The world of the web is constantly changing – and fast! What was innovative in terms of website development and design five years ago (or even two!) is likely to be waning now and keeping pace can be a challenge, although crucially important to your business’ success.
At one time virtually all internet searches were done via a desktop computer however those days are long gone and recent statistics show that almost a third of all internet use is now done via a mobile devices such as an iPhone.
That figure is only likely to rise as smartphones and tablets continue to proliferate and it has huge implications for the way you market your company online. Mobile internet has changed the game and businesses cannot afford to fall behind.
Without a doubt the most critical aspect of this is your company website and ensuring it continues to deliver new business. We all know how valuable a website is to your company in today’s market as it acts as your ‘shop window’ for selling your products and services. However if more and more of your customers visit your site on their mobile device what implications does this have for your website? Well to put it bluntly, huge ones.
On a basic level mobile devices have much smaller screens, therefore to provide the best viewing experience websites need to have features that allow business critical sections (e.g. enquiry forms) to display correctly on a mobile device. Links also need to be mobile friendly and the whole design of the site needs to work for mobiles to ensure that visitors don’t get frustrated and click straight off your website.
One way of dealing with this is by creating a separate mobile version of your website that is slimmed down and fits the screen of smartphones and tablets. This can work quite well for some sites but not for all as their architecture and design simply won’t translate well from desktop to mobile. Also maintaining two separate sites, especially when quality of content is becoming increasingly important, can require a big investment of time.
The method that has garnered support from many web development experts, including us here at Fluid Digital, is responsive websites. These are sites that are built to respond to whichever device the visitor is using, ensuring information is always displayed as it should be and delivering a good user experience. Using the latest technology they expand and contact to cleverly fit to whichever size screen they are being viewed on.
You should look to refresh your site every couple of years to ensure you keep up with the latest trends in your market so if you’ve reached that point it would be worth speaking to us about building a responsive website. Your website probably is already your most valuable asset so by investing in it you can help to future proof it, as well as increase the amount of business it delivers.
