Kulture Konnect Blog

Video courtesy of Uberflip

 Responsive web design is no longer a luxury that only big corporations can afford… It is a technology that is reachable for any business and that is not considered as optional for your online presence.

Having a responsive website will allow any businesses to save time by maintaining only one outlet instead of two (m.site and desktop versions) and will help reach a larger audience by allowing them to access your site through different methods.

Why do you need responsive design?

If Google's announcement  earlier last year was not enough for you to pay attention to your site and start thinking about converting it to a responsive site, here are two big reasons to reconsider:

1. According to ComScrore, people spend most of their time consuming digital media through their mobile devices rather than on their desktops
2. DazeInfo expects over 2 billion users to be surfing the web using mobile devices by 2017

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→ Already thinking about taking your website presence to the next level? Download this checklist to help you streamline the process!

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Ok, you've got my attention... I have a website, how do I test it for responsiveness?

If we talk about a standard screen size for each platform (desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone), most likely we won’t reach an agreement. There is no real one-size-fits-all solution, making this new technology a shot in the dark. We have Androids, iPhones, iPads, Surface tablets, MacBooks, Chromebooks and the list goes on… Each with their own screen specifications. It would be tough to test for every conceivable device.

In spite of all this, there are a few tools to help  test your current website and make sure you are following best practices and that you’re up-to-date with Google’s latest algorithm:

1. Google Material - This is a vault of information on responsive design such as breakpoints, grids, interface patterns, etc.
2. Google Resizer - This is a simple and spot-on way to test how your website looks on different devices. It shows your site across the most common desktop and mobile resolutions.
3. Google Mobile Friendly Test - This tool will analyze your site and will show you how Googlebots see your page.
4. Alternative Option To Google Mobile Friendly Test - If you want to see your site across a few more devices, besides just an iPhone or an iPad, this site will provide you with a few more options, such as Nexus Tablets and more.

Conclusion

With the ever-growing demand for responsive design on businesses’ and final users’ part, it is hard not to acknowledge the importance of a mobile-friendly website. When providing a good UX, keeping your user happy and coming back is the ultimate goal, and responsive design can help you achieve this objective.