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The Difference between Non-responsive, Mobile and Responsive Websites
There may be over 1 billion websites on the internet at present, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re all of good quality and adhere to search engine rules. As far as website development goes, there are different ways in which your website can be coded for its display and functionality – namely a non-responsive website, a mobile website and a responsive website.
Google announced last month that starting on 21 April 2015, they’re going to be doing yet another algorithm change by introducing mobile-friendly websites to their ranking criteria. Basically, this means that with the increase of smartphone users all over the world, eventually you’re going to have to make sure your website is mobile-friendly if you want to rank well in the SERPs (search engine result pages). Google wants their users to be satisfied with the top results displayed, rather than disappointed in websites that don’t display properly (or sometimes even at all) on their smartphones.
It is for this reason that it’s important to know the difference between non-responsive, mobile and responsive websites. Let’s take a closer look:
Non-responsive Websites
Non-responsive websites are basically your “normal” websites that display perfectly on desktop computers. Many of the older websites we come across are non-responsive ones.
In today’s digital age, this kind of website won’t necessarily give your visitors the experience they’re looking for – especially if they’re trying to see your website on a tablet or a smartphone. When accessing your website from a smartphone, the website won’t display properly. It differs from website to website, but in some cases certain menu tabs won’t work or the user will have to zoom in and out the whole time to click on hyperlinks and tabs. This, overall, results in a difficult experience for the user.
Mobile Websites
A mobile website is what smartphone users will find ideal. In a nutshell, a mobile website is a version of your website that displays and functions perfectly on smartphones.
Mobile websites are perfect for people on the go and they give the customers the important information that they need – such as where your business is, product overviews and how to get hold of you. These websites are scaled down versions of your website, focusing on what your customers will need at that point in time. Many mobile sites also offer the “View full website” link option at the bottom to give users the option to browse more if that’s what they’re on your website for.
That being said, it’s important to know that it doesn’t display like this across all devices. Should someone want to access your website from a tablet, for example, the website won’t display properly on that screen. At Online Innovations, however, should someone try to access the mobile website version from a device with a screen display larger than 7 inches, we will automatically put them through to the full desktop website.
Responsive Websites
A responsive website is a website that displays and functions properly across all devices: desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones and even “phablets”. This means that all users get a similar experience when visiting your website, no matter what their device’s screen size or resolution is.
Like with mobile websites, responsive websites result in a user-friendly experience on your website. Better yet, it allows you to cater for all internet users – rather than only the ones who browse on their desktop computers or smartphones.
What we can do for you
At Online Innovations, we can design, develop and manage any of these three types of websites for you. Google recommends smartphone-friendly websites, which is why having either a mobile website or a responsive website with great content could benefit your business. Google approves them both as they both pass the mobile-friendly test.
If you’re looking at getting a new website for your business, come to us where we can create a mobile or responsive one for you from scratch – from design and development to content generation and hosting.
For our existing clients who haven’t yet made the decision to convert their websites to a mobile or responsive one, we can do that for you too.
If you're interested in finding out more about mobile and responsive websites, give Bronwen a call or email her.