Responsive Sites and Why They Work

No matter what the needs of a website are – from ecommerce to presentational – the feature that all sites share the necessity for is that of a consistent user experience across all devices that are used today. Rising above the rest in the success of this implementation are those sites that are designed in the responsive method, referred to as Responsive Web Design (RWD).

How Does Responsive Work?

When a site is designed in a responsive manner, the interface adapts to any and all screen sizes it is displayed on. Sites developed responsively are laid out to adapt to different screen resolutions, and more specifically allow for the easy display of a site design featuring multiple columns of content showing the same content on a smaller screen in a single column – all optimized for that specific screen.

Why Does Responsive Work?

Mobility

Without responsive web design, a mobile site can look fine, but it will simply be a scaled down version of the site. This means a user has to pinch and slide around to get the information they need, never really getting a real feel for the full site. On mobile, a responsively designed site offers all navigation and content is presented in readable fonts and sizes to accommodate ease of use for the user.

Consistency

For a person using multiple devices, ensuring that sites they visit on a regular basis look the same whether they are on desktop or mobile is key to their usability. Responsive web design is the only way to accomplish this. Allowing for this consistency will ensure that the user can easily accomplish their tasks and optimize the user experience across device.

SEO

Not only has Google been singing the praises of responsive web design, they now use whether a site is mobile friendly, and in particular – responsive, in ranking search engine results. Sites that are not optimized for mobile are effectively pushed down in rankings because of their low usability aspects.

One and Done

The use of a responsive website removes the need for multiple sites designed for each display. For many, the upkeep of multiple sites is cumbersome and costly – making the transition to a responsive site both beneficial for finances and user experience.

A Platform for the Future

Making the move to responsive web design will bring a website up to date, allowing for easy adoption of the newest technologies that are certain to become requirements for users. From software to devices, a responsive site is ready and waiting to take on advancements, offering an immediately optimized experience for the user.