Responsive Design

What is responsive design?

Responsive web design is the adaptation of the layout of a website to the output medium (computer desktop, tablet and smartphone screen).
Using so-called media queries (e.g. HTML5 and CSS3 media queries), the output medium can be analyzed and an appropriate layout can be displayed. In this way, content and navigation elements of a website adapt to the screen resolution of the (mobile) end device.
The mobile-optimized presentation of websites has resulted in a rethinking of the conception of websites. The focus is now less on presentation and more on efficient information transfer. As a result, the presentation of content can change depending on the end device:

Is responsive web design or mobile design important for SEO?

Quite simply. The answer is yes. There are several reasons for this:

1. Responsive design increases usability
   Due to the increased use of mobile devices, the user’s expectation of a responsive page display adapted to the device also rises. A responsive site not only increases the number of visitors, but also leads to improved usability and thus to increased dwell time and conversion rate (at least on mobile devices). This, in turn, is considered a positive signal by Google.
2. A unique version of the responsive website reduces the problem of possible duplicate content
   Since responsive web design uses only one URL and always sends the same HTML code, there are no problems with possible duplicate content. This could otherwise occur across multiple versions of the same content, as there would also be a mobile-optimized page in addition to the original desktop version.
   In addition, the unified URL makes it much easier for Google to include the content in the index. These are possible indicators of better ranking on Google.
3. Mobile-friendly websites have better rankings in Google
   From 2015 at the latest, it should have become clear to every website operator that mobile-friendly sites are preferred in Google’s search results. This was officially confirmed by Google and they speak of “significant impact in our search results” for websites with responsive web design.

For which homepages is responsive web design suitable?

Websites that have become more and more complex in their structure over the years and whose substructure is outdated are not quite as suitable for the implementation of a responsive design, which is why you should think about a general modernization of your entire website before you go for the responsive design.

1. With a high number of visitors via mobile devices
   Since the design of the website is a flagship and provides for the first impression on your visitors and potential customers, the responsive design should be part of the standard of the web presence. Non-responsive pages look outdated on mobile devices and are not designed to be user-friendly at all. Therefore, especially companies whose customers access the website via mobile devices should make sure that their web presence is responsive. Whether the page is frequently accessed by mobile devices can be checked with web controlling tools such as etracker or Google Analytics.
2. For new websites or launches
   The absolute right time to use responsive design is definitely when setting up completely new websites or website relaunches.
   Certainly, more time has to be planned for the development. But the already mentioned advantages outweigh the higher time investment.
3. For websites with high frequency of changes
   If websites need to be changed or updated more often, responsive websites have a clear advantage. This is because the change only has to be made in one version, namely the desktop version. On the one hand, this reduces the effort involved, and on the other hand, it also reduces the likelihood of errors or inconsistencies in the two versions.

What is the price range for responsive web design?

A fixed price range can often not be determined for projects involving responsive design. Mostly, the price depends on the desired scope of the project, and the customer’s budget also plays a decisive role.

As a rule, pages in responsive design are about 30 to 40% more expensive than a conventional page. However, you save the cost of web development of versions designed for mobile devices. The additional effort for the responsive page is usually limited to the development and implementation phase. The advantages become clear in the later stages, namely in content maintenance, in the implementation of updates, as well as upcoming changes to the website. Because in such matters, there is no need to maintain multiple versions for desktop and mobile views. On the one hand, this saves an enormous amount of time and therefore money, but on the other hand, it also creates a uniform appearance across all end devices.