How to Create a Responsive Web Design

Today, web design almost invariably includes creating a website that is mobile-friendly and functions on all devices. A responsive website is vital in extending your market reach and attracting potential clients who are always on the go. Therefore, if you are not optimizing your site for smartphones, tablets or laptops, you are missing out on a massive marketing segment.

Per 2019 Google requirements, websites that are responsive to mobile devices will receive indexing priority over those that are not. As a result, if your website does not have responsive capabilities, then your goal of landing on the first page or two of a Google search is an uphill climb at best. You are likely to rank lower than websites that are not SEO-optimized as well as yours.

What is a Responsive Website?

In essence, a responsive website is a website that responds to various devices, platforms or settings without losing functionality, display or performance.

At its core, a website should function according to a user’s behavior and environment based on elements such as device orientation, platform and screen size. A responsible website offers a variety of flexible layouts, images, tools, grids and CSS media requests. A responsive website is about optimizing user experience (UX) on any device. The viewer should be able to bounce from their desktop computer to their laptop, phone, tablet or monitor and have an identical fluid experience on all platforms.

Furthermore, they should be able to view the same site regardless of search engines or device manufacturers. For instance, there should be no difference in the viewing experience between an Android phone or iOS phone. Similarly, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer or Chrome should all display the same website identically. Device settings should also have no bearing on the quality and presentation of the website.

Elements of a Responsive Website

The primary objective of website design is that the site adapts and functions to the client screen. For this to occur seamlessly from platform to platform, the designer needs to take into account key elements such as:

Site Layout

Underneath the surface of every website is a carefully crafted matrix based on hundreds of lines of HTML or CSS code. How the front-end web developer arranges the code determines what the site looks like to the viewer. Additionally, the arrangement of all those numbers and letters determines if the site will function properly on all devices.

When bringing all the components together in a site, developers often consider aspect ratios and content/media placement. How will the layout look if you shrink it from a large computer screen to a tiny smartphone? What shape will it take? Will all elements be both visible and legible?

Media and UX

From a consumer standpoint, the success of your website is primarily determined by two things: the quality of the content and the functionality of the media. In other words, is the content meaningful and do your photos and videos load as they should? Also, do your buttons, links, drop-down menus, accordions, shopping carts and other online interactive tools work across the platform spectrum?

Your website design should focus on a smooth interaction between the user and the site. What do site visitors look for?

• Fast load times
• Complete page/media loads
• Easy navigation in as few moves as possible
• Tools and links that work flawlessly
• High-resolution videos and photos

All of these elements are crucial for a responsive website. They also improve UX and keep your visitors/customers coming back time and again.

Typography

Content takes up more than 80 percent of your website. For this reason, a responsive website should have a responsive font. The size of the font should be scalable and easily readable on any device. Therefore, choose a font that is already easy on the eyes. The typography should be clear, well-spaced and consistent across all platforms.

Also, consider how your content is organized and grouped. If your viewer is scrolling down through a series of long paragraphs, they are likely to leave the page. Content is much easier to read when you break up the content into shorter paragraphs, add subheadings and condense the content into bullet points, tiles or accordions. Make sure your content is meaningful with little to no fluff or filler.

The Benefits of Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design tells viewers that you have already considered their needs or preferences before they land on your page. It gives the perception that you understand how visitors interact with devices. In essence, it is good PR and establishes long-term relationships with current/potential customers who can trust that your website is hassle-free.

Responsive web design also benefits your company and your audience in the following ways:

• Increased web traffic
• Efficient web design with less work
• Lower site maintenance requirements
• Improved performance, faster page load times
• Lower bounce rates, higher click-through rates
• More accurate analytics and improved SEO/indexing

Overall, your audience has an improved viewing experience, which increases your market base and translates to higher revenue. When viewers can trust your site, they are more likely to trust your brand and your products.

Comprehensive Web Design for Your Business

At Lucid, we provide a wide range of marketing tools that helps you expand your market reach while targeting the customers you want. We deliver measured results that reflect your brand and help you reach your goals. To find out more about our services, call us at 850-760-0478 or fill out the quick contact form below, and we will be in touch.