In 2014, just over 20 percent of Google searches were performed on a mobile device. Over time, mobile devices have become essential to updating social networks, checking and sending email and surfing the web. Conventional web designs rarely account for small screen sizes and different ways people are using mobile devices which may result in customer dissatisfaction. In order to create a uniform experience for users across all devices, responsive web design is a must. Through CSS3 media queries, a fluid grid layout and flexible images, a site using responsive web design adapts to your screen’s resolution in order to deliver the best viewing experience. According to InMobi, 60 percent of Internet access is via a mobile device, while only 11 percent is via a desktop. With the average American spending approximately two hours a day on their mobile devices, responsive web design can be used to increase traffic and customer satisfaction. 1. Increased traffic When customers are on the go, they often pull up websites they can view quickly and easily to obtain the information they need. Responsive sites result in more frequent visitors who stick around longer. Mobile traffic increased to 37 percent in 2013 62 percent of companies that designed a website specifically for mobile had an increase in sales 2. Improved customer satisfaction Websites that don’t incorporate responsive design often appear clunky or disproportionately small on mobile. Text may be hard to read and links difficult to click. With responsive design, reading and navigating a site becomes easier, which instills confidence in potential customers. 48 percent of users say that if they arrive on a business’s site that isn’t working well on a mobile device, they take it as an indication of the business simply not caring 61 percent of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience 3. Higher conversion rates Website visitors are often looking for a way to distinguish you from your competition and purchase your product. The easier you are to find in a search and learn about, the more likely your site will convert visitors to customers. In a 2013 article released by Econsultancy, numerous brands reported increases in conversion rates after switching to responsive web designs. These three examples reveal the potential benefits of adopting responsive web design: Time Magazine After seeing its mobile visitors increase to around 10 percent of overall traffic at the beginning of 2012, Time Magazine decided that responsive web design was the best way to cater to this growing audience. Mobile traffic increased to almost 25 percent post-redesign Mobile pages per visit increased 23 percent Mobile bounce rate decreased by 26 percent Skinny Ties This website was redesigned with touch and click usage in mind, which keeps the interface consistent and compact. Skinny Ties quietly launched the site in 2012 and within a matter of weeks noticed a massive improvement on sales metrics compared to the previous months. Conversion rate for iPhone increased 71.9 percent Visit duration increased by 44.6 percent Bounce rate fell by 23.2 percent O’Neill Clothing O’Neill tracked conversions, transactions and revenue for three weeks prior to launching its new site, then monitored the same metrics for three weeks after deploying the responsive version. Results on iPhone/iPod: Conversions increased by 65.7 percent Transactions increased 112.5 percent Revenue increased by 101.25 percent Results on Android devices: Conversions increased by 407.32 percent Transactions increased by 333.3 percent Revenue increased by 591.4 percent Mobile affects every aspect of our online marketing efforts – content, email, search and social. People are reading content, opening emails, performing searches and engaging with brands on social media – all on their mobile devices. What do you think of responsive design? What are some of your favorite responsive web designs? We want to hear from you!