Why Responsive Website Design Is Important

A Responsive Web Design is a way of building a website that is designed for optimal viewing on desktop computers and tablets as well as the various screen sizes of mobile devices. When viewed on a desktop computer or laptop the user will see the the largest version of the site possible. When viewed on a mobile device such as an iphone the user will see the same content but it will be displayed in a single column so they do not need to zoom in to read text and see images.
On April 21, 2015 Google's mobile-friendly update made it more important than ever to have a website that was mobile-friendly. The update boosted mobile search rankings for websites that had a mobile-friendly design. This means when someone conducted a search using a mobile device any site that was mobile-friendly would have increased rankings. Those sites that did not have a mobile-friendly website saw a drop in mobile search rankings. The update did not affect rankings from desktops or tablets. Businesses rushed to have a mobile-friendly websites designed so their rankings and traffic didn't drop.
Website owners have the option of having a separate website designed that is mobile-friendly or having their existing site designed responsively. Rather than redesigning their entire website many businesses will to take the less expensive route by having a separate mobile website designed. In the long run these businesses will learn that this was a costly mistake. They will have two websites to update and maintain and as more devices with different screen sizes become popular in the future these businesses still risk the chance of their site not displaying properly. It would be best to invest the money now to have a responsive site designed for your business so that you don't have to update two websites and worry about them displaying properly on devices in the future.