Responsive Web Design

Transcription

1 A Customer-Centric Approach to Managing Mobile Devices

2 Introduction The mobile landscape is rapidly changing. Just look around you. The newspaper is now being read on tablets. Kids are using the latest Apple iphone to get on Facebook. The living room widescreen TV is no longer used just for watching your favorite shows but also for surfing the Internet. And the landscape is changing at a staggering pace: Mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to grow from nearly 1 billion in 2011 to more than 5 billion globally in The mobile trend has major implications for websites. Most websites that are viewable on a desktop don t translate well to a mobile device phone or tablet. This white paper addresses why so much gets lost in translation and introduces you to a website design philosophy that not only meets the viewing needs of nearly any device, but also delivers the content mobile users need most. 02 As of March 2012, 45% of American adults were smartphone owners up from 35% in May In 2011, global smartphone shipments exceeded personal computer shipments for the first time in history 3 Tablet shipments are expected to reach 253 million units in 2016 more than 4 times what they are today 4 1: 2: 3: 4: Juniper Research, Tablets, Viva La Evolution!

3 Best Viewed in Netscape Navigator Not that long ago, most websites carried that message or a similar one in the footer. The purpose: to ask visitors to adapt their browsing environment to meet the technology used on the website. Anyone not using the targeted technology received a curtailed web experience. The Web has changed a lot since then, but the challenge of supporting different web browsers and devices hasn t gone away. In fact, it s more challenging with the increased number and diversity of Internet devices. Smartphones and tablets have now become commonplace, resulting in a huge spike in mobile-related web traffic. Based on current growth trends, mobile traffic will overtake traditional desktop traffic by Real-world web usage reveals a huge spread of devices and resolutions; a website that looks great on a widescreen display will prove frustrating to visitors on a smartphone. And the number and diversity of web-enabled devices is increasing, adding fuel to the fire. As a result, if you re targeting only two scenarios (desktop and mobile), you re creating a poor experience for many of your visitors and limiting your visitor-to-lead conversions. Creating ideal web experiences for all visitors requires support for a wide variety of devices. Creating ideal web experiences for all visitors requires support for a wide variety of devices. To create this support, websites must adapt based on the visitor s personal choice of device. Adapting to an unlimited number of devices requires responsive design. 03 Website Traffic 2,000 1,600 1, (estimated) 5: Gartner, 3/12

4 What is (RWD)? When standard websites are viewed on mobile devices, important content like pictures, pricing, testimonials and contact information can get cut off. Chances are high that your prospect is going to hit the back button and search for a property website that delivers the critical information they need to move forward with the decision-making process. Lease lost. Responsive design is a design philosophy that uses best-practice web standards to address the extreme amount of diversity in web devices. It s a blend of CSS, CSS3 and JavaScript (web coding languages used to develop the look and format of web pages) to create fluid sites that can expand, contract, rearrange or remove content based upon the user s screen size. Instead of developing different sites for devices with different screen sizes, one site automatically adjusts to display optimally on everything from a 27-inch desktop monitor to a three-and-a-half-inch iphone display. The usability benefits are obvious: prospects can interact with a site regardless of the device they re using instead of having to choose between viewing the whole page illegibly or a small part of it. Improved usability decreases bounce rates and increases conversions. Lease won. 04 Day by day, the number of devices, platforms, and browsers that need to work with your site grows. Responsive web design represents a fundamental shift in how we ll build websites for the decade to come. Jeffrey Veen, The Art and Science of Web Design

5 SEO Benefits of Responsive Design Websites Responsive design is good for SEO. Sure, you could develop multiple sites one site for desktops, one for smartphones, one for tablets, etc. But each site then has to be maintained separately, adding time and cost. From a search engine perspective, multiple sites also need links and/or user agent-specific redirects to get customers to the right version of the site. One site means one set of links and no annoying redirects that add server load, decrease site speed and add maintenance hassles. Smartphone and tablet sites are rarely, if ever, ranked in search results, but links do matter for mobile sites. It s not about getting more links to a mobile version so it can rank. It s the fact that some mobile users may create links to or share pages from the mobile site and that steals link equity from the desktop site. Google has gone on the record to formally recommend that site owners go with a responsive design when possible to ensure sites are optimized in the best way for mobile devices and for search engine spiders. With responsive design websites, Google crawls a page once, as opposed to multiple times with different user agents, to retrieve content. This results in the indexing of more content. Beyond SEO Five reasons why responsive design is worth considering: 1. Save Money Design and build your site in one project with the added benefit of knowing that you don t have to do the process all over again once a new device comes on the market. 2. Save Time Only maintain one site 3. Beat Your Competition Responsive design is still in its infancy, so there s a strong chance your competition isn t implementing it. And your visitors will get a much better experience than the competition. 4. Be Relevant Longer A responsive design website will stand the test of time at least for the next decade 5. Increase Conversions Visitors to your site will be more likely to take action if they have a good experience. This means giving them the information they want with easy-touse navigation. Sites that serve all devices on the same set of URLs, with each URL serving the same HTML to all devices and using just CSS to change how the page is rendered on the device. This is Google s recommended configuration. Google Webmaster Central Blog, 6/6/

6 Summary The mobile landscape is changing at a feverish pace. Your website needs to function flawlessly on any digital device and deliver the content mobile users need. Responsive design is an approach to web page creation that detects the visitor s screen size and orientation and adjusts the layout accordingly, delivering optimal user experience regardless of the device being used. Responsive web design (RWD) has many benefits: SEO RWD uses a single URL across all devices, making it easier for visitors to interact with, share and link site content Work with an expert partner with deep experience in creating richly interactive websites. At G5, we know how to: Capture qualified prospects with an engaging, informative online presence regardless of the device being used Bring those prospects through your front door so that you can close the deal Monitor the performance of your website and adjust accordingly 06 Money & Time Savers One design-and-build project that will meet the viewing specification of any new device hitting the market Competitive Edge Does your competitor use RWD? Be the first to market. Relevance A design for the next decade Usability & Conversions RWD is customer-centric, meaning it s designed to meet the viewing and information needs of site visitors. Happy visitors means more leads and more leases. Learn about G5 One TM, our SEO websites using Responsive Design Tell me More G5 is the leading provider of Digital Experience Management (DXM) software and services in the property management sector. The G5 DXM Platform enables owners and operators of Multifamily, Senior Living and Self Storage properties to put the right renter in the right property to maximize profitability. G5 helps thousands of properties turn renters into brand advocates by delivering amazing experiences at every digital touchpoint. As brand advocacy grows, so does demand allowing properties to raise rents and revenue without adversely affecting occupancy. Founded in 2005, G5 was recently named one of the fastest growing private US companies by Inc. Magazine (3rd consecutive year), one of North America s fastest growing technology companies by Deloitte (2nd consecutive year), and one of Oregon s fastest growing private companies (3rd consecutive year). The Bend, Oregonbased company is backed by private equity investor Volition Capital. For more information, please visit or follow our blog at /blog www.