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Mobile and Responsive Web Design

Article Overview

The future is here and more people are now accessing the internet using their mobile and hand held devices than traditional desktop computers. If you business has not heard of responsive web design and how it can impact the browsing experience on mobile phones, then the unfortunate truth is that you will be left behind

WHAT DOES RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN MEAN?

Responsive web design means that you website will seamlessly and automatically resize itself as the screen sizes change. It’s amazing to watch and will revolutionise the business communities expectations of website viewing. No longer content with a one screen size fits all, businesses now expect to have their website easily viewable and with the best user experience possible on iphones, androids and ipads.

Who will benefit from responsive web design?

It’s a win-win situation here. Businesses will win from only having to design and develop one website; one design brief with one web agency, and paying only one fee. Users will benefit from the ultimate experience they will have from a end user perspective. They no longer have to pinch their mobile phones to enlarge the screen as this is done automatically through the responsive web design process.

Is implementing responsive web design expensive?

Think about the alternative. You would have to pay for three separate websites; one for the desktop, one for the ipad and the one for the phone. That’s 3 web design and 3 web development costs. Almost triple the headache and about the same in costs. Responsive web design facilitates this whole process into one operation, where you pay for the design and development of the website only once. Depending on the web company you choose to go with, this should not add too much to the overall project fee.

What’s the process and how does a web company do it?

The process is relatively simple. Basically, the set of wireframes that are drawn up for the main website are replicated but on a scale that would fit ipads and mobile phones. Wireframes are the websites process flows, the architectural blueprints of how the site will function and how each page relates to each other.
Once these flows and the user experience nutted out, these wireframes are then populated with graphics to add personality and style. From there it’s a simple matter of applying the html code, making sure it works and then uploading the site. Of course the user testing phase is vital to ensure that the site is responsive on all platforms.

Will my website rank on Google with Responsive Web Design?

Most certainly. If the web company knows their stuff and knows what they are doing then there is absolutely no reason why you site won’t rank on page 1 of Google. Saying that, if you are in a competitive field and the keywords you want to rank for are competitive then you may need to work with an SEO company to help you push up your rankings. Of course, working with a company like Hopping Mad Designs, means that all your search engine needs can be taken care of whilst the design and development are happening. This is the advantage of using a reputable company to wok on your site.

Mobile Phone Usage in Australia.

This comes from the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association website: ‘For the first time there is now more than one mobile service for every Australian, with 23.26 million mobile phone services in operation at 30 June 2010’.
Businesses should really take note of this figure, because if their website is not responsively designed , then they are simply missing out on the huge potential that this mobile market brings. This should be especially alarming for retailers and ecommerce website owners looking to sell products online. The main reason for this is that the easier and simpler the buying process is on the mobile phones, then the more likely will be the sale. Make the process hard, or unintuitive, this will just drive the customer away.

Do Graphics Matter?

The website visuals play a huge part in converting the online browser into a full paying customer. Websites, especially if they are going to be designed responsively, need to have clean, uncluttered graphics. Depending on the nature of the industry these graphics should have clear and very descriptive call to action buttons, making the whole user experience as easy as possible. Obviously, your web designer should be making suggestions on how to give the online profile to huge lift, as well as advice on avoiding mobile phone unfriendly technologies like flash animation or cumbersome image intensive graphics.

Why Hopping Mad Designs?

The answer to this is simple. We have the in-house designers and web developers that can make this process as easy as possible for you. We know what it takes to design websites that are drive sales and bring in more customers. Plus we have a wealth of experience when it comes to ranking sites on Google. Overall, we are company that can handle any responsive web project no matter the size or the complexity.
 

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