Mobile-friendly websites respond to the size of the viewing screen
A responsive website design is one that responds to the size of the viewing screen in an attempt to provide an optimal viewing experience based on the screen size. Responsive website designs feature text, images and navigation that are easy to read and/or use, regardless of the size of the viewing screen.
It is becoming increasingly important for websites to be responsive because more and more web users are utilizing mobile devices (phones and tablets). Mobile-responsive websites improve readability and accessibility for mobile users, as well as maintain a consistent online brand image across all platforms (desktop, laptop, tablet and phones). Sites that are mobile-responsive and mobile-friendly also rank higher with Google when the user is searching on a mobile device (notice how the term “mobile-friendly” precedes the website description if you search on a mobile device).
It is becoming increasingly important for websites to be responsive because more and more web users are utilizing mobile devices (phones and tablets). Mobile-responsive websites improve readability and accessibility for mobile users, as well as maintain a consistent online brand image across all platforms (desktop, laptop, tablet and phones). Sites that are mobile-responsive and mobile-friendly also rank higher with Google when the user is searching on a mobile device (notice how the term “mobile-friendly” precedes the website description if you search on a mobile device).
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You can test the responsiveness of a website on a desktop computer by changing the size of the web browser. Try adjusting the width of your browser so that it fills the entire screen, half of the screen or a small portion of the screen. You will notice that, as the width of the browser window is reduced, the navigation menu of this website changes.
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As you continue to reduce the width of your web browser, you will see three horizontal black lines appear in the upper left-hand corner of the site, in place of the menu items listed across the top of the window. You will also notice that text that is formatted as two columns when the browser window is full-width become stacked as the window width is reduced, but the font size remains essentially the same.
Websites without responsive designs might have tiny font sizes on mobile devices, which require users to zoom in to read text, or require users to scroll across because not all of the content fits onto the screen. Alternatively, a website might have separate mobile and desktop versions. Usually, this means that the mobile site will be a simplified version of the desktop site (e.g., fewer features or options, content formatted differently). Designing two separate sites (mobile and desktop) can be costly and might not be in the budget for a small business.
KJD Freelance offers mobile-responsive design options to clients. We recommend that new clients select a mobile-responsive design, and existing clients switch to a mobile-responsive design. There is no additional charge to create a website using a mobile-responsive design. Please contact KJD Freelance to discuss how to improve the mobile accessibility of your website.
Websites without responsive designs might have tiny font sizes on mobile devices, which require users to zoom in to read text, or require users to scroll across because not all of the content fits onto the screen. Alternatively, a website might have separate mobile and desktop versions. Usually, this means that the mobile site will be a simplified version of the desktop site (e.g., fewer features or options, content formatted differently). Designing two separate sites (mobile and desktop) can be costly and might not be in the budget for a small business.
KJD Freelance offers mobile-responsive design options to clients. We recommend that new clients select a mobile-responsive design, and existing clients switch to a mobile-responsive design. There is no additional charge to create a website using a mobile-responsive design. Please contact KJD Freelance to discuss how to improve the mobile accessibility of your website.
