Responsive and Mobile Friendly Web Design
Need to improve user experience
We are currently in a very different situation from the one we knew in the past, thanks to the incorporation of new technologies and the increased use of mobile devices and tablets. Today there is a wide range of sizes and the screens of these devices vary and change according to the dimensions of the Smartphone, so they are no longer limited to the standard sizes 13″ 15″ and 17″.
That is why the need arises and it is essential to use and create web pages that are responsive, so that they have the ability to respond on any device and improve the user experience. For this reason, Google is increasingly taking into account the positioning on mobile devices and tablets, since it produces a considerable decrease in the bounce rate, and increases the time that its users stay on the web and helps to retain customers.
What is Responsive Web Design?
This terminology comes from English and refers to the fact that all the content of any website is adjustable and adopted so that it can be viewed and viewed from all devices. Basically what is intended through this adjustment is that a website is displayed in the same way on a monitor or computer screen, or on a Tablet or Smartphone, although through css it is possible to display it in different columns or hide some section or element.
How important is it for websites to be Mobile Friendly?
Until not long ago, these types of details did not have the same importance as they do today, since web pages were developed and worked with HTML or PHP, with creation models of different customized designs.
The birth of various creation and intelligent design platforms, such as WordPress or Prestashop, have been, among other causes, the fact that has caused the entire current panorama to change. Google, in its effort to make life easier for the user, has decided to consider and take this parameter into account when scoring and calculating the websites in its search engine.
The fact that a large number of users, more than 50% of Internet traffic, is carried out through mobile devices and that almost 30% of Internet traffic is also shopping, makes Google take this into account. kind of thing and that if the web does not adapt, it is most likely that you will begin to notice a drop in sales.
What criteria does Google use to know if a website is Mobile Friendly?
Doesn’t use Flash
This technology, Fash technology, is not made for this type of device (tablets or smartphones), although there are other options such as javascript or CSS.
The text reads properly
There is no need to adjust the screen of the device to the text to be able to read all the content, it is the text that adjusts to the size of the different elements.
spaces between links
These links that exist on the web page must be correctly separated, thus allowing the user to navigate in an easier and simpler way. That is why if the links are extremely close, Google will launch an alert since the user can mistakenly do so.
Options for a website to be Mobile Friendly
Each web page has a different environment and style of development and design, so there are different alternatives that offer the possibility for websites (from the oldest to the most recent) to be Mobile Friendly and therefore facilitate the purchase and navigation.
Below are some of the different options for a web page to adapt to Mobile Friendly:
Web Responsive: The web code varies and adjusts according to the screen from which the content is being viewed. Said web code is useful on any device, and unique.
Adaptive Web: Unlike Responsive, the web code is totally different for each of the devices (web, mobile or tablet), and it will face one way or another depending on the device as well as the screen on which it is displayed. view the content.
Mobile only web: This is more characteristic of old websites in which the code was created manually. In these cases, there is a version for computers and another for mobiles with different URLs, although they can be perfectly redirected.
Well, we already know that a website must always adapt to each and every one of the existing devices, in addition to the fact that Google takes this factor very much into account, whether the website is Mobile Friendly or not (in my SEO Valencia services I am very account this point).
Differentiation between adaptive web design and responsive web
And well, as mentioned above, responsive web design is capable of restructuring all web elements on the device’s screen, optimizing all available space and offering an excellent user experience.
This method is accomplished by setting layout margins and width measurements to proportional sizes, rather than setting fixed values for the pixels.
For example, a horizontal menu becomes a vertical menu if viewed through smartphones, thus avoiding infinite scrolls and being much better organized. There is only one drawback to this web design technique, and that is that the elements are not redimensional, such as banners and videos, which do not vary in size depending on the device.
On the other hand, a responsive web design, however, does not have as much flexibility as a responsive one. This technique uses already preset screen sizes, and a responsive layout doesn’t need as much code as a responsive one for your CSS.
That is why the most recommended option is usually the use of a responsive web design, although this technique implies more extra time for its development. However, today there are web editors in the cloud that allow us to create this type of website online, without having any programming knowledge and quickly and easily.
Conclusions about the use of Mobile Friendly
The high trend towards the use of responsive web design is not something new, but it is taken into account and seems to be a much more widespread path for the future creation of web pages. Through the new models of editors that exist, it is not necessary to have programming knowledge or to have large budgets to design a web that is adjustable to all types of devices, but it is enough to have a few minutes and select some quality content to reach to all visitors.