5 Business Advantages of Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design is a development and design technique wherein a site or system that reacts to the size of a user’s screen is created. A user’s browsing experience is bound to undergo an optimisation with the onset of a flexible and responsive web page that is optimised for the device that is accessing it. Here are some business advantages of using responsive web design.

1.It increases your reach to both mobile and tablet users

Traditionally users would be directed to a device specific site. But with the onset of responsive web design, a singular site can be implemented across devices. This leads to the amalgamation of users across platforms and devices. In the year 2014, tablet sales are expected to exceed 100 million. This means that the potential of responsive design is only on the upward climb especially for those businesses that want to optimise their online content. There are certain Byte9 sites that are exhibiting around 40% traffic from mobile devices and tablets. This is another commercially viable reason to consider accommodating the smaller screen size in a unified design.

2.It boosts sales and conversion rates

Another benefit of responsive web design is that your user can enjoy an improved site experience. This is because there is no additional need for redirection, or use of standardised Style Sheets (CSS) across devices. A design that is unified will also help create a look and feel that is consistent. This consistent user experience is sure positively impact your conversion rate as users will gain a sense of familiarity with the navigation and design across devices.  With responsive design, you can do away with some hurdles that multiple sites pose such as performance, functionality, and look and feel.

3.It consolidate your reporting and analytics

When you are armed with a single responsive site, you won’t have to track conversion paths, user journeys, funnels and redirections between your sites. There are site analytics tools such as Google Analytics that are optimised to handle responsive reporting and multiple devices. You will be able to monitor the performance of your site easily and in a hassle-free manner, as all your tracking and analytics will continue to function and be condensed into a single report.

4.It increases your visibility in search engines

Responsive Design allows you to manage a single website with a single set of hypertext links. This reduces the time you will spend on maintaining your site and allows you to focus on link outreach with a consolidated Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. SEO campaigns can be costly and time-consuming. But with a responsive design, you can consolidate all your SEO strategies and efforts across devices even when only one is the prime focus. Quality, relevant content is a vital component of any SEO strategy. With responsive design, you can ensure you don’t need to resort to low-level duplication of content across devices. all you need to do is apply one set of content to a single site, thereby increasing your chances of a higher search engine ranking.

5.It helps you save time and cost on mobile development

One of the main benefits of opting for a responsive design is that it is less time-consuming than creating a stand-alone mobile site, which up until now, has been a common practise. When you test across a number of websites, it increases your support, development, and maintenance overhead. You can use standardised testing methodologies as styles are re-used and optimised by devices.

Responsive web design helps you to stay ahead of the trend, increase your visibility in search engines and lead to better conversion rates.