Responsive Web Design - MakinMediaMobile

A responsive website will change its layout depending on the size of the screen that the website is being viewed on, basically a website that fits all screens. Responsive web design is Google’s preferred configuration.

It is different from having a mobile website; with a mobile website you have two websites, firstly your original website which is designed to be viewed on large desktop screens. Secondly for someone visiting your website using a small mobile screen they are redirected to the separate mobile website which is designed for smaller screens. It makes sense that Google prefer responsive websites because from their perspective, they only have one website to index as opposed to two websites.

SEO and your website

If SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is an important part of your internet strategy then it is vital that you have a mobile friendly website. Sales of mobiles have already overtaken sales of desktop computer sales. There will be more mobile searches on Google than on desktop computers for the first time by the end of 2013. Mobile friendly sites turn visitors into paying customers.

If your website gives your visitors a great mobile experience, there is a greater chance that your visitors will become your customers. According to Google, 67% of people are more likely to buy a product or use a service on a mobile friendly website.

3 REASONS WHY RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN IS THE BEST MOBILE SEO STRATEGY:

1. Google Recommends Responsive Web Design

Basically, it makes life a lot easier for Google. With a Responsive Website it makes it a lot easier for Google to index, crawl, and organise the content of the website. Contrast this to a mobile site where Google has to index, crawl and organise the same information on two separate web addresses.

Google also prefers it because from a customer’s perspective it’s much easier to share websites that only have one web address as opposed to two.

2. One Website Fits All Screens

This is probably the most compelling aspects of responsive web design. A responsive website gives a great user experience across many screen sizes and devices because there is only one website and this one website changes its layout depending on the size of the screen. Contrast this to the a website with a separate mobile website designed for a specific screen size. For example a person looks at a website during the day when they are on the move on their mobile. They are directed to a mobile website. Then they want to look at the website again when they get home on their desktop computer. They will have to try to find the desktop version of the site. They get frustrated and this is not a positive user experience. If the website is a responsive website the user will have a positive user experience when going from mobile to desktop because it is the same website in both cases.

3. A Responsive Website is Easier to Manage

Another key benefit of a responsive website is that it is much easier to manage because there is only one website as opposed to one desktop website and a separate mobile website. Also, there is only one SEO campaign to manage as opposed to two campaigns for two separate websites.

Clients