Three compelling reasons why your website needs to be responsive

If you run a small business, a website is now essential. You might not think so but your customers certainly do. Considering how cheap and easy to manage they can be, there really is no excuse not to have one.

If you have a website, you should know by now that Google regards mobile compatibility as mandatory. In fact, the search engine is now actively penalising websites that are either not responsive or not mobile-friendly. So now it?s more important than ever to make sure your website delivers for users regardless of how they access the internet.

Fortunately, a responsive website isn?t as expensive as you might think. Coastal Content can deliver a fully responsive website for between ?250 and ?300!

What is responsive?

We have used the term responsive three times so far but what does it mean?

There are two ways of making your website mobile friendly. You can have a specific mobile template that only shows up when you access it from a smartphone or you can have a single responsive website that adjusts depending on how it is being viewed.

Google doesn?t really like mobile-specific templates as it can change the user experience. The search engine recommends using responsive website templates, as it ensures users enjoy the same quality browsing experience regardless of the device they are using.

Those three reasons

So why should you care? There are three very compelling reasons why your website should be responsive.

1.?? Google will penalise you if you don?t

The most important reason is that Google has adjusted their search engine algorithm to punish websites that aren?t mobile friendly. So if you?re at the top of the search results for your industry and you?re not running a responsive website, you will soon disappear from those results.

2.? Mobile internet use will outstrip desktop this year

Predictions are that by the end of 2015, more people will use mobiles to access the internet than traditional laptop or desktop. So regardless of the size of your business, the industry you?re in or your target market, you need to embrace these changes.

3.? Your users demand it

Even for the most unlikely businesses, being seen as behind the times is ?a bad thing^TM?. While you can depend on a more traditional customer base, or an older one, that base is changing. People of all ages and abilities are using the internet more and becoming more tech savvy. As a business, it?s your job to deliver what your customers need in a medium they want. That now includes mobile.

Like it or not, you need a responsive website in order to provide your audience with what they demand. If they are using mobile phones to check you out, you have to stay ahead of the game. It?s not enough to just advertise a mobile number and freemail address. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to provide a brand that can be trusted.

It all begins with your website.

Coastal Content delivers responsive websites for a very reasonable cost. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!