Tablet sales are expected to reach over 100 million in 2013, and Nielsen reports that the majority of Americans now own smartphones. With these shifts in technology, you need to ensure that your website is accessible and user-friendly across more mobile devices than ever before.
A responsive web design uses “media queries” to figure out what resolution of device it’s being served on. In other words, responsive web design is the practice of making your website reshape and fit any sized mobile screen. For example, go to https://mashable.com/ and use your cursor to make the browser smaller. You will notice that the screen shifts from 3 columns, to 2, and then down to 1 when the browser is the smallest. This simulates the process that responsive web design has on mobile devices.
The benefits of incorporating a responsive design into your website are obvious. You create a website once, and it will work seamlessly across thousands of mobile devices without any further structural modifications. For publishers, it offers the simplest way to reach readers across multiple devices. For users, it ensures a great experience on every screen. When you consider that 60% of individuals now prefer reading the news on mobile devices, it should come as no surprise that this responsive website update can be extremely valuable- especially if you have an eCommerce site. Contact our web department for more information on this new design trend.