Mobile Responsive Versus Mobile Friendly

 

Know the Difference to Plan Web Development for Your Ottawa Business

It wasn’t very long ago that we browsed desktop-version websites on our mobile phones and struggled with device incompatibility issues. Do you remember:

• Ending up at the bottom of a page when you needed to scroll to the top? 
• Tapping your screen multiple times before being able to click on a specific tab? 
• Haphazardly typing out details in a text box that refused to remain steady on your mobile screen?

Today, the penetration and usage of mobile devices across the globe is higher than ever before. In fact, recent studies indicate that mobile devices, excluding tablets, account for 48% of webpage views worldwide. Addressing the poor interfaces that were frustrating an ever-increasing base of mobile users, in 2015, Google modified its search engine algorithm, through the release of ‘Mobilegeddon’. Basically, the refined protocols started factoring in mobile presence and mobile friendliness as part of the 200+ parameters that influence website ranking for mobile SERPs.

So, what exactly does this mean for your business?  Are you heavily dependent on your company website to attract online traffic for engaging with clients and prospects, and converting viewers into customers? Do you wish to maintain your site performance, improve your content accessibility and increase your webpage rankings? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, it is time to take a close look at your company website and decide whether to make it ‘mobile responsive’ or ‘mobile adaptive’. While many of us tend to use these words interchangeably with ‘mobile-friendliness’, they are not really the same.

Read on to know more about each web design type and make an informed decision for your company’s web development strategy in Ottawa.

Key Features of Responsive and Adaptive Websites

The next time you browse a website on your desktop or laptop, try reducing your full-screen browser window into a much smaller box.

• Notice any changes in the text or font size of the webpage you were looking at? 
• Did some of the site’s images or menu items disappear from your screen?
• Did the webpage layout go through a change to fit into your shrunken browser?

If these modifications occurred, you are looking at a responsive website that is built to be fluid and flexible. Responsive design is all about condensed navigation, optimized images, variable padding and spacing, and dynamic content, all riding on mobile operating systems. Such sites ‘respond’ to the needs of the users and the devices, including mobile phones and tablets through:

Layout Alteration: The text or images change from a typical, three-column layout, to a single-column display in order to keep the site appearance clean, crisp and accessible.

Screen Space Optimization: Some images or menu items are hidden from view to prevent them from interfering or competing with more important information that needs to be visible in the small display area.

A mobile adaptive website does not ride on mobile operating systems. Instead, it uses several distinct layouts created for multiple screen sizes. Once the site detects the type of device used, it delivers the relevant pre-set layout for that device. In adaptive design, there is:

Uniform Display: The actual website looks and functions in the exact same manner across all devices, including desktops, tablets and mobile phones. The content is static, and images are smaller to make them compatible with the smallest adaptable screen size.

Simplified Design Elements: The developers avoid using flash animation and keep features, such as navigation drop-downs to the minimum in order to keep the site effective for mobile browsing.

What Type of Website Design Does Your Ottawa Business Need?

Responsive websites offer a highly customizable mobile experience and load faster than adaptive sites. However, they are harder to develop and require expertise, proper planning, as well as a fairly healthy budget.

Adaptive sites promise consistency across devices, but may lack fancy features and functionality, and take a relatively longer time to load. While they are easy to develop, they may require occasional interventions, especially if new devices with new screen sizes enter the market.

If you expect your mobile-based web traffic to be over 35% or have complex or heavy site content that could impact the load speed, then invest in a responsive design for your website. If your mobile audience is limited, and your site content is mostly just text and images, without any complex functionality, then go for the less-expensive, adaptive website design.

Give your Business Website a Mobile-Friendly Design Makeover Today!

Are you stuck with a poorly-designed website that is turning into a slow, awkward scrolling, un-clickable mess? Is the Google Search Console throwing up red flags for your website on issues, such as font size or click to call? Are your website design flaws sending you down the path of increased bounce rates, low organic traffic and zero leads? A customized, mobile-friendly website design makeover will give your business a much needed boost. 

For a well-crafted web design strategy, get in touch with your web design experts at WSI eStrategies in Ottawa. Book a discovery meeting and let’s discuss how to make your business website mobile-compatible as well as mobile-effective.