Forget Google's Update. Here's Why You Really Need a Responsive Site.

Where is your phone right now? 

Mine is right next to me on my desk. Here’s the thing. Most people sleep with their phones within an arm’s reach. They take them to the bathroom. They stare at them on trains to work every day. They sit with them on their lunch breaks, in waiting rooms, at sporting events, in line at Starbucks and while watching TV. People have the ability to search for something online at any point in their day. Not only that, they want answers and they want them quickly. In this age of instant gratification we expect exactly that.

So what happens when they search, find your site, and land on something completely unresponsive to their phone or tablet? Well, the visitor would get quickly frustrated trying to pinch and zoom the screen to get to impossible-to-click links and unreadable text. They’ll likely just hit the “back” button and be on to the next result in the list. That’s IF they find you.

However, starting soon (at the time I'm writing this - it starts tomorrow!) Google will begin to penalize sites that are not responsive. As a result of this, there’s going to be a big difference in search engine results displayed to mobile users versus desktop users. This means you might not even show up in the results anymore as a result of Google’s effort to only provide users with sites they’ll be able to navigate easily on their mobile devices. 

You can read the whole article from Google where they talk more about mobile-friendly sites. This is especially interesting because it’s uncharacteristic of Google to not only announce plans for the next algorithm update but to set a specific date for the launch as well. This makes it incredibly clear that they want websites to take the initiative to become responsive and are giving them a chance to do so, quickly.

So why is Google forcing this? I shouldn’t have to update my entire website just because Google says so, right?

Well, actually you should. Google has the right goals in mind. They want to provide a great experience for users. You should invest in a responsive website if you don’t currently have one and not just because Google says so. Here are 5 reasons that dig deeper than simply appeasing Google.

1. Mobile Usage is Growing. Rapidly.

In fact, the growth of the iPhone was 10 times faster than the growth of America Online (AOL). (Source: Nielsen) Not to mention that: 

70% of mobile searches result in action within 1 hour. (Source: Mobile Marketer)

91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile device within reach 24/7. (Source: Morgan Stanley)

It's safe to say that mobile use is increasing quickly and we need to be responsive to that. (see what I did there?)

2. Social Activities and Blogging Bring in Mobile Visitors 

91% of all mobile internet access is for social activities, versus just 70% on desktops. (Source: Microsoft Tag) This means that not only are people using their mobile devices for social activities but they’re clicking links for videos, ads, articles and more that take them out of the social network’s app itself and into a mobile browser. Some of our most powerful content is in our blogs that we're encouraging people to share on networks they're viewing mostly on mobile devices. If this content isn't responsive to mobile devices what's the point in creating it?

3. Visitors Bounce Away from Non-Responsive Sites

When a visitor comes to your site and encounters unplayable videos, impossible to click links and unreadable text, they'll just leave. In fact, 74% of consumers will wait up to a maximum of just 5 seconds for a web page to load on their mobile device before abandoning the site. (Source: Gomez) When a user abandons our site it not only increases your bounce rate but it also means they will find the answers they were looking for somewhere else - and that's where they'll end up taking their business. 

4. Responsive Design is for More Than Just Phones

Ever heard of someone referring to their website as "future-proof?" This is what they mean. Responsive websites adapt to multiple device sizes including iPhones, Androids and even tablets. This is because you’re not just designing something that will show up well on an iPhone 6; you’re designing something that responds smoothly to all device types and screen sizes and changes as necessary.

In addition, by using sprite sheets, which are basically one image with all of your icons and buttons, you can significantly reduce load time by only requiring one server request instead of a separate request for each image. You can crop the image to the point you wan using CSS. This will help your site load faster and prevent people from bouncing away from your site. Plus, because they can be saved as SVG files you can feel confident knowing your images will display in high quality on any screen. 

5. Don't You Want Users to Have a Great Experience On Your Site?

Truly responsive sites load faster, are easier to use, and look better too. Users will spend more time on your site, engaging with your content, if it's easy to use on their preferred device. What this boils down to is that responsive sites are no longer just a nice to have; they are a necessity. And of course, yes, making your site mobile friendly will influence where you appear in search results. 

So what should you do?

Check out what the search results look like right now. You may already be seeing mobile-friendly tags under certain search results in Google searches on a mobile device. (like in the example below) The good news is if your site shows up with a mobile-friendly tag, you're good to go! You can also try running your site through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Enter your URL and check out the results. You may find that you have some work to do on your site. If this is the case you'll want to make plans to upgrade or redo your website to make it responsive. 

Make Plans for a Site Upgrade or Redesign

If your site isn't up to mobile-friendly standards, it's time to make plans to update our website as soon as possible. Google has made it clear that sites that are not responsive will be penalized. However, it's about more than just listening to what Google says. As we discussed they have the right intentions here. You'll want to update (or potentially redesign) your site so that it continues to be a powerful tool for your business to educate and empower prospects to accomplish their goals. A great place to start is with a professional website assessment to see what on your site is already working, what isn't, and how difficult or easy it will be to convert your site into a responsive one and your visitors into happy ones.

A version of this post was originally featured on the Duo Consulting blog.