What is Responsive web design?
According to Smashing Magazine (a trusted resource for web designers) Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation.
The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries. As the user switches from their laptop to iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. One may also have to consider the settings on their devices; if they have a VPN for iOS on their iPad, for example, the website should not block the user’s access to the page. In other words, the website should have the technology to automatically respond to the user’s preferences. This would eliminate the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market.
Why do I need this type of web design for my website?
A Wikipedia article regarding responsive web design notes that it has become more important as the amount of mobile traffic now accounts for more than half of total internet traffic. Therefore, Google announced "Mobilegeddon" in 2015, and started to boost the ratings of sites that are mobile friendly if the search was made from a mobile device.
What we think: Put quite simply, half of your potential customers will most likely view your website using their mobile device, so it needs to work flawlessly on smaller devices than a desktop PC or laptop! Also, Google will give your website a small rankings boost if it works across all devices and screen sizes, which will help you to attract new business online. The real question is, can you afford NOT to make your business website responsive?
