A responsive website is mandatory, considering how the mobile device industry has grown in the past decade. In 2015, Google announced that they would favour mobile-friendly websites over those that are not, giving them higher ranks in searches.
Furthermore, these days people tend to browse websites from their mobile devices because it is so accessible no matter where they are, and they do not need to be home, using their stationary personal computers or opening their laptops.
What are the advantages of having a responsive website?
Here are a few benefits of having a mobile-friendly website:
- Increase in user experience as it allows users to browse your website not only from their stationary personal computer or laptop but from their mobile phone or tablet, no matter where they are.
- Improve search engine rankings, making your online brand much more recognisable.
- People used to have two versions of their website – a mobile version and a desktop version. Developing the website for it to be responsive will cut down the needs in regards to maintenance and finance needed to manage two websites.
How can I have a responsive website?
It depends on the application you are using. Most website owners lean towards open-source applications like WordPress, Magento, or Drupal as they receive regular updates and have a huge community developing plugins, themes, and modules. Thus they have been fully responsive. However, you should also ensure that the visual front-end modifications you purchase for these scripts are mobile-friendly. Vendors usually mention this in their documentation, so you should review it before choosing.
If you do not want to use an open-source app for your online endeavour and want it built from scratch, employing a certified web developer would be the best decision. Of course, tell them you wish the website would be mobile-friendly.