In the aftermath of Google’s new algorithm change, it is now more important than ever to have a mobile responsive website.
With the invention of smartphones and other smart devices, the way we view the Internet has changed drastically. No longer are customers browsing the Internet from the comforts of their own home on desktop and laptops. Now, most users are browsing the Internet anywhere they can find a signal; which is just about anywhere these days.
Studies have shown that 2015 is the year that mobile search has finally surpassed desktop search. What this means for business owners is that the majority of your potential customers are browsing your website on a device that is much smaller than a regular computer. Because of this, many businesses are dealing with the issue that their website is not being correctly displayed on smart devices.
When a website automatically detects the device and is able to display appropriately on that device, it is called Responsive Website Design. Let’s talk about why Responsive Website Design is crucial for your business in 2015.
User Experience
If you have ever been on your smart phone or tablet and have been directed to a website that isn’t responsive, you know that there are many issues that come along with this. Without a responsive website, it is hard to read all the text, you have to zoom in and scroll over because part of the site doesn’t fit on the page; it’s an overall mess and the user experience behind it is very negative.
This is a good way to lose business because if most of your users are searching on smart devices, if they can’t navigate your site, they will leave it. 80% of customers researching products online will leave your site if they have a bad user experience. That’s a lot of profit that you could potentially lose without a responsive site.
Better User Experience = Better Bounce Rate
Having a responsive website offers many features to customers who are accessing it from their mobile device. The website automatically adapts to the screen size making it much easier to navigate for the end user. This causes the user to stay on the site longer and will reduce your bounce rate.
If your site isn’t responsive, your website will load the typical desktop version of the site, or your device will try to reload a mobile version of the site, which can cause errors and force a user to turn back to the search results and look elsewhere. Not only are you potentially losing customers, but also your bounce rate will now rise due to the “lack of interest” as Google calls it.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Google, being the massive Internet giant that it is, determines organic rankings on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) based on numerous factors known as on-page and off-page SEO factors. Google has laid out what they believe are the most important facts when regarding to the look and design of a website and as of April 21st, Responsive Web Design is one of them. You can be penalized for not having a responsive site. (Read all about the algorithm change).
For Google, it is much easier to have the robots crawl your site through one single URL, which indicated responsive design, as opposed to two, which would indicate that it is not mobile optimized. For end users, responsive design helps reduce on-page SEO errors.
Long Term Website Care
Even though creating a responsive website may take longer in the beginning, they are much easier to do maintenance on when updates are needed. When having two separate URLs, the maintenance of both becomes tedious and expensive.
If you make a change on one side and not the mobile, you run the risk of harming your business by losing traffic or increasing bounce rate. Plus, this becomes confusing with two URLs. Having one URL makes it easier to keep everything in order and keeping your website updated.
Return On Investment (ROI)
If you have a business with a great responsive website, this allows for your customers to have a great experience on your site and lead to increased leads and sales. Someone who can access your site easily and find what they are looking for have a better chance of becoming a brand ambassador for your product as opposed to someone who has a hard time searching.
With a responsive website, your business can appeal to your targeted market and this gives your business the upper hand over your competitor who doesn’t have a responsive site.
Kraus Marketing has been spearheading the way for responsive design with our custom websites and talented web developers. Besides websites, Kraus Marketing has a strong hand in both on and off-page SEO services and can help design a strategy for your business to rank higher organically and accessible on all devices, no matter how small. To learn more about how Kraus Marketing can help you create a better brand presence on the internet, contact us at (973) 998-5742 or online at www.KrausMarketing.com.