Responsive Website: Why Your Business Needs It
Your website serves as your online business card. It is where customers find information about your business – from the services you offer to your contact details and directions to your physical location. So, imagine if your website has not been updated for some time and customers happen to visit it. Do you think they will trust your business and proceed with any kind of transaction? It is highly unlikely.
A website designed to convert does not only look pleasing to the eyes but also provides a good experience for visitors. This is what you call a responsive website.
Responsive website design means adapting and delivering the best experience to your visitors regardless of the device they are on. Whether a visitor is using a six-inch smartphone or a laptop with a 27-inch screen, the website should adapt and display clearly based on the size of the device. This way, users can easily navigate your site and find what they are looking for.
But why does it matter to have a responsive website for your business? The answer is simple – you want potential customers to stay on your site and come back.
If you need more convincing, here are more benefits of having a responsive website:
1. It helps your business rank high on search results.
Digital marketing experts note that responsive websites are likely to land on the top positions of search results. This may have something to do with how Google evaluates websites. While Google has not outright said responsiveness as a ranking factor, the search engine giant prefers websites with a responsive design.
Google started rolling out the mobile-first approach when indexing websites. This means Google prioritizes the mobile version of your site more than your desktop version when evaluating its content in relevance to user queries. The main reason behind this is the increase in usage of smartphones and other mobile devices by users. According to research, around 60% of online searches are done on mobile devices, and that trend is unlikely to simmer down anytime soon. This is not a surprise, considering the number of smartphone users has reached 6.378 billion just this year.
Making your website responsive caters to Google’s quality guidelines, as well as to users who are looking for quick answers while they are on the go. And if you are ranking high on search results, you are practically getting more traffic to your website. A steady stream of traffic means more revenue for your business. It is a win you cannot miss.
2. It is more cost-effective to have a responsive website.
Some businesses turn to app development to capture a wider mobile market. What they fail to realize is developing a mobile app may cost them more time and money. If you do not have the extra resources or time to allow for app development, responsive website design can be a cost-effective alternative.
Instead of creating a mobile app from scratch, having a responsive website can help you gain online traction for your business. You can start ranking on the search results and get more customers.
But what about creating a mobile website in addition to a desktop website?
t is more cost-effective to invest in responsive website design than to have separate versions. For one, you do not need to worry about maintenance and configuration costs for two versions of your site. You also do not need to spend on additional testing and support. As responsive websites follow optimal layout for every screen, this means less stress for your web developers.
3. It helps you get more customers.
The point of having a website is making sure customers can have quick access to your business whenever they want to purchase a product or get your services. A website that has a slow loading time is hard to navigate and does not provide a good user experience deters this goal.
Making your website responsive takes you a step closer to achieving higher conversion rates for your business. Think of it this way – the more users visit and stay on your site, the more potential customers to convert.
A responsive website helps reduce your bounce rate. This pertains to the percentage of visitors who leave your website after landing on a single page. A low bounce rate gives a signal to Google that people are staying on your website, which signifies trust. This, in turn, gives you more leverage to rank higher on search results.
4. It is easier to track performance.
How much traffic are you getting every month? How many conversions are you generating? These are important questions you need to know about your website.
However, if you have separate mobile and desktop versions of your site, this entails having two different sets of analytics. This can complicate your tracking and reporting because you would need to look at multiple metrics from different website analytics – sign-ups from pages, conversions, or traffic.
Maintaining a responsive website simplifies your reporting, as you do not need to gather data from two different sites with separate analytics. This makes it easier to determine where your visitors are coming from, what type of devices they are using, which pages they visited, and how long they stayed. You do not need to analyze data from multiple sources, so you can stay on top of your site’s performance.
Give your website the attention it deserves
Are you now convinced with having a responsive website?
The benefits of having a responsive website are too many to ignore – higher search rankings, cost-effectiveness, more customers, and better reporting. If your website still looks like the designs from the early 2000s, you might want to consider updating and changing to a more responsive look.
Express Marketing can provide a quick assessment of how to improve your website’s responsiveness. Our experts can share insights to further elevate your business in the digital landscape. Give us a call and let us transform your website into a revenue-generating platform for your business.