Though the concept of responsive web design has been around for quite a few years but these days, responsive website design is all the rage. Almost everyone is talking (or writing) about responsive design. So, what is responsive website design actually means and what are its benefits?
In simple words, responsive website design allows the website to reformat the content in a manageable manner irrespective of the screen size and device. For example, if you search for a website from your desktop, the website triggers a style sheet that sets the page to 768px. But this screen size will not work when you search on a smartphone. This is where the role of responsive website design comes in.
With responsive website design, the website will be designed in a way that will respond correctly to multiple screen sizes. Responsive codes are written in percentages rather than pixels. This results in making it work on all devices like desktops, tablets, laptops and smartphones. Responsive website design eliminates the need to have independent mobile site and just one website using one URL has the same content and is accessible to any device used individually.
Here are the things you must know about Responsive WordPress Website Design:
1) Need for mobile-friendly website
With more and more people accessing websites via their smartphones and tablets, it has become essential to design responsive website to support traffic from a variety of devices with a multitude of screen size. Nowadays, users expect a hassle free browsing experience irrespective of what device they use to access a website. To provide the best buying experience to online consumers, it is essential to make your website mobile-friendly.
2) Every design is flexible
When it comes to responsive design, everything is flexible ranging from the grid to the type, pictures etc. A flexible approach should be followed in designing a responsive layout. Sometimes the best options for different browser sizes may include changes to, additions to, or subtractions from original one. Designers may need to hide images and content to provider better browsing experience to the users of smaller devices. All-in-all, the designers need to follow a flexible approach when making a website responsive so that the website looks uniform across several devices.
3) Size of images is important
When we talk about responsive WordPress website, the right size of images is a must-have. While making the images small, image quality is also crucial. A low quality image does not look good to the viewer. So, the designers make sure that the size is optimum and quality is good. Images should be optimized so that they load fast. One should avoid loading full size images and it is best to crop them before uploading to maintain visual quality.
An example of responsive website
4) User-friendly navigation tool
Depending on the website, it is essential to make it easy for users to navigate smoothly across web pages. The user friendly navigation options help a buyer to get the details easily. Designers should cross check the navigations across different devices and screen sizes. A style sheet is triggered to fit the mobile screen size and all you need to do is to scroll down and click through.
5) Responsive websites should be optimized for speed
Designers need to understand that creating a responsive design is not enough. They should also aptly optimize it for speed by avoiding unnecessary downloads. Usually the internet speeds of mobiles and tablets are slow as compared to desktop so it is very important to optimize the speed of the website.
6) Responsive design is SEO friendly
The role of SEO cannot be overlooked. Majority of your audience is directed from search engines and here, responsive designs perform better. Google also prefers responsive websites with a single URL. When you search for some query on Google via your smartphone, it also tells you whether the webpage is mobile-friendly or not. So from SEO point of view, having a responsive website is a must-have for your online business.
Wrapping up
The concept of responsive WordPress website design is evolving and its need is likely to grow. As more and more advanced devices are being launched, surfing websites from the smartphones is an increasing trend.
Our responsive design services ensure that you provide a similar experience to users on every device. Check out our affordable responsive design packages or contact us for your responsive design needs.
If you have any query regarding responsive design, please feel free to ask in the comments!