According to a study conducted by Google in October 2016, approximately 40% of Internet users search using only their smartphones. Mobile browsing has clearly overtaken desktop browsing as the first choice for most Internet users.
This makes responsive web design not just an option, but a necessity in today’s modern world. Without incorporating responsive web design into your online marketing strategy, you cannot expect your ratings to rise.
What is responsive web design?
Google’s Matt Cutts gives us an amazing, non-technical definition: “Responsive design just means that the page works perfectly, whether you access the site’s URL with a desktop browser or access that URL with a mobile browser, things will be scaled, and the size of the page will be taken into account.”
Why is mobile traffic important to your marketing strategy?
Setting up a highly responsive website not only lessens your reliance on resources being used for maintenance, but also offers numerous valuable search engine optimization benefits. A mobile-friendly website will help you outpace the competition by allowing you to optimize for search engines.
1. Reduce duplicate content
Some people choose to get a separate mobile website for their business instead of using a responsive website design. This will require using a new URL and then duplicating your content on both websites. You can avoid duplicating content by selecting a mobile-responsive website design. This helps boost your SEO, as duplicate content on multiple pages will negatively affect your ranking in Google and other search engines.
2. Improve the usability of the site
To judge the value of a website to users, Google looks at the total time spent on the website’s pages. When users can’t navigate your website, they won’t spend much time browsing it. A responsive web design will make it easier for users to navigate through your website. This will subsequently lead to an improved user experience and longer time spent on your website. Two of the most important ranking factors include time on page and consumer experience, therefore sites with a mobile responsive layout are likely to rank higher in search results.
3. Social Sharing Improvements
A responsive web design will encourage internet users to share your content easily through different social media platforms. By using user-friendly social media buttons, users can share content much faster than when using a desktop computer.
4. Improve page speed
The time it takes for a page to load is an important ranking factor. Websites that take less time to load are preferred by search engines. These websites also offer a better user experience. Pages with slow loading speeds frustrate users and usually don’t rank well in search results. Therefore, it is recommended to optimize websites so that they load quickly. When a website is mobile responsive, it will load faster especially on mobile which increases the search ranking and also improves the user experience.
5. Less bounce rate
Another facet of judging how valuable the site is to users is the bounce rate. Google studies user behavior and takes note of the times that users enter and exit a page. When Google interprets a very short period of time on the website, it is a sign that users do not find the content presented on the website relevant or interesting enough. When your site’s bounce rate is high, Google negatively adjusts your ratings accordingly.
6. Reduce user distraction
Content and design go hand in hand when it comes to attracting or distracting the user. If your website design makes it difficult for users to navigate, they will soon leave. When you have a mobile-responsive web design, users can easily find all the information they are looking for without being distracted by an unresponsive web design.