Responsive Website Design for All Devices
Wishing that your website was optimized for all devices, no matter what the screen size, is something that has troubled many website owners as new phones and devices appear. Creating separate website versions and code for phones, tablets and anything new that appears is sometimes overwhelming and no completely unnecessary. Responsive Web design allows your website to respond to the resolution of the devices that it is being displayed on. This is done by coding the website in a way that is knows where to move certain elements, such as navigation, when the screen gets smaller or larger. You’ll end up with a site that look great on the iPhone, iPad, desktop computer and everything in between.
Responsive Design Features
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[list_item]Custom Display on Phones[/list_item]
[list_item]Custom Display on Tablets[/list_item]
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[list_item]Optimized User Experience[/list_item]
[list_item]Optimized Load Speed[/list_item]
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[list_item]Search Engine Optimized[/list_item]
[list_item]Same Code, Files and Administration or all Versions[/list_item]
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Responsive Design Compared to Mobile Websites
There is a difference usually between responsive design and a completely separate mobile website. Both can be beneficial at times. Here is the rule of thumb: If you want the same content on your mobile website as on your desktop (or full version) of your website, responsive design is the way to go. If you’re looking for a mobile version that is extremely limited or a stripped version of your full website, a separate mobile version will usually be a better option. The advantage to responsive design is that it allows the website to use the same code and same files for all displays, while a true mobile version is a separate code base.
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Examples of a Responsive Design GraphixFlo.com
The best way to understand responsive design is to play with a responsive website. Below is a example of a responsive web design. In order to see how the responsive website changes according to screen sizes, without switching to multiple devices, is to drag the corner of your browser window and make your browser smaller. You’ll then see the website responding to the new window size. Get the resolution small enough and you’ll see a “mobile” version of the website right on your desktop computer!
So how do I know if I should build a separate mobile website or use responsive design?
Here are some guidelines to help you decide what makes sense for your business:
