Your website is the most important element in every marketing campaign. The content is very important, but the first impression is almost always based on appearances. In other words, the first step is a good design, because function and the visual appeal are the two elements that will attract the visitors and turn them into clients. When deciding on your web design the most important fact you need to be aware of is that your potential customers are using different devices. Every experienced web design professional knows that the difference between PC, laptop, tablet and mobile phone has been erased. PC sales have gone down already back in 2012 when tablets were taking over. Today looking for a person without a smartphone would be like looking for a needle in the haystack.

So if you’re asking yourself where have your revenue and sales went despite the fact that your traffic numbers are solid – the answer lies in your conversion rate. The traffic on your website is pretty useless if it’s not converting. And the main reason for this is that your website is just not responsive enough. Having a responsive website design means that its layouts are able to adjust automatically and look perfect on any device. The popularity of this design has reached its peak with an increase of mobile users and its time to embrace this trend if you want your online business to survive. If you’re still reluctant to go through this optimization process take a look at these requirements and the advantages they offer.

Fit into their pockets

At the very beginning of the online sales people were introduced to the opportunity of shopping without the need to leave their comfy chairs. But today that’s not enough anymore – it’s not just that they don’t want to waste their time to go to the store, they don’t want to waste their time at all. They want to be able to shop anytime and everywhere, simply by taking out a smartphone out of their pockets.

The problem starts when they realize that zooming and navigating on a small screen is not nearly simple as doing it on a computer monitor. Once they are faced with this unexpected obstacle they won’t hesitate a second to switch to a more mobile-friendly competition where they won’t have to go through this unnecessary frustration.

If you think that this is just a passing trend you couldn’t be more wrong – smartphone and tablet owners are getting used to using these devices for shopping, and their number is increasing every day. If you’re not about to acknowledge this buying potential your competition surely will (some already have) and they will reap all the benefits. You could build a mobile app or a dedicated mobile web to enhance the browsing experience of your desktop design, but employing the responsive design is the best way to go.

Cover everything

Let’s say you pick the option to build a mobile app. You have adapted the browsing experience for their mobile phones, but what about tablets? Or any other device the future will bring? When you employ the responsive web design you have it all covered – it’s flexibility rooted in the liquid layout that adapts, allowing your content to fit every resolution and screen size, meaning every device. The best part is that this adaptation process is automatical – it recognizes the resolution on the visitors’ screens and immediately changes the layouts allowing them to browse through the completely user-friendly interface.

If the content of your business needs to be updated often, the responsive web design saves you from the trouble to ensure content parity in different locations – you have only one website to manage. The same thing goes for conversion optimization and tests – there is only one body you need to conduct them on. All this leads to one enormous advantage – no matter what device they use, your visitors will always get the cohesive brand experience.

The reason why Google recommends responsive design so much lies in the fact that all bookmarks and links point to one URL. In other words, search engine optimization is fully covered. When the visibility is insured, conversions are on their way.

Social media has become one of the largest marketing strategies and you want your visitors to be able to share your content, right? How many times have you realized that you have to switch to your desktop to share something because the mobile phone has been giving you troubles? Well, responsive web design puts an end to that obstacle, too – every URL your visitors will encounter is the same no matter what device they use, which makes sharing on social media a child’s play because every recipient will be able to see the content in the most optimal view.

If you’re still not sure you’ll have it all covered, one look at a complete view of the traffic that responsive design analytics offer will be enough to convert you into a believer.