Why is responsive design important for modern websites

Adaptive design is about caring for every potential visitor while ensuring high traffic and business profitability. According to statistics, more than 70% of Ukrainian users access resources from their smartphones. Just imagine how many customers you could lose if you don’t provide them with a convenient interface. While 5-10 years ago some users could overlook the lack of mobile optimization, today the result is clear — your potential customer will instantly leave the page and go searching for a solution where they won’t have to sacrifice their comfort.

Modern users are so accustomed to websites that have well-thought-out usability, with all their behavioral factors and pathways to make a purchase considered, that they are not willing to settle for less. Having a mobile version of your site is one way to show that you are ready to provide excellent service even before the user engages with your services or buys a product.

What adaptive website design provides

By deciding to optimize your resource for mobile devices, you gain important advantages:

• Improved conversion rates — when users access a website from a smartphone or tablet, they are less likely to leave due to inconvenience, giving you a chance to lead them to make a purchase and generally increase your sales;
• SEO effectiveness — implementing SEO optimization strategies is much easier on an adaptive site, whereas the opposite scenario drastically reduces search engine visibility. Google uses a Mobile-friendly filter and ranks accordingly;
• Audience loyalty — if customers have two similar products or services from competitors, they are likely to choose the website that displays correctly on their device, consciously or unconsciously noting that the business cares about their comfort and is responsible.

In reality, optimizing websites for various devices is neither a complicated nor an expensive procedure to delay. It can be done quickly, but for a good result, certain aspects must also be considered. For example, some technical and graphical elements may need to be removed, and that’s perfectly fine. There is no need to strive for an exact replica of the full version of the site — it’s better to sacrifice certain elements for the user’s convenience. You can also apply design trends, and the effect will justify itself.

Why Mobile Design is Important for Business

By having a universal website for all types of devices, you as a business owner:

• Maximize the reach of your potential audience;
• Gain experience working with a broader target audience, turning more site visits into sales and conversions;
• Track analytics in one place, with reports for both desktop and mobile versions of your site;
• Increase your visibility in search engines, and as a result, get more SEO optimization results with the same costs as before the resource’s adaptation;
• Successfully compete with other brands in your niche.

Adaptive Website Optimization — Is it Only About Mobile Version?

Most people think that adaptive sites are only properly displayed on smartphones. However, this is not entirely correct. This idea formed because most users access sites from mobile devices, and there is a need to adjust the interface. However, the term “adaptivity” means that pages look the same across all possible devices: on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Regardless of screen resolution, the images are optimized. Therefore, adaptive design layout is actually a more universal solution that allows your business to reach the widest audience, no matter which device they use.

When and Who Needs Adaptive Design

This is one of those cases where there are no exceptions. All modern websites, regardless of their purpose or commercial goals, must have a mobile version. E-commerce sites, blogs, restaurant websites, and any other businesses must ensure their resources display correctly. Today, there is no niche where the potential target audience doesn’t use smartphones. Even businesses targeting older audiences need adaptability.

Perhaps such clients may not be as familiar with these nuances as younger people, but they will still feel discomfort, and due to their limited user experience, they may not be able to find what they need, even if they want to stay on the site and complete their task. If you’re just planning to launch a business, don’t delay creating an adaptive design — do it during the initial web development phase and attract a loyal audience from day one.

What to Consider When Designing for Mobile Devices

To ensure the website optimization translates into increased traffic and audience loyalty, several key points should be taken into account:

• Behavioral factors of the audience — it’s important to analyze beforehand what users do on the site, what path they take to make a purchase, where they might get stuck, and from which devices purchases are most often made (perhaps they only browse information on smartphones but place orders from a PC);
• Resource performance — the issue is that the loading speed of an adaptive version of the site decreases due to its larger size. But this can and should be adjusted, for example, by prioritizing the loading of images and videos at the top. This way, users won’t experience inconvenience as the other elements will appear as they scroll down, and the overall speed will remain optimal;
• Maintaining style and considering design trends — it’s important to follow current trends but not stray from the original design, even if the site has been running for a while and you’re only now adapting it. Buttons, fonts, forms, and primary colors must be identical, so if you want to add something new, everything will need to be updated;
• Conducting proper redesign — be prepared that you won’t be able to preserve all elements from the full version, and some side panels and headings will need to be removed. Therefore, you should carefully think about what is essential and which details can be omitted without losing important concepts;
• Limiting pop-up windows — while pop-ups may be annoying on a desktop, they usually appear at the side or bottom and don’t block important information, on smartphones such elements will cover everything and become a reason for users to leave the page.

Ways to Make a Website Adaptive

There are three ways to make the user interface correct on any device.

• Adaptive Design — suitable for brochure websites, informational sites, blogs, landing pages, and simple e-commerce sites. For such purposes, one of the available CSS frameworks can be used. All elements shift vertically, and some UX/UI design elements may not display in the mobile version. Overall, this is a convenient option, it’s quickly implemented on the mentioned types of websites, but some scripts and styles that are not used in the mobile version but are in the desktop version may still be installed and affect the site’s loading speed.
• Separate Template on the Main Domain — suitable for any informational website or e-commerce site, regardless of its structure. PHP knowledge is needed to implement this, as it involves creating a script that determines the device type and outputs the appropriate web development template. The user interface in the mobile version is significantly simplified compared to the main one, but it remains recognizable.
• Version on a Subdomain — optimal for e-commerce sites and catalogs. This method is the most complex to implement, but for online stores with a vast assortment, it may be the only way. A subdomain is created with one database for two sites. When a user visits the main site, they are automatically redirected to the mobile version. The UX/UI design of the mobile version is significantly simplified, which positively impacts page loading speed. However, creating a separate subdomain is more time-consuming and requires additional maintenance efforts.

It’s hard to say which option is best, as it depends on the type of site. However, if there is no urgent need to create a separate subdomain, most choose to stay on one. WordPress site owners have a significant advantage. The developers have already taken care of this and created a special plugin for quick adaptation.

What Google Requires from Adaptive Websites

It has been repeatedly mentioned that having a mobile version of a resource positively affects rankings. But this doesn’t mean that search engines automatically place all adaptive sites in top positions. What matters is how user-friendly the site is. Therefore, adaptation should not just exist but be done properly. The main requirements from Google:

• Text should be legible without needing to zoom in;
• Maximize content on one page to minimize the need for horizontal scrolling;
• Links and buttons should be spaced appropriately to prevent interface issues;
• Smart page load time;
• Minimize or eliminate multimedia pop-up elements.

Conclusions

Having an adaptive version of a modern website is not a choice, but a necessity. Without it, a significant loss of traffic is inevitable, whereas with it, you can ensure that every visitor, regardless of the device they use, will be able to interact with your site in the best possible way. Therefore, the question today is not whether it’s necessary, but how to do it best. You can choose from several layout options depending on your circumstances and preferences. However, it’s important to adapt your site as quickly as possible to retain loyal users and attract new ones.