Responsive web design is not just a buzzword in B2B website design or a passing trend to ignore. Rather, it’s the new standard in professional web design and search engine optimization.
What Is Responsive Design?
First, it is not synonymous with mobile optimized design. Responsive design is called “responsive” because it responds to the user and the device used to search the internet. All of the content, images, videos, and structure of the website remains the same on any device but shrinks or expands to accommodate the screen size. In other words, a desktop user and a smartphone user will see the same website, but as a different size.
A mobile optimized website isn’t “responsive” in the same sense as a responsive website. A mobile optimized website is a secondary website that web visitors are directed to when they access a B2B website on a mobile device, such as a smartphone. A business with a mobile optimized website has two websites, a desktop website and a mobile website. The websites are independent of each other and need to be updated separately.
Google Says Yes to Responsive
Google has the largest share (67%+) of online search by a huge margin. While Bing and Yahoo are also contenders, their market share is nowhere near the amount of Google. This is why so many web developers, marketers, and SEOs follow the guidelines and best practices created by Google. Google not only says that responsive design is great, it recommends responsive design as the top website configuration.
One URL to Rule them All
There are a number of reasons that Google recommends responsive design for websites. One of the main reasons is that a responsive website has only one URL and the same HTML across all devices. This makes it easier for Google to bot crawl the website, index the pages, and categorize them according to its algorithm. Anything you can do to make your B2B website easier to crawl can positively impact your search engine rankings.
Better User Experience
Google continually talks about improving the user experience. A responsive website creates a better user experience because the website is viewable on any device the user is employing to search online. A website that conforms to the needs of each user reduces the bounce rate of a website because users don’t get frustrated and leave a site. Website visitors who can easily access the information on a website enjoy a great user experience.
A responsive B2B website design also makes sharing links with other users easy. If a user shares a link to a website from their mobile device, a desktop user that clicks on the link will see a website that is expanded to fit the desktop screen. Anticipating the needs of your website visitors always creates a better user experience.
The Mobile Movement
Statistics show mobile web browsing outranks desktop web browsing. This means that people, including professionals, are using mobile devices to access web sites. Also, it’s common for people to use multi-screen browsing, meaning they may access a website on desktop, then a laptop, and then later on a smartphone. A responsive website ensures that a B2B website design looks great and functions well on every device a user employs to search online, including smartphones.
The bottom line is when web users are happy, able to view content and images, and get the information they want and need, then Google is happy. A responsive B2B website design is an effective way to create a great user experience while improving your search engine optimization too.
