The Benefits of a Responsive Website Design
What do you do if a website takes ages to load, or looks odd on your smartphone?
The average consumer clicks away in less than a couple of seconds if a website doesn’t render well on the device they’re using. Seems hasty, but in reality, people are busy, and they’ll go elsewhere if the user experience is terrible.
So, if this is your website, you’ve just said goodbye to several customers. Not only that, but search engines also favour responsive web design. If it’s underperforming, you could be sinking down the rankings too.
Websites should work as expected across all devices. Plus, with mobile web traffic making up over half of traffic globally, responsive web design is a must for all businesses.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of optimising your site.
Mobile-first search rankings
Search engines are moving into the ‘mobile-first’ realm. This means algorithms rank based on responsiveness and good user experience (among other factors).
To move up the ranks, a website should be optimised for mobile traffic. Plus, work seamlessly across other devices such as tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Improved user experience
Customers want to shop from a smartphone or desktop in the same way. Responsive web design brings speed, ease of navigation and good user experience to all devices.
An improved user experience also encourages customer loyalty and boosts conversions.
Lower bounce rate
Bounce rate is an important metric to monitor. High bounce rates can indicate numerous things, including poor customer experience.
You may have the exact products everyone wants or great content. However, people will click away if your website is hard to navigate.
Responsive website design can help lower bounce rates with optimised design and functionality.
Faster website loading times
Page speed can make or break the online shopping experience. If your website struggles to load, customers are unlikely to wait. And they might not return.
Using responsive design on your website provides faster loading speeds. In addition, improving page speed is a positive ranking factor in search engines which can also boost where you appear in results.
Easy to manage
Gone are the days of needing a main website and a separate mobile version. Instead, responsive websites are developed and optimised across all devices, saving time when managing and maintaining the site.
Consolidated reporting
One website makes reporting simpler as everything is in one place. You can use analytics tools to identify traffic from different devices.
Information is also available on conversion paths and user journeys to help you further track and optimise the user experience.
Do you have a responsive website?
Curious about how responsive web design could benefit your business? At BGN, our designers are experts in crafting creative and optimised websites that influence your customers.
As a leading website design agency in Manchester, we are also on hand to guide you on branding and campaigns that stand out in the market. Contact us to get started.