There was a time when most websites weren’t created with mobile device accessibility in mind, which meant folks who did mobile searches viewed them from phones had to wade through lots of scrolling or tapping around to read text elements and navigate menus.
However, the internet use and search landscape has changed rapidly as the development of technology is becoming more and more advanced.
With the rise of mobile devices, the web has become more important than ever before. People are accessing the internet on their smartphones and tablets at an increasing rate. They use it to purchase a product, read a blog or look for a service.
According to this, the current number of smartphone users in the world today is 6.648 billion, and this means 83.72% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. This makes it even more important for companies to have a responsive website that works well across all platforms.
Having a website that doesn’t offer a seamless user experience on small screens can lead to lost sales opportunities and frustrated customers and prospects.
So, like it or not, manufacturers are expected to have a responsive website nowadays.
What is a Responsive Website?
A responsive website is one that adapts its layout and content to fit any screen size. This includes desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, and even TVs.
It does so without changing the look and feel of the page, meaning that all the navigation links, images, etc., will be visible regardless of what type of device someone uses to view the page.
The goal of having a responsive website is to make sure your site looks good no matter what device people view it on. It also helps ensure your site loads fast so visitors don’t get frustrated while they wait for pages to load.
Why Do Manufacturers Need a Responsive Website?
Here are four compelling reasons manufacturers need a responsive website:
- Better user Experience Is Rewarded With Increased Conversions
- Responsive Websites Are Easier To Build And Maintain
- Optimal User Experience Improves SEO
- Responsive Websites help your Brand Stand Out
Let’s dive into each point.
1. Better User Experience Is Rewarded With Increased Conversions
The first reason manufacturers should create a responsive web design is that it can help increase conversion rates.
So how does this happen?
Well, there are two fundamental ways that a responsive website increases conversion rates.
First, it makes it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
When someone lands on a website, they want to know where they can go next. If the site doesn’t provide clear directions, then they may leave.
Second, it allows people to interact easily with the site.
As stated above, if a visitor can’t figure out how to get somewhere on a website, chances are they’ll just move on. However, when the site is easy to navigate, they’ll stay longer and make more purchases.
So, by creating a responsive website, it ensures that whenever a mobile user accesses your site through their mobile phone, tablet device, or computer, they receive mobile user-friendly experiences like faster load times and visibility regardless of which device they choose to use.
You will likely risk losing your existing customer and a potential customer to mobile-friendly websites that offer them superior functionality and usability if the design of your manufacturing website is not responsiveness.
2. Responsive Websites Are Easier To Build And Maintain
Another important benefit for manufacturers of having responsive design is that it makes building and maintaining your site much easier to build and maintain.
When you build a non-responsive design, you make sure that every single element works well on multiple devices.
This requires constant testing and tweaking. That’s a lot of work. Also, it means that your website becomes less reliable over time.
But when you have a responsive web design, you only need to focus on one code base. You don’t have to worry about different elements for layouts, features, or coding for multiple platforms.
This makes it much easier to develop, test, and deploy new pages.
3. Optimal User Experience Improves SEO
The third reason manufacturers need a responsive website is because it will improve search engine optimization (SEO).
Here are two reasons responsive websites are great for SEO:
- Websites designed without the mobile user in mind annoy users, and increase their chances of leaving five times as much as websites designed for mobile users, according to a Google study. For both business and SEO purposes, you don’t want the users to leave your site fast.
- Also, manufacturing sites optimized for mobile usage are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages compared to non-responsive sites because it is a Google-confirmed ranking signal.
4. Responsive Websites help your Brand Stand Out
Responsive design is not only beneficial for consumers, but it also helps manufacturers stand out from the crowd.
In today’s digital world, there is no room for outdated designs.
Since many people now browse the internet using different gadgets, if your website doesn’t look good on any of these devices, then it’s going to seem archaic and unprofessional.
In fact, according to HubSpot:
57% of consumers say they’re not likely to recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile website. The same report shows that more than half of online shoppers who are disappointed by a business’s online presence are likely to think negatively about the business itself.
The Bottom Line
Manufacturers are in the business of selling products and services to customers, which means they must be able to communicate with their clients effectively. Therefore, they need a mobile-friendly website design that will allow them to reach out to potential buyers through all devices - whether it be a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
Having a responsive website is no longer an option–it is a necessity in today’s market. What are you waiting for?
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