One of the most important things to understand about your company’s website is that it’s so much more than just a virtual business card. In all likelihood, it’ll be the first point of contact you make with one of your potential customers – and the first step in a much longer journey as you work to build a relationship with this person moving forward.
Because of that, your website needs to clearly establish who you are, what you do, and why it all matters. It needs to offer rich, satisfying, and high-value content to build your reputation as an authority. It needs to offer a legitimate experience to all who visit it – and that experience needs to be exceptional regardless of what type of device they’re using.
That, in essence, is why responsive web design is so crucial. Rather than trying to design multiple versions of your website in the hopes that you’ll account for the myriad of different ways people are accessing it, you get to design one and offer a superior experience across the board.
The Power of Responsive Web Design
One of the major reasons why responsive web design (also commonly referred to as RWD for short) is so essential is because people tend to access all of their favorite websites from more than one device. According to one recent study of over 87,000 smartphone, PC and tablet owners, 95% of respondents said they regularly use smartphones to access online content. But when you consider that 93% said they also use desktop computers, it’s clear that people are using multiple devices to complete important tasks.
Part of this has to do with features like Apple’s “Handoff” feature which allows you to open a page on your iPhone and quickly access it on your iPad, iMac, or MacBook if you choose to move over to that device. But if your site works great on that MacBook and then instantly crashes when someone moves over to their iPhone (or whatever other smartphones they happen to be using), you can’t expect them to want to complete that journey at all.
The most important statistic of all has to do with the fact that a massive 94% of people say that they actually judge websites based on the quality of their responsive web design experiences. If your site is difficult to navigate on any device, or if it feels cluttered, or if it’s generally cumbersome to use, they’re likely to hit that “Back” button and never return. They’re also very likely to tell their friends and colleagues about their experience – which is why this is one issue you would do well to avoid at all costs.
If you’d like to find out more information about why responsive web design matters now more than ever, or if you have any additional questions you’d like to discuss with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact the team at CleverLight today.
