As more websites go mobile, building a mobile-friendly site should become more of a priority for your business. Mobile searches are becoming more prevalent as consumers seek information on a company or organization. If you don't have a Mobile Website, you are losing viable customers to a competitor that has one. In the last two years, mobile search traffic has expanded five times, according to Google.
People are searching for your business with their mobile phones, and you need to greet them with a Mobile Website which makes it easy for consumers to make transactions, contact your company and become a life-long customer.
Responsive design is a new trend which web developers are beginning to utilize. The practice is aimed at bringing both your mobile and traditional websites together, making websites easier to edit for business owners and more usable for consumers. While responsive design might work for many organizations, it is important to look at all the factors that go in to the decision of whether to focus on building your mobile website using this new concept.
What is Responsive Design?
Responsive Design is website design practice that makes it easy to create one single website that will change certain characteristics based on the device you are viewing it on. A site utilizing responsive design technology will automatically change size for different devices, but it is up to you to prioritize the content that matters most to your mobile visitors. While design is important, do not forget about the content you will share with your web community. Make it quick, easy to understand and informative. While this process might sound easy, and it can be with good planning, content must not be overlooked.
Why do we need Responsive Design?
Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web devices worldwide by 2013, according to a new forecast by research firm Gartner.
The firm believes that most sites are still not optimized for the mobile Web, even though the web experience for mobile users is meant to be less complicated. In order to become part of this growing trend, you will need to begin making mobile the top concern with your website. By the end of 2013, more of your potential customers will be using their mobile phones to access your website rather than their desktop PC.
Where we go from here?
If your business is interested in making your site “mobile-friendly,” you have several options to consider. Hiring a web development firm to create your mobile-friendly website which utilizes responsive design standards oftentimes ends up being the best option due to the time and knowledge it takes to build a stunning mobile website.
If you're a tech-savvy business owner, you might consider using a “framework” that helps you build your mobile website. We recommend using JQuery Mobile. It is simple enough to use but offers plenty of expansion capabilities as you grow your mobile website. For more information, please visit: www.jquerymobile.com.
Finally, there are various responsive design “templates” that can be used to make a mobile-friendly website. While this option may not offer you the “custom” look you seek, it is a decent way of getting your mobile site on the Internet quickly. Our favorite template supplier is www.themeforest.net.
