Responsive Web Design Is Important for SEO

Divergent Pixel Says Responsive Web Design Is Important for SEO

When consulting with a new client for the first time, I typically mention that all new websites designed by Divergent Pixel are mobile friendly or that they employ Responsive Design. The customer then stares at me with an enthusiastic smile and says, “Great… What’s that mean?”

While most web designers and digital marketers are well aware of Responsive Design and it’s importance to SEO, most clients don’t know what it means. Nor should they, that’s why they hired you for… right?

In addition to search engine optimization, responsive design is important to a good user experience. In fact, it’s because of UX that google prioritizes responsive websites over non-responsive websites in their mobile search results. Google wants to provide users with the best search results. This means giving them responsive websites.

Google Says Responsive Web Design Is Important for SEO

Google has made it clear that using Responsive Web Design is essential for good SEO, especially in mobile search results. In 2015 Google published a post on its importance, and even provided guidelines on how to properly design a responsive website. Google went even further and provided the date in which responsive design, or lack there of, would negatively affect your mobile search engine rankings (April 21, 2015).

Most companies with their heads on straight heeded the warning provided by Google and converted their websites into mobile friendly, responsive websites. However, there were those who couldn’t convert fast enough or simply didn’t care. These companies saw drastic drops in search results, especially on mobile devices.

Customers Agree that Responsive Web Design Important for SEO… Even if They Don’t Know They Do

Customers who visit your website show their support for responsive design and a good user experience through their attention span. If your website is too slow, requires too much horizontal scrolling, requires too many clicks or can’t clearly read and navigate the content in a timely matter, they’ll click away from your website. In many cases, if they click away fast enough it gets registered as a “Bounce” which isn’t good either.

The Take Away

A customer may not know what responsive design is, but they’ll let you know how important it is to them by clicking away from your website.