3 Reasons Why Responsive Web Design is Important for Small Business Owners

The job of web designers has changed as the proliferation of mobile devices continues unchecked. Where once they only had to contend with different browser specifications, Smartphones and tablets have complicated the responsibilities of web designers by introducing a whole new standard of responsiveness expected over a broad range of different viewing platforms. Despite the complexity and inconvenience of this new demand for multi-platform website responsiveness, it is a task that small business owners cannot afford to ignore, as mobile website browsing continues to overshadow desktop website browsing with each passing day.  Recent numbers are showing mobile visitor make up more then 35%-40% of all traffic to websites.

Your team at ClickTecs have been helping small businesses meet the growing expectations of consumers browsing websites on their mobile devices for a number of years now, and are always standing by to assist businesses in need of website optimization, yet a number of clients concerned with their budgets still fail to appreciate the importance of a responsive web design. For those still unclear on how a responsive web design benefits their company, or more importantly how an unresponsive one harms it, the ClickTecs team have assembled a brief primer. Read on to learn 3 things that make responsive web design crucial for small business owners.

Save time and money.

Making a responsive website may cost slightly more than a conventional website creation project, but this cost is really misleading. In reality, you will be saving the money that would otherwise be spent creating duplicate websites to fit other viewing platforms. There is no longer a need for a “mobile version” or “desktop version” of your website once you have invested in a responsive web design. This reduction of total development costs means that investing in responsive web design is actually a money and time-saver.

In the contemporary digital climate, it may actually cost you more to neglect a responsive website design. Google has taken a stand on the preferred protocol of web design being responsive, making responsive web design a must-have rather than a luxury.  Responsive design is Google’s recommended design pattern, and any deviation from this model can be crippling for companies who hope to remain competitive.

Cater to a massive and always-growing audience.

Mobile devices are pervasive. People are using them in transit, at work, during meal times, for recreation, and on-the-go to track down locations, businesses, weather reports, and news updates. Truly, the amount of internet traffic stemming from mobile device use is blossoming each day, with its total amount easily surpassing the traffic generated through desktop viewing. For any small business to ignore the importance of responsive web design means that they are missing out on a huge and dominant market demographic. Google’s new algorithm changes feature the inclusion of a “Mobile-friendly” notification in their search listings, and companies who have not met the standards to be called “mobile-friendly” will likely be avoided by users on the go who have no time to waste on clunky website navigation.  You can run a quick check to see if your website is mobile-friendly here.

Get your message across.

One of the most important aspects of successful client conversion is the provision of a positive user experience. When trying to navigate an unresponsive website, your potential customer will only be focusing on the frustration they are experiencing, and will likely bounce off quite quickly. When you provide a responsive website, the focus can shift to where it belongs, which is on your small business or brand’s message. A responsive web design provides the user with an optimized and streamlined experience regardless of their chosen viewing devices, allowing your product and contact information to shine so that you can get your message across.  If you have not done so already, look through your analytics program to see if you can determine the behaviour of your mobile traffic compared to your desktop traffic.  Determine the friction points and take action to fix them.  If you don’t have analytics, then having a Google analytics code installed is a good starting point.

The ClickTecs team insists that all small businesses invest in responsive web design, and have been helping companies keep up to date for years. The repercussions of failing to invest in a responsive website seem weighty enough on their own; websites simply will not receive adequate attention, traffic, and engagement if they are unresponsive, and entire swathes of the population will be blinded to your products, services, and mission statement. Conversely, the benefits of responsive web design seem too good to ignore. For a marginal investment, companies will benefit from being able to cater to all sorts of screen sizes, match Google’s preferred design protocol for SEO, and cater their products to a rapidly-expanding audience. If you are interested in learning more, or finding some authorities on responsive web design, contact ClickTecs today!