Once upon a time when we built a new site, we actually built two sites and it was a big deal! If you bought the desktop site, we would develop the m. or “mobile site” too. If you also did SEO, guess what? That means we did that work twice too, costing you more money.
To put it into perspective, this was the time when mobile was just catching on and mobile site were “the thing”. Google agreed, you needed a mobile site because that was the way the internet was going based on user trends.
Today you are asking, why do I need a Responsive site vs. a mobile site? I gave you a couple hints above, but the answer is simple. It comes down to Google Preferences, consumer usability, and ease of management and cost effectiveness.
You have heard us say it before, but what Google dictates, we do for the betterment of our customers. According to Google, 94% of people in the USA with smartphones use them to search for local information. That makes a mobile friendly site critical to your business plan.
They go on further to recommend “RWD” or Responsive web design over other designs. This means the pages of your site use the same code for desktop and mobile devices, the only difference is the display adjusts or “responds” according to the size of the screen.
Content on a responsive site is easier to link to and to share with other users, regardless of whether they are on a computer or a phone. Of course, when you practice what Google likes, you benefit from them liking you too, in the way of site ranking!
Consumer Usability
As mentioned above, on a responsive site, Content becomes easier to share across all platforms because you’re sharingurl’sthat all platforms can recognize. Look around your house or office and you will be surprised at how many devices you have in varying sizes, that does not even count your computer and your laptop.
A great example: If you looked at content on a responsive site on your phone and then later on a computer at work, everything is in the same place. On a mobile site, chances are the path to what you found before is totally different. Not very friendly, to say the least.
Ease of Management and Cost Effectiveness
Let’s face it, your time has value and your budget, well it is a budget. It has a cap and you need to stick to it. That’s just business. Going with a responsive site is a very practical business decision to make.
The beauty of a responsive site is that you only have to maintain one site and not two. You can manage all your content in one place. How easy is that? A huge time saver.
Better yet, a responsive site can save your budget too! Once you move to a responsive site, you don’t have to pay a web developer, digital marketer or an SEO team to do the work on your site twice.
Conclusions
Responsive sites are a great way to go for retailers. Google loves and supports them, your customers will find it very easy to use, and you will save time and money.
While it is pretty easy to see there are some great reasons to go with a responsive site, you may have more questions. That’s where we come in. Bluestar is always ready to help you strategize and plan your best moves when it comes to web design, SEO, and digital Marketing. If you have questions, call us today at 888-317-6959