Responsive Design And The Mobile Web

Why Doesn't A Website Work Properly On Mobile Devices?

If you have ever browsed the internet on a device other then a desktop computer, you may have noticed that some websites either don't work properly or they are hard to use. SilverServers' Website Development team is dedicated to making sure your website isn't one of them! This is where our knowledge and experience with Mobile-Friendly Websites, Mobile-Optimized Websites, and Responsive Design come in. These terms all sound very similar, so what's the difference? Is one better than the other? Let's find out what they actually mean…

Mobile Friendly Websites.

In short, a Mobile Friendly Website is where a normal website designed for full desktop users is simply made to be smaller and/or shrink for mobile devices. This is considered to be the most basic form of mobile optimization on the web as it generally does not take much to do. A Mobile Friendly Website is the easiest, and often most inexpensive option on making sure your website is available to mobile users. Though while it may work, your users may not be getting the most optimal and/or best experience they can. One main example is in fonts and text. Most desktop sites will use a font size somewhere between 14 and 20 pixels. That may be preferred on desktop devices, but when it gets smaller for mobile devices like phones and tablets it can be hard for your users to read. Another example is mobile devices have no way of hovering. On desktop sites, hovering with the mouse is a common use for things like menus, navigation, galleries etc. But what happens on mobile devices that don't have the ability to hover? Some devices try to emulate hovering by making you tap multiple times, but most just ignore hovering completely making the site hard to use.

Mobile Optimized Websites

A Mobile Optimized Website is a website that was specifically designed for mobile devices instead of just being a smaller version of it's desktop counterpart. When someone is on their mobile device, they are more likely to be searching for something quick. So having a Mobile Optimized Website helps get your users the content they are looking for by providing a fast and easy to use website that works well.

So what does a Mobile Optimized Website have to offer that a Mobile Friendly one does not? In no particular order, a Mobile Optimized Website may have;

• A different layout better suited for touch and/or smaller devices
• A navigation system that works without hovering and is friendly to touch
• Images that are smaller and/or have smaller file sizes
• Textual content that is better formatted for readability
• A more streamlined design with less clutter and keeps things simple and clean

Responsive Design

Responsive Design expands on Mobile Optimized Websites by making the website work on most if not all devices, not just mobile. Responsive Design is where the website “Responds” to whatever device is being used to display it. It does not matter if you are on a phone, tablet, small laptop, desktop, or even a big screen TV, the website adjusts automatically! While Responsive design is the most complex and expensive, it will most often yield the best results in providing the greatest experience for your users. Why not give it a try yourself! If you are on a laptop or desktop device, simply drag your browser window to make it smaller, and you will see how a Responsive Design Website changes with the change in size of the browser. Click Here To See Responsive Design In Action!

So what is the best way to make a website? Here at SilverServers we believe in making the best experience for the user regardless of the device being used. The only way to achieve that, is with Responsive Design. That’s why all of our websites are designed with Responsive Design, and we are always creating new ways to improve user experience on the web. Our Paradigm CMS Software and GrassRoots SEO program launch fully responsive sites weekly, make one of them yours! Contact us today at 1-236-425-4400

For more articles, check out the Website Design section of our blog.