How people use their devices is changing, so if brands want to stay alive in this tech-driven world they need to revive their marketing tools.
A 2015 study done by Catalyst showed that 68% of Canadians now own smartphones, that’s up from 24% the year earlier. Also, at-home smartphone usage has risen. What does this mean for your business? As people choose to use their smartphones over a desktop or laptop more and more, the need to have a website that is responsive (this mean it works well and looks good on any device) is no longer an added bonus, it’s an expectation.
If your site is a responsive site, it should adjust to the size of the screen it’s being viewed on — not automatically direct users to a mobile version, or have scrunched, overlapping text or text that flows off the screen.
If you aren’t sure if your website is responsive, there is an easy way to tell — visit it on your smartphone, your laptop or desktop and then a tablet. If the design has the same look and feel and all the content is still accessible than it’s responsive and you can rest at ease.
If that’s not the case, we suggest making it so (as do numerous marketing studies and Google developers).
Typically this means rebuilding your site. But starting fresh is generally quicker and easier (read cheaper) than trying to do surgery to your current site.
If your website isn’t responsive it is either a) build poorly or b) built close to five years ago, which means it’s time to breath some new life into it anyway.
We know five years doesn’t seem like a long time in terms of business operations, but in web years that’s almost an eternity. A five year old site is OLD. You don’t want your website to be a rusted-out jalopy do you?
We think having a responsive site it the best way to go, and that is standard practice for us when we build a site. But, beyond our opinion, there are some strong business benefits of having a responsive site as well.
- Improved sales and stickiness
Users will have a better experience on your site when they can view it properly from any device they choose. If they like what you’re offering, they will be more apt to stay on your site longer and return more often. For online retailers, this is huge! - More Google juice
Google (and other search engines) likes responsive sites. Your site will rank higher in web searches if it’s responsive. Do you want to be on page 1 or page 31 when a potential client Googles the keywords associated with your business? - Less maintenance and costs
If your operating with your core website and a mobile-version, switching to a responsive site will save you money. You won’t need to dedicate as much time to managing your website the different versions of your site. With responsive design, it’s one site. That’s it.
So, let’s recap: a responsive site could mean improved sales, more time spend on your site by consumers, more people being able to find your site, and fewer long-term business costs. And it will be better looking, to boot. Seems like a no brainer. What are you waiting for? Email us at inquiries@niteowlcreative.com or give us a ring at 1-866.200.1161. Ask for Nick.
~ Niteowl Creative
