Responsive Web Design is Where it’s at for Mobile and Search
Our clients often ask us about developing mobile apps for their businesses or products. Our recommendation is not to develop an app as an alternative to a mobile website. Apps are great for websites that are visited often like social media sites Facebook and Twitter. It’s great for things like games or something with a specialized purpose such as coupon clipping. Apps require the user to download them, an extra step that may cause them to bounce elsewhere in their search for a particular product or service. Apps also need to be developed for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.) and updated on a regular basis. A much better way to go is to make sure your website views well and is easy to navigate on mobile. Responsive web design responds to the where the query is coming from and serves up a site that is viewable on that device.
Google Recommends Responsive Design
I came across a couple of articles through my subscription to Design Shack about responsive design that are worth sharing.
This article distills it down to why responsive design is good for search.
This is a more technical article that would be more relevant to developers and designers about Google’s official recommendation for responsive design.
Other Stuff I’ve Written About Responsive Design
[…] building a custom app to make your website more mobile-friendly probably doesn't make sense (webdesignwestmi.com/responsive-website-design-app). You may be asking too much of the user, that they take the time and download the app. More […]