Building A Responsive Website

Intro

It's 2024 and having a mobile-friendly website is no longer a luxury. It is a requirement. With the portability of smartphones and tablets, more people are accessing the internet through mobile devices than ever before. Stats show that over half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices now, and that number is only growing. This shift in user behavior shows the importance of ensuring that your website is optimized for mobile users. A mobile-friendly website not only enhances user experience but also has significant implications for your brand's visibility and credibility.

A mobile-friendly website is crucial because it improves user experience. When users land on a website that is not optimized for mobile, they often encounter issues such as slow load times, difficult navigation, and improperly displayed content. This can lead to frustration and prompt users to leave the site, resulting in a higher bounce rate. Higher bounce rate is bad for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), telling Google not to rank your website high, and it means a potential lose in sale. Conversely, a website that is easy to navigate on a mobile device keeps users engaged, encourages longer visits, and increases the likelihood of conversions. Mobile-friendliness is a key factor in (SEO). Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their search results, meaning that a non-optimized site could suffer from lower rankings and decreased organic traffic.

Achieving a mobile-friendly website involves several best practices. Begin with a responsive design, which ensures that your website adapts to different screen sizes and orientations. This can be achieved through the use of flexible grids, layouts, and images. Additionally, prioritize fast load times by optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing code. A slow-loading site can deter users and negatively impact your search rankings. Simplify navigation by using clear, concise menus and ensuring that buttons and links are easily tappable. Finally, regularly test your website on various mobile devices to identify and address any issues promptly.

Tools For Making Responsive Websites

Modern smart phones have changed the requirements for web designers and web developers. Because they come in all shapes and sizes, we have to account for those different screen dimensions. The good news is that there are plenty of design and developer tools that can help with this.

As a web designer, you can use templates with predefined screen size. Each design application is different, but in Figma when you add a new frame, you have options to choose a phone, tablet, desktop, and more. Within that you can select the type phone or computer.

Of course, not every single phone is listed, but you can always define your own height and width if you wish to design for something not already listed. A quick google search like "iphone 13 pro max pixel dimensions" can give you the pixel height and width.

As a web developer, you can use browser's inspector tool to see a preview of your site on mobile devices. See the steps below to use Google chrome to test your site on different phones.

1. Right click on your website

2. Select "Inspect"

3. Click on the phone icon on the top corner

4. Click on the "Dimensions" dropdown to change the dimensions (you can choose your own dimensions or select from a predefined list of options)

The Design & Development Phase

When it comes to the design phase, consider going the mobile-first approach. As the name suggests, mobile-first web design prioritizes the mobile user experience over the desktop experience. By focusing on mobile design first, developers can ensure that their websites are accessible, functional, and visually appealing on smaller screens before scaling up to larger devices. This helps with content and copywriting, because if you can fit something on a mobile screen and it is easy to digest and understand, then you can fit it on a desktop screen. Webflow has a helpful article discussing this topic: A guide to mobile-first design.

In the development phase, CSS will be your best friend for a mobile responsive site. Developers can use the CSS media queries to apply certain styling properties to specific screen sizes. For example, the following line of code says "if the screen size is 600px or smaller, then make the background color blue".

@media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {

body {

background-color: blue;

}

}

To learn more, check out W3's page on Responsive Web Design - Media Queries. If you are not a web developer, you may be able to leverage a drag and drop website builder for this phase. Most modern platforms have responsive sections so they fit into mobile devices.

Should I Hire Or Do It Myself?

The decision is one that depends largely on the reader's experience and time commitment. If you have web development experience, chances are, you will be pretty comfortable with diving into the process of making your site mobile responsive. Even if you don't have experience, but are willing to learn web development, you can take courses and learn the skill. This option is the one that will require the most time and energy.

If on the other hand you find that don't have the time or energy to learn web design and development, I would consider budgeting some money to hire help. It's very easy to "break" your website, so if you are not ready to jump into the web development space, we highly recommend hiring out for this work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, optimizing your website for mobile users is a critical step in providing a seamless and enjoyable user experience. It not only keeps your audience engaged but also boosts your SEO efforts, ultimately driving more traffic and conversions. By implementing responsive design, optimizing load times, and ensuring easy navigation, you can create a mobile-friendly website that stands out in an increasingly competitive digital landscape. Remember, you can hire out or take the time to do this yourself. If you are considering outsourcing the work, contact us for a free quote.