According to a study conducted by Google in October 2016, approximately 40% of Internet users search using only their smartphones. Mobile browsing has clearly overtaken desktop browsing as the first choice for most internet users.

This makes responsive web design not just an option, but a necessity in today’s modern world. Without incorporating responsive web design into your online marketing strategy, you can’t expect your ratings to go up.

What is responsive web design?

Google’s Matt Cutts gives us a surprising, non-technical definition: “Responsive design just means that the page works perfectly, whether you access the site’s URL with a desktop browser or access that URL with a mobile browser, things will scale, and page size will be taken into account. “

Why is mobile traffic important to your marketing strategy?

Setting up a highly responsive website not only decreases your dependency on maintenance resources, it also offers many valuable search engine optimization benefits. A mobile-friendly website will help you outperform your competition by allowing you to optimize for search engines.

1. Reduce duplicate content

Some people choose to get a freelance mobile website for their business instead of using responsive website design. This will require using a new URL and then duplicating your content on both websites. You can avoid duplicating content by selecting a mobile responsive website design. This helps boost your SEO, as duplicate content on multiple pages will negatively affect your ranking on Google and other search engines.

2. Improve the usability of the site

To judge the value of a website to users, Google looks at the total time spent on the website pages. When users can’t navigate your website, they won’t spend a lot of time browsing it. A responsive web design will make it easier for users to view your website. This will subsequently lead to an improved user experience and more time spent on your website. Two of the most important ranking factors include time on page and consumer experience; therefore, sites with a mobile-friendly design are likely to rank higher in search results.

3. Promotion of social exchange

A responsive web design will encourage internet users to easily share your content across different social media platforms. By using the easily accessible social media buttons, users can share content much faster than they can when using a desktop computer.

4. Improve page speed

The time it takes for a page to load is an important ranking factor. Search engines prefer websites that take less time to load. These websites also offer a better user experience. Pages with slow loading speed frustrate users and generally don’t rank well in search results either. Therefore, it is recommended to optimize the websites so that they load quickly. When a website responds to mobile devices, it loads faster, especially on mobile devices, which increases search ranking and also improves the user experience.

5. Lower bounce rate

Another facet of judging how valuable the site is to users is the bounce rate. Google studies user behavior and takes note of the times when users enter and leave a page. When Google interprets a very short period of time on the website, it is a sign that users do not find the content presented on the website relevant or interesting enough. When your site’s bounce rate is high, Google negatively adjusts its ratings accordingly.

6. Reduce user distraction

Content and design go hand in hand when it comes to attracting or distracting the user. If your website design makes it difficult for users to navigate, they will soon be gone. When you have a mobile responsive web design, users can easily find all the information they are looking for without being distracted by an unresponsive web design.