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A convenient mobile version is primarily needed to attract users – no one will look at sites that simply cannot be viewed normally from a smartphone. Inconvenient sizes can sometimes still be tolerated, but a long download completely discourages the desire to switch to such resources. But there is still such a nuance – even if desired, the user may not have such an opportunity if he does not access the site through a direct link, but tries to find it through a search engine.
Benefits of a responsive website
Websites compete for users’ attention and time. It’s good if a person stays on the page for a long time: reads the text, looks at the pictures, chooses a product or service.
The longer the user interacts with the content, the more likely they are to take the desired action. For example, call and sign up for a consultation, buy a product, leave a review. The adaptive design of the site makes any action available not only from a computer, but also from a phone.
In addition to helping companies retain customers, responsive website design has several other benefits:
- The site looks neat. Responsive design websites display correctly on screens with any resolution. With adaptive layout, elements do not overlap each other, they do not turn out to be too small or large.
- The site is convenient for different audiences. In 2019, users accessed the Internet equally often from phones and computers. In 2022, more than 65% of users come from phones, about 30% from computers and laptops, and 2% from tablets.
- If the site is inconvenient to view on a phone, users leave. If the site does not adapt to the screen of a mobile phone, there is a risk of losing some of the mobile users, which are now the majority.
- Responsive sites receive priority in search results. Sites compete not only for the attention of users, but also for priority in the issuance of search engines. For example, since 2019, Google shows first of all those sites that are optimized for mobile devices and display correctly from them.
Responsive Images
If you thought that only the text automatically adjusts to the screen of the site visitor, then this is not so. The images on the page behave in a similar way.
Pictures “fit” not only to the width of the page (to be more precise, to the width of the layout), but also taking into account the general hierarchical element that is written in the style sheet.
Loading images when using responsive layout can take a little longer, especially when we are talking about low-performance devices.
Mobile optimization options
- 1. Responsive design is the best solution for small resources, such as landing pages, business card sites, blogs, service sites.
Templates are a suitable option for information resources, forums, and not very large online stores. To implement, you need a script that defines the type of device and displays a specific template depending on it.
When using templates, the design of a site for mobile devices is simplified: unimportant elements are removed, thereby reducing the weight of pages.
Responsive design plugins and themes are the most convenient way for projects on WordPress and other popular CMS.
- 2. A separate mobile version on a subdomain is the most time-consuming option, suitable for large portals, social networks and online stores with a wide range.
Common Mistakes in Responsive Layout Development
When it comes to creating an adaptive version of an online store, in most cases, the same mistakes are made. They affect the effectiveness of the site to adjust to the screen, as well as complicate the user’s actions.
Font sizes and active elements. Those objects that are clearly visible on a large screen become difficult to perceive on small monitors of mobile devices. To avoid this situation, use a font of at least 12 pixels. Also choose the correct sizes for other important elements: buttons, interactive details, etc.
Scroll blocks. To save space, scrollable blocks are often used. If the gadget has a touch screen with a small width, then scrolling brings a lot of inconvenience to the user. In such cases, it is better to use the “expand” function of the block with a click, or simply show the block in its entire size.
An object with a touch event. On many sites, you can find elements that trigger an event when the cursor is hovered over: for example, tooltips, menus, etc. You need to take into account the fact that there is no cursor on mobile gadgets. That is, what can be done on the desktop with a mouse click, on touch screens you have to do with a touch.
Non-collapsible menu. Responsive layout creates user-friendly details. A massive menu, expanding to full screen, clearly does not meet the ideas of adaptability, as it simply interferes. Therefore, you should provide an icon that, if necessary, would hide or reveal the menu.
Lack of deep testing. Before launching an online store website, it is necessary to check its functionality, as well as pay attention to the main paths of visitors in different browsers. This will help to see the errors made during development.
Long loading pages of the site. Every Internet user appreciates the speed of the site. Since it directly depends on the “weight” of the page, you need to make the volume of the elements that make up the page minimal. To achieve this, the content is distributed over additional tabs, removing the load from the main part. Images, Java scripts and CSS files also play a role in loading speed. Therefore, when developing a site, you need to leave only important information. And the use of special tools will help reduce the size of resource files.
Lack of preliminary analysis of the user audience. This is an important step that cannot be ignored. The purpose of the analysis is to understand what gadgets the audience uses to access the Internet and what actions users take while surfing the web. Only knowing the answers to these questions, you can develop a website that can meet the requirements of the audience.
Conclusion
Constantly increasing mobile traffic suggests that one way or another, your site must have a version that will be convenient to view from a mobile phone. But whether it will be an adaptive design, a mobile version, or even an application is up to you. Today’s requirements require your website to look great and work well on desktop, tablet, and smartphone browsers. Responsive web design can help you achieve this. The choice between responsive and adaptive design requires special attention. Responsive design is usually better for small web pages with low complexity, while responsive design is better for complex web resources. No matter what type of mobile design you choose, it’s important to know exactly how your audience is using your site and always check its usability. And do not forget that everything should be extremely simple.
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