Responsive web design

Responsive web design involves creating websites that respond to all devices, computers, tablets and smartphones. It automatically recognizes which end device the user has and adjusts the size accordingly. It is very useful because you can reach more visitors this way.

What is Responsive Webdesign?

Responsive web design means no more than "responsive web design". The current technique of Responsive Webdesign can be used with CSS3 media queries and HTML5c on a website enable the consistent display of content. Since the layout of the website is made so flexible, one has the same user experience on the tablet, desktop computer and smartphone. Content can thus be quickly absorbed by the visitor. Content and navigation elements and the structural design of the website adapt to the screen resolution of the mobile device. The graphical structure is created by the requirements of the respective end device. This mainly concerns the display and arrangement of individual elements, navigation, texts, page columns and different input methods, such as clicking the mouse or tapping and swiping on the touchscreen. Certain content for different devices can be placed more prominently. For example, on the home page, smartphone users may see a link that starts a phone call, and on the desktop computer, a E-mail link is displayed.

How does Responsive Webdesign work?

A fixed font size is no longer used. Instead of the usual font definitions using pixel specifications, relative values are used. For this, one must know the initial values of the different platforms so that the font design comes as close as possible to the desired representation. Specifications like font size and line height are given in % or em. Fixed layouts are no longer used. One should give the layouts an upper limit to avoid that the layout is pulled apart when the screen is wide. Elements are also limited to their maximum sizes and are reduced to relative values. For example, an image will have the same percentage of the layout regardless of the screen resolution. videos, pictures and other objects always get the maximum size of 100%. Consistency and recognizability are very important for the design. Due to the different screen resolutions, the arrangement of the content and the layout must be displayed differently from resolution to resolution. Especially elements like logos and colors have to be displayed as consistent as possible.

Advantages of Responsive Webdesign

The web design reacts to the conditions of the end device and displays the appropriate layout. This is very practical, because desktop monitors get bigger and bigger over time, in some cases you already have a content width of 1280 px. In addition, a lot of people use the Internet with their smartphone, because it is so convenient, fast, easy and accessible from anywhere.

The smartphone alone has many different screen resolutions. Responsive web design helps to avoid chaos and to ensure that the layout looks the same on all devices. As the market share of smartphones and also tablets is increasing all the time, this brings many new visitors to the website, because you offer them an optimal website. A non-responsive website, where the mobile and desktop versions are strictly separated, requires more maintenance. If the content is changed, extended or updated, both versions have to be adapted. This means that you have twice the effort and the risk that both versions may differ or even contradict each other in terms of content.

Mobile extraversions are seen by search engines as duplicate content. This leads to the entire website being devaluated in the ranking. In addition, a third or fourth version of a layout may be required for future smartphone or tablet formats. Adaptable websites, on the other hand, are one step ahead of technical development due to their flexibility and are therefore guaranteed to have a higher reach in the long term.
Devices that are new to the market can display the website optimally from the start without having to change anything. Non-responsive websites that have a separate mobile device version have two different URLs.

With a Responsive Website you only have one Internet address. The unique URL structure ensures a better ranking in search engine hit lists and is therefore easier to find by internet users. Google recommends responsive websites and prefers them. In addition, the exchange of URLs between users, such as on social media platforms, is easier. This makes it easier for the website to be distributed further. Especially companies that have web shops that are not optimized for mobile devices lose a large proportion of potential customers.

Conclusion

Responsive web design is great to call up a website on devices like a smartphone and still have a nice design. The layout adapts to the available screen size, positions the content accordingly and scales images, video, text and sliders. They are sustainable websites that require little maintenance. The number of mobile accesses to websites is increasing, so it is a must for website drivers to optimize their presence on the internet to offer the best to this user group.