5 Reasons Why Responsive Web Design Is Critical For Your Business

Nowadays, it's a well-known fact that a slow-loading website might be the death of a business. If it takes any more than 10 seconds to load then it appears that something is wrong, and any longer than that and we're looking somewhere else. Here are the top 5 reasons why responsive web design will really elevate your business. That means increased sales, enhanced reputation and more besides, so let's take a closer look...

Reasons 1, 2 & 3: Responsive Means Dependable

The first reason to use responsive web design is simple: every web company out there now has the capacity to offer this, so not taking them up on the offer would seem like virtual suicide. The second reason to use responsive web design is also obvious - it's a great reflection on the responsive nature of your business. A fast-moving website implies that you'll be as responsive with customer service as your site is about loading-up the About Us page. The third reason to use responsive web design is less obvious but by far just as important - being responsive enables the thoughts and feelings of your visitor to flow rapidly, building up a comprehensive idea of the identity of your company. If a site doesn't use responsive coding, for example, then it's going to be confusing their visitors. Like bad writing in a well-plotted book, this perplexing little number could make the potential customer think something is amiss with your business, and that's likely to make them ponder the worst question of them all: can they handle payments and do the job effectively or should I go somewhere else?

Reasons 4 & 5: Responsive Web Design Examples Prove That Speed Is Key

Speed is critical to responsive web design, but that doesn't mean that it should be used above all else. The golden rule every website should follow is this: never use speed at the expense of quality. There are plenty of ways to remind your visitor that the site is loading. Think of a novel way to keep them entertained while the information appears - the best responsive web design examples out there are great for 2 reasons: firstly, they combine a mass of information and data in a highly responsive way that never leaves the viewer bored, which means that potential customer never thinks twice about clicking away to another site, and secondly they use colour and responsive coding to make boring data like graphs and numbers look intriguing. If you can intrigue your visitors with the dullest of information that uses up-to-date, responsive solutions, then imagine what you might be able to do with video or images that really blows them away!

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The Responsive Web Design

It is only when human mind liberates itself of the limitations and boundaries, technology moves ahead and brings us to yet another milestone. This is what perhaps Ethan Marcotte did when he introduced the concept of creating web designs which "responds" to the screen dimensions and resolutions it is being viewed on. His ideas on Responsive Web Design were viewed on the blog "A list Apart". Getting freedom from screen sizes and resolutions of different devices has become a liberating and perhaps creatively fulfilling experience for the web designers.

In the web 0.1 era when static one-page websites were created, things were pretty much simple, at least as we see them in today's day and age. Gradually, mobile was introduced and it went through several transformations which continue till today. Along came other devices as well, such as Notebook and Kindle. While the marketing geeks have always remained on the pursuit for better ways of reaching the customers and target audience, web has remained the most cost effective way of communicating with them (one way initially and two way today) with best ROI. This has opened new avenues to forge transparent and uninhibited conversations and has hence kept marketing teams on its toes to design their communiqué or websites suited for the not just each screen size but also the features of the each medium or device.

While the number of devices will certainly rise, having separate websites for each device can put forth a mind boggling number websites to be designed, updated and managed on a daily basis. Needless to say that each website may not convey the same theme or essence, but demands to be created since your target audience could view it on a device he is most comfortable with. To top it up, the audience experience in different browsers may differ vastly. And while the technology evolves further, we would look at independence from the limited screens of handheld devices. The ability to use any surface as a screen is perhaps on the horizon!

Today, even Google recommends Responsive Web Design as their preferred method for building websites. Moreover, Google Analytics can provide a consolidated report on the statistics of your website from each device, instead of different charts and graphs for different sites.

Responsive Web Design was a term coined by Ethan Marcotte which rests on the concepts of fluid designs and content and image choreography and media queries.

It is a technique based on HTML and CSS. Simple rules in CSS can change style based on the screen-size of the user's device. To enable its functioning in older web browsers like IE 6, there are JavaScript based solutions like respond.js and modernizr.

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