Responsive design
Responsive design means a website rearranges itself to fit phone, tablet and desktop screens. One site stays readable and easy to use on every screen.
What is responsive design?
Responsive design means the layout adapts to the screen size. There is no separate mobile site. The same site places items side by side on a wide screen and stacks them on a narrow one, with text and buttons sized for fingers.
Here is an everyday case. Your services page has three columns on a desktop. If those columns stay side by side on a phone, the text is unreadable and visitors have to zoom and scroll sideways. With responsive design, the columns stack on the phone and the page reads easily.
Why does it matter?
Many of your visitors arrive on a phone, and a site that is hard to use there loses customers. Google also evaluates sites based on their mobile version. Every site we build is responsive. See our web design page. Beyond fitting the screen, ease of use is covered under UX.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if my site is mobile-friendly?
Open it on your phone and see whether you can read it without zooming. Tiny text, cramped buttons or sideways scrolling mean it is not. Your browser's developer tools also let you try different screen sizes.
Is responsive design the same as a mobile app?
No. Responsive design makes a website work well on a phone, in the browser. A mobile app is separate software downloaded from a store. For most companies, a good responsive site comes first.
Does responsive design cost more?
Not when it is planned from the start, because it is part of the design. Retrofitting an old non-responsive site is often close to rebuilding it.