Responsive Design Makes Your Website Mobile-Friendly

by | Jan 3, 2013

Virtually every business needs a website, but these days the web isn’t just about what you see on a computer screen. People are using the internet on an increasingly diverse array of devices, fromsmartphones to gaming consoles. Some experts predict that by 2014, most web traffic in the U.S. will be on mobile devices.


The trouble is, most business websites are still designed with only a desktop or laptop computer in mind. When you view a typical business website on the browser of mobile device, it usually requires pinching, zooming and scrolling just to see what’s on the page. And interacting with the site via a touchscreen can be clumsy at best.

It is possible to create designs for each of the major screen sizes and devices types, but ultimately that’s a losing game. New device types will outpace any designer’s ability to spin off customized themes.

To compensate, more businesses are deploying one or more mobile-optimized web designs, or “themes,” that the web server sends to a user when a mobile device is detected. That’s a first step, but mobile devices come in many sizes and shapes. What looks great on, say, an iPhone may look and perform poorly on a Kindle Fire.


No Mobile Website? You’re Probably Turning Customers Away

One solution is something called “responsive web design,” which can make your website easier and cheaper to manage, while giving mobile users a better experience. This allows you to create one design that will fit almost any screen and device type, and can also enhance your search visibility. Additionally, it avoids the hurdle of expecting users to type in “m.” before your site URL to access the mobile-friendly version.

When a user accesses a responsively designed website, the site senses the constraints of that user’s device and automatically “responds” or reconfigures itself to display and function reasonably well. It reorganizes the layout, for instance, swapping out images and navigation features.

As new web-enabled device types become popular, such as Android-powered cameras, you’ll only need to tweak your responsive design to accommodate them.

To create a responsive site for your business, you can either hire a designer or use a site-building tool that supports responsive web design. Either way, these five tips can help you make the switch to responsive design.

1. Decide when to make the change.

Responsive design is a radically different way of managing the elements of a website, which means it’s hard to introduce responsive design to an existing conventional website. You’ll probably want to wait until you’re creating a new site or rebuilding your existing one.

2. Track your mobile traffic patterns.

Check your site statistics for the number of mobile visitors, plot how that segment of your online market has been growing and project it two to five years into the future. The steeper that growth curve, the more important it is to implement responsive web design sooner rather than later.

3. Use effective, affordable tools if you do it yourself. 

If you decide to create a responsively designed site on your own, consider trying the latest SiteNinaj CMS. It’s an inexpensive web hosting service that lets you create a responsive website via a drag-and-drop interface.

4. Check out competitors’ sites on various devices.

Keep a list of URLs for businesses similar to yours. Periodically check them all out on a variety of computers, smartphones and tablets. Which are easiest to navigate and use, requiring the least pinching, zooming and scrolling? Use the best as guidance for your designer.

5. Hire web designers with responsive design experience. 

Many designers serving small-to-medium business clients are still focused on designing sites intended for viewing on computers. Be sure to ask for recent examples of a designer’s responsively designed sites. Don’t just get screenshots — ask for the URLs and check those sites on a variety of device types, paying attention both to how they look and how well they function.

This article republised from entrepreneur.com

Designing a website with SEO in mind is crucial for improving its visibility in Google searches. Here are some key aspects to consider for optimizing your website design for SEO:

### 1. **Keyword Research and Implementation**
– **Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research**: Identify relevant keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
– **Strategic Placement**: Integrate these keywords naturally throughout your website, including in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body content.

### 2. **Responsive Design**
– **Mobile-Friendly**: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices as Google uses mobile-first indexing. Responsive design makes your site accessible and functional on both desktop and handheld devices.

### 3. **Site Structure and Navigation**
– **Logical and Intuitive Structure**: Organize content using a clear, hierarchical site structure. This helps search engines understand the organization of your content and improves user experience.
– **Breadcrumbs and Internal Linking**: Use breadcrumbs and a robust internal linking strategy to enhance navigation and authority distribution across your pages.

### 4. **Page Speed Optimization**
– **Fast Loading Times**: Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize HTTP requests to improve page speed. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help assess and improve load times.

### 5. **Content Quality and Originality**
– **High-Quality Content**: Regularly update your site with high-quality, original content that provides value to your audience. This engages users and encourages sharing and backlinking.
– **Content Freshness**: Updating content with the latest information can improve its relevance and ranking.

### 6. **Meta Tags and Descriptions**
– **Compelling Meta Descriptions**: Write concise and compelling meta descriptions that incorporate primary keywords to improve CTR (click-through rates).
– **Title Tags**: Ensure each page has a unique title tag that includes keywords and accurately describes the page content.

### 7. **Use of Headers and Formatting**
– **Proper Use of Headers**: Utilize header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure content and highlight important information, making it easier for search engines to understand the hierarchy of your content.

### 8. **Optimized Media**
– **Alt Text for Images**: Add descriptive alt text to images using relevant keywords to improve image search ranking and accessibility.
– **Video Optimization**: If you use videos, ensure they’re properly optimized for fast loading and include transcriptions or captions.

### 9. **Secure and Accessible Website**
– **HTTPS**: Ensure your website runs on HTTPS to secure user data and improve trust and ranking signals to Google.
– **ADA Compliance**: Make sure your website is accessible to all users, which can also positively affect your SEO.

### 10. **XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt**
– **Submit an XML Sitemap**: Submit a sitemap to help Google understand the structure of your website and prioritize crawling.
– **Optimize Robots.txt**: Use the robots.txt file to guide search engines on which pages to crawl and index.

### 11. **Local SEO Considerations**
– **Google My Business**: Ensure your business is listed and updated on Google My Business if you target local audiences.
– **Local Keywords**: Include location-based keywords and create content relevant to your local audience.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll lay a strong foundation for your website to be more easily found and ranked by Google, ultimately increasing your site’s visibility and organic traffic.

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