“Day by day, the number of devices, platforms, and browsers that need to work with your site grows. Responsive web design represents a fundamental shift in how we’ll build websites for the decade to come.”
- Jeffrey Veen, Responsive web design (RWD)
Have you ever left your smartphone behind and felt as if you were missing an arm or a leg? I definitely have! The simple truth is we’re inseparable from our devices. Mobile devices have become an extension of ourselves. We no longer check emails or surf the web solely on desktop computers. We are busy, on-the-go - checking email and searching the web from a variety of devices, but with various devices that vary in screen size, pixel resolution, even touch vs. click. We expect the same experience regardless of the device. How your emails and landing pages look and feel matters a great deal. But the experience you give your users matters too, which is why responsive design really matters.
What is responsive design?
Responsive emails and landing pages adjust based on the user’s device - screen size, email client, web browser, version etc. The layout of webpages for example, changes based on the size and device capabilities. On a mobile phone, the viewer may see content in a single column, whereas on a tablet or desktop they might see the content in two columns. Responsive design also allows for the ability to seamlessly resize content/images, hide/show content, restyle content, and stack/move columns, giving you the ability to build a more robust website.
Responsive design solves the problem of the ever-changing landscape of web browsers and devices, delivering a seamless experience to your users. Pretty impressive, right?
How does responsive design benefit you?
- Enhanced user experience
- Allow your users to view your awesome content on the device of their choice. We’re constantly searching for information and often, people are viewing content simultaneously on more than one device (searching via a laptop while tweeting from their smartphone). By designing for the user, your product or service is accessible to the user anytime, anywhere.
- Less maintenance
- While responsive assets may take a little longer to produce, you ultimately have one email or site to update, maintain and support. You don’t need to
- say, “View site on desktop version?” when someone is trying to view your offerings online. This saves you time and money. Chaa-ching!
- Improved SEO Rankings:
- With more than one site, you’ll need an SEO campaign for each. It’s easier to have all your results in one place. Google recommends consolidating for optimal results.
- Google even began rewarding sites that were built responsively for multi-device support and then “penalizing” sites that were not mobile friendly in April 2015.
- Improved conversion rates
- A responsive site keeps your brand and content consistent across whatever platform the user is viewing on. Making it easier and more likely that your audience will engage with you, instead of hopping to the next site that doesn’t require them to pinch & zoom.
- Improved social sharing
- If your content looks good across multiple platforms, rest assured it will be shared more often. As of April 2020, mobile devices accounted for 53.81% percent of web page views worldwide, you can’t possibly let your business miss out on that!
While it may not be the easiest to implement, and there is extra coding involved, the benefits make it worth the effort. Give your customers and prospects some love, deliver the experience that’s aligned with what they want and expect – utilize Responsive Design.
Jaw dropping stats that may push you over to the responsive side:
Still not convinced? Check out these stats:
- There are currently 3.5 billion smartphone users in the world. That’s a billion more than in 2016!
- It’s estimated that there will be 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide in 2020.
- In 2019, 52.2 percent of traffic came from mobile phones.
- 72% of internet users will access the web solely via smartphones by 2025.
Helpful resources from one of Tegrita’s Senior Technology Leads:
- Mailchimp has great resources on coding emails.
- Email on Acid's Tutorial on Responsive Design is quite useful.
- Ethan Marcotte’s books (he was the first to define Responsive Design).
- Testing is important as well; Email on Acid and Litmus are two of the big names in email testing.
- Gallery of winning designs on Media Queries, great inspiration.
- Great general-purpose design/development site, Smashing Magazine.
Resources for Eloqua’s Responsive Editors:
Taking the time to eliminate the need to “View site on desktop version” will improve the experience of your site visitors. Your website may be their first experience with your brand, so make sure you take the time to invest in a seamless, easy-to-navigate experience.
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