Yep, that’s right, Google have announced the changes to their search algorithms which now take into account whether a site is responsive. This information will now be a factor to determine your site’s ranking in Google’s search results.
What is a Responsive Website?
A large amount of web traffic today comes from portable devices such as tablets and phones. This has presented a new challenge to web developers, as there are many devices being used to access websites which have a variety of different screen sizes.
The idea of a responsive website is one that is adaptable to any screen size. This improves the sites accessibility dramatically, as users can view the site on any device from anywhere. The image below exemplifies a responsive site, no more pinching and swiping around a web page!
Why is This Important?
You want your website to be accessible to as as many people as possible. If a site is responsive it will be retain its usability on multiple screens and devices, giving your users a great user experience no matter what device they are using. The whole point of getting yourself a website was to reach your customers. Make sure you are reaching them in the right way.
1. Load Time
It is common today for people to move away from sites that don’t load quickly. Studies have shown that user frustration can set in after as little as eight seconds! You can imagine this scenario occurring when a user is on a mobile device with low signal. However, a perk of responsive websites is that they will improve load time on mobile devices.
2. Positive Experience
The last thing you want is for your website to lose you customers instead of gaining them. This is why a positive experience on their part is crucial. Don’t give them work to do and unnecessary loading times. Make your site is adaptable and it will attract more users in addition to keeping current ones. Happy users are much more likely to reward you with their custom.
3. SEO
If your site is not responsive it will be lower in the Google search rankings, which could make your business fall behind a competitors whose is. This is only the beginning, as responsive design is increasingly becoming a mandatory requirement of every modern website. Don’t unnecessarily harm your business through an unresponsive site.
The Bottom Line
Google’s plans to change their search ranking system reflects the importance of mobile web traffic, and how the number of people accessing websites from these devices is increasing all the time.
With Google’s new announcement set aside, your website should be responsive anyway. Your users are the most important aspect of your website, so look after them and keep them happy. If you want to deliver the best experience to your users your site should be responsive, no question about it.
If you invest your time in your users, they will invest their time in you.