page, image sizes should not exceed the screen width, and there should be no horizontal scrolling.

Why Focus on Responsive Design?

There are several reasons why you should consider a responsive web design when you next update or overhaul your website.

Reason 1: There’s an increase in the number of mobile users

You may have heard the term “mobile first” when talking about website design. Mobile first means considering a mobile user’s needs first when it comes to your website’s design, before any other device. This is because more and more people are opting to use their phone to browse websites and search Google. According to 99Firms, there are over 5.20 billion unique mobile internet users in the world. In Australia, mobile internet users have been on the rise over the last few years. Statista revealed that users increased from 23.39 million in 2020 to 25.13 million in 2023. They also projected 26.58 million users in 2029. From an agency perspective, our data shows us that for many clients, mobile users outweigh desktop users.

Reason 2: It improves your user experience

Every visitor to your mobile (and desktop) website deserves a high quality, easily navigable experience. First impressions are everything with a website. The last thing you would want is for a potential customer to visit your website via their desktop or smartphone and not enjoy a consistently positive experience. Additional zooming or horizontal scrolling will deter users from visiting your site again, or from making a purchase; essentially, the better the user experience, the more trust the user will have in your business and your product.

Reason 3: It helps your social media marketing

Many businesses and brands often share links to their website via social media. For instance, businesses might make use of their ‘link in bio’ on Instagram or share a direct link with their post on Facebook or LinkedIn. With roughly 78% of people solely accessing social media platforms from their mobile, chances are, a significant amount of your website users will access your site via a mobile device. And when they do, they will have a positive experience and might consider sharing your content on their own social media channels.

Reason 4: It helps reduce your website’s bounce rate

Bounce rate is a metric used to measure the percentage of people who visit your webpage and leave shortly afterwards without taking any further action (i.e. clicking on a link, visiting multiple web pages & making a purchase). If your website visitors encounter a positive experience on your website thanks to its responsive design, they are more inclined to stay on it for longer. When a visitor stays on your site for longer, this will lower your bounce rate. Bounce rates may affect your ranking on search engines, but ultimately, if you want visitors to stay on your website for longer, you might have to reconsider the design and functionality.

Reason 5: Your website will load faster

Fast page loading times are a well-known ranking factor for search engines. Google recommends responsive web design as a tactic to reduce load time, as websites tend to load faster on a smartphone or tablet. A faster loading website will benefit from an improved user experience and visitors will be more inclined to browse the rest of your site and in turn, lower your bounce rate.

Let Us Work With You on Your Responsive Web Design

If you are looking to either build a brand new website or overhaul your current website that incorporates a responsive web design, our team at Lance Montana can help. We design and develop websites for a variety of businesses including retail stores, law firms and hospitality clients. Get in touch to find out how we can help with the design of your website.