Responsive Design

[LivHolmes]

How important is having a responsive design? Our website is still stuck with our original layout and since we're already thinking about getting a new one, I was thinking that maybe we should get a responsive design.
Also, for someone who only knows basic HTML, how hard would it be to make one?

 

[sapphirescales]

Depends on your area. If you have Google Analytics installed, how many people are visiting your site from phones and tablets? For us, it's about 50%. Losing 1/2 our potential customers is absolutely unacceptable, so we have a responsive website.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

If you do local repairs its a very good idea to have a mobile friendly website so that they can browse your site while their computer is down.

 

[gadgetfixup]

Must have responsive design if you're trying to rank on Google at all. Google penalizes websites that aren't mobile as about 70% of searches come from mobile devices.

 

[tf76]

How important is having a responsive design? Our website is still stuck with our original layout and since we're already thinking about getting a new one, I was thinking that maybe we should get a responsive design.
Also, for someone who only knows basic HTML, how hard would it be to make one?

Just use WordPress. Get a pro or free theme and go for it. Most themes are responsive.
There are tons of WordPress video howto's on youtube.
If you know CSS you can do a simple responsive site BUT that is more time consuming.

Regards,

 

[Movax]

+1 WordPress is probably a good choice. Find a nice theme and customize it to your needs.

 

[Amit]

Now a days, it's very very important to have a responsive website. I know few people whose websites are getting 90% of their traffic from mobile and tablets.
Now more and more people are using smart devices, so it's better to have responsive design rather than traditional one.

 

[allstarit]

I went to a social media seminar in the city and the amount of mobile devices to desktops used for online shopping was more in favor of mobile devices. So i feel its very important to have a responsive site

 

[vagaryali]

A responsive design can improve user experience and accommodate everyone, whether they are on a desktop or a smartphone or tablet. In providing the best possible experience, people will have a positive opinion of your website, meaning they will most probably return.

 

[Nathan Igo]

Regardless of mobile responsiveness, this is actually an area I have been keeping my eye on when visiting clients. While your typical browsing habits may be to have the browser full screen on a most likely 1080p+ monitor, most clients that I have seen are completely opposite. I have seen pretty prominently old 1600x900 or lower resolution monitors where the browser takes up half the screen. While the site may look good on what you are viewing it on you have to think of the typical potential client and you cant just say you want 'high end' clients. I have clients in multi million dollar homes with another million in cars sitting in the driveway still using old 1024x768 crt monitors because thats what makes them comfortable. If the site looks bad on a low resolution screen you could be losing those potential clients.

 

[Bryce W]

Mobile responsiveness is extremely important, and you can't just decide on current Analytics. Google now ranks non-responsive sites lower than responsive ones when searched for on a mobile.

Because of that, you'll get lower mobile traffic and it looks less important analytics wise. Don't be fooled, it's super important.

Go with Wordpress and a theme to fix it simply, I highly recommend Tech Site Builder if you want to get up and running quickly with minimal stress. I did a review on it earlier this year: https://www.technibble.com/tech-site-builder-review/

 

[LivHolmes]

It looks so difficult though. We're considering just hiring DemandWave to make one for us. A friend has worked with them before and it looks great. We want something unique so just getting a free theme or even buying one is out of the question.

 

[Lane Sennett]

You DEFINITELY need a responsive site. But the real question should be what is your budget for a new site? What skills and resources do you have in house versus what will you have to outsource? Your website needs to be more than a business brochure - it should be a lead generation tool also. You can get something unique with WordPress and a flexible theme, it's really all about the content you provide and the graphics/video. Take a look at your biggest competitors websites for ideas and how you can be different with a website overhaul.

 

[Choppie]

I have been using the free templates designed for Dreamweaver, all are responsive. Google analytics tells me 75-80 percent of visitors hit my page using a phone/ipad. Here is an example of one of the free templates that is responsive...

I slapped this together in a week of my spare time for two friends at no charge, was pretty easy.

https://thesearchenders.com

 

[jft135]

It's extremely important, but having just built one, I can attest to it being a royal PITA to make sure everything on the site looks good no matter the screen size.