What device did you use the last time you viewed a website? These days, the chances are it was a mobile phone or tablet. Internet traffic from mobile phones overtook desktop computers for the first time back in 2016 and the predictions are that mobile phone use will continue to grow and grow.
With that background, you need to be sure that your website looks good and is easy to use on a mobile phone. If it was built in the last two years, it's likely to be working well, but any older than that, and it could be looking rather clunky!
What's the challenge?
The issue is that the way we view websites on a desktop or laptop computer is very different from a mobile phone. On a PC, we often have more time to navigate around a website, using a mouse to very accurately make our selections. On a mobile, you might be seeking a certain piece of information, often urgently, using a fingertip on a relatively small screen.
The way web developers get round this challenge is via Responsive Design. It's where we build a website to display differently according to the device it's being viewed on. On a mobile, the content and buttons might stack below each other, making it easy to scroll down a page and find the link or details you need.
Why is it important?
Website users are incredibly impatient. Statistics show that people leave a site within 15 seconds if they're unimpressed with it.
If your site is visually unappealing, slow, or difficult to move around, your visitor will give up and go to a competitor – who is easy to find on a search engine.
Responsive sites are also rated more highly by Google and the other search engines, so if your site doesn't adapt to its user, it will be listed lower on a search page.
How do I fix it?
Responsiveness is built into your site as it's created, so if yours isn't performing well, it's probably time for a new site. Importantly, too, all new sites are now being designed with mobile in mind – desktop viewing has now become secondary.
If you're an accountancy firm that needs a high quality, competitively priced site, have a look at accWEBSITE. We build and maintain websites tailored to accountancy firms – and give you a wide range of choice about how your site will look. All of the websites we build and manage are responsive – our competitors can't say the same.
If it's time to make your website responsive then choosing accWEBSITE will give you a future-proof, high quality site that's regularly updated with interesting content - for as little as £99 a month. Find out more here.