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As more and more internet users turn to tablets and smart phones as a main means of access, responsive website design has never been more important. Developed as a way to allow people to have the same internet experience regardless of what type of device is used, Google is now fully in support of responsive design because it reduces the problems raised by browsers having to decide which website version to index and consider as the most valuable feature. Knowing this, when looking to get the most out of any optimization efforts, it will be vital to consider user devices and then consider a responsive redesign to accommodate this. How Responsive Design Works Designing for the internet is much more complex now than it ever was as there are so many different devices on which the internet is accessed. While it is possible to try to predict how certain websites are accessed most of the time, catering to that audience in terms of design still leaves an entire group of viewers essentially forced to accept a less than optimal user experience. In the past, the only real way to remedy this was to code different versions of the same website that would show up depending on what device was used as access. This method is not foolproof and tends to create an SEO nightmare where browsers have to place importance on one version over another, with the different versions essentially competing with each other for page rank. With responsive design, CSS code directs a single website to change its behavior based on the device used as access. Through the use of responsive CSS and the parameters used for such design efforts; a fluid grid layout; responsive images; and media queries that dictate the behavior of the layout, the same web page can format itself to shrink or expand to fit the device being used, providing a much more user-friendly experience to all viewers. The appearance will not be exactly the same on all screens; however with everything automatically resizing, users will not miss out on anything nor will the website lose any formatting. A two or three column grid placement on a wide-screen monitor can be viewed just as easily on a smart phone after it has re-sized itself to be only one column, with all content still intact and where it belongs. Responsive Design and SEO Besides the obvious benefit of better usability and the pluses that come with that such as the ability to hold viewers attention longer, one of the main advantages of using responsive design is how it affects SEO. As mentioned above, when juggling sometimes as many as three or four versions of the same internet location to create a positive user experience with conventional CSS, a web page can be left in competition with itself for traffic and page rank as well as the browser attention it attracts. Responsive websites contain all code in the same back-end design, removing the need to have multiple sites that work off redirects. When an internet page configures itself to a different device, it is only one website which then gains all traffic from all different sources. The fact that Google itself has stated that they not only recognize but recommend responsive design is a good indicator that it is time to start planning to incorporate this type of usability into every internet page. In some cases, it may only require small changes to image and text coding; in others, it may involve a complete overhaul; either way, it seems as if it would be well worth the effort in the end. Responsive web design can help any website put its best face forward at all times to everyone! Chris Hunter is an expert in Web Design and Search Engine Marketing. To find out more about Austin TX SEO, go to the main website at: http://www.webunlimited.com.
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