Before tablets and mobile phones were on the scene, web pages were designed only for desktop computer screens, which meant web pages were of a static design and a fixed size. Today it is a far different story. People are viewing websites on a massive range of devices greatly differing in size. From mobile phone to tablet.
On the back of this Google has introduced a new algorithm to determine ranking. This came into effect from 21st April 2015. This algorithm will use mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal in search results, rewarding websites that are fully optimised for mobile platforms with a better Google ranking.
A fully optimised mobile website is a ‘responsive’ website. A responsive website design sizes your pages, text, buttons, and link spacing to fit the size of the screen. In a nutshell, from a design point of view, automatically turning a horizontal layout into a vertical layout for mobile devices. The pages are read automatically by the device and displayed accordingly. The mobile devices read specially written style sheets and display the layout depending on the size of screen viewed.
So What, – Why Does My Business Need a Responsive Website?
Any business, large or small, needs a responsive website as so many people are now viewing on mobile screens; and searching on Google through mobile phones. In particular users rely heavily on their devices to find local businesses. There is an expectation now that a website should view well on a mobile device. It has got to stage that this is expected as standard and there is a strong chance anyone viewing your website on a mobile will move away if it’s not responsive.
In fact, a Google study found that 72 percent of users expect websites to work on mobile platforms — and 61 percent will leave the site if it’s not mobile friendly.
On a mobile search, a non responsive website will slip down the Google rankings. Responsive websites will filter to the top.
More information on responsive website design can be found here.
Sixmile Design, in Mallow, Cork, build responsive websites, please get in touch to find out more.
