Designing for the web these days requires a different set of considerations than those required ten years ago. Whether to use PHP or ASP is no longer a major issue. The big component nowadays is scalability to all devices, whether stationary or mobile.
As previously predicted, most users own a variety of devices to make life on the run more manageable. Therefore, accessing websites via smartphone, tablets, and other mobile devices is an absolute necessity. As a result, incorporating responsive website design is crucial.
In his recent Tech Cocktail article on the subject, Ajit Nayak outlines the following top five reasons to use responsive web design:
Search Engine Optimization. Google has clearly indicated that it prefers responsive designs to the mobile templates. The use of a single URL with the responsive design makes it easy for the search engine robots to crawl and index the website. This also greatly reduces on-page search engine optimization errors.
Reduced Bounce Rate due to Better User Experience. A responsive designed website offers users various features when accessed on a mobile device. The page opens almost instantly, fitting to the screen size, as it does on the desktop. This makes the user stay on the webpage and browse around easily, thereby reducing the bounce rate.
A Single SEO Campaign. If businesses do not opt for responsive web designs, then, they have two websites to manage – the main and mobile versions. With the responsive web design option, the businesses need to focus solely on the main website functioning. A single SEO campaign is adequate to maintain the page ranks, as the mobile versions are a part of the website.
Easier Long Term Maintenance. A responsive website designed page is much easier to maintain than the mobile versions of the main websites. This is because the smart devices are updated at instant speed.
Increased Sales. A well designed website, offering a friendly user experience, can make good use of the web content to drive sales. Use of the smart, user-friendly web designs gives advantage to business entities. A business with innovative, hi-tech services is likely to win over the rest of its competitors.
For more information regarding responsive web design, read the full Tech Cocktail article.
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