Have you ever gone to a website on your phone and the text and images were so small you couldn’t see any of it?

Not only is that inconvenient for users, but it’s also a serious blunder in the world of web page design. If you want users to return to your site, it has to be responsive.

But what is responsive design? And how can you ensure that your own website abides by the responsive design best practices?

Read on to find out!

What Is Responsive Design?

Responsive design is adapting a website’s pages to fit any device’s dimensions, no matter how big or small. The website’s users visit look different depending on the size of the screen they are using to view them.

As users switch from laptops to phones to tablets, the websites they view change to best display the content. For example, when viewing a site on a large screen, users can usually expect to see large images, a big banner, and a navigation bar.

When viewing from a smartphone or a tablet, images may be smaller and center-aligned, the banner won’t take up as much space, and the navigation bar should collapse into what is known as a “hamburger menu.”

These things make the site more accessible, easier to navigate, and visually appealing.

How Do You Achieve Responsive Design?

You’re going to need to do some coding. By using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), you can resize, move, and hide your content so it looks good on any size device.

If you’re not an expert coder, you can hire someone to update your website for you. Hiring a professional to take a look at your site will ensure that everything is corrected and ready to be launched online.

Your site will become visually appealing and easier to navigate, so your clients will stay on your site instead of becoming discouraged and clicking away.

Why You Need to Update Your Site

In 2018, roughly half of all internet traffic worldwide took place on a phone. This number is steadily increasing each year. If your site isn’t responsive, you’re losing the people that browse the internet on their mobile devices.

Also in 2018, Google changed its algorithm that determines where websites lie in its search results. Now, companies with fast mobile-friendly sites will appear higher in Google’s search results.

These responsive sites will have more traffic and a lower bounce rate.

Using Responsive Design Best Practices for Your Site

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, it’s important to keep your websites up-to-date.

If you want your site to stay ahead of the curve, users have to be able to access a polished version from their phones. This is where responsive design best practices come into play.

Once you’ve made your site responsive, look into some other reasons why your site may need to be redesigned.