Let’s start at the beginning. A responsive web design is one that adapts to all of the devices people use to view the site. For your business, this means that people can look at your website on their computer, smartphone, or tablet and still have access to all of the information and features. If they look up your business’s hours of operation on their home computer, they’ll be able to find the same information when they go out and need to check again on their phone. A responsive design also means that people can get the full experience of your website, regardless of the device they’re on. You will reach the largest possible audience by making sure everyone can access your site.

There are many different ways to make your website appealing to visitors on all devices, and sometimes the approaches are even contradictory. The key is to identify the approach that works best for your business and your audience of potential customers. One example would be the hero image trend, which places a large, eye-catching image at the center of the site design. These images can do a good job of conveying what’s special about your business wordlessly, and they can also easily fit a variety of screen sizes.

On the other hand, another approach to responsive design (one that focused on loading times and simplicity) would typically exclude a large, rich image like that. The loading time of a large image can be an issue on mobile devices, and you might prefer to use the limited space of a smartphone screen to display more vital information. Hidden menus can also help to conserve space and give sites a cleaner look. The downside is that hidden menus are used less frequently than standard menus, meaning people may miss out on some of the things your website has to offer.

Card design is another common approach to mobile responsiveness, and you’ve undoubtedly seen examples all over the web. Pinterest is probably the site most commonly identified with cards, which are really just small blocks of content and information. By breaking your website’s information up into cards, you’ll make it easy to respond to the visitor’s device. The number of cards displayed can be changed and rearranged to fit the device’s screen.

One further idea to consider is designing your website with a mobile-first approach. Mobile devices now account for the majority of web activity, so it may make sense to begin by focusing on how your site will look to smartphone users. You can then tweak that design for desktop users. Still, it’s important to remember that responsive design enables your website to inform, to intrigue, and even to dazzle every visitor, not just the ones using a particular device. Let Blue Sand Group help you today!