In a previous post, “Your Mobile First Impression,” we explored the importance of creating a mobile presence. The online world changes constantly. A new catchphrase floating around in the community is “responsive design.” Responsive design refers to a website resizing automatically depending on the device or resolution the visitor is using.

Though it sounds straightforward, it’s far from it. Why? When users size down their browsers, navigation disappears, content rearranges and other elements, such as images, shrink. Designing a website for a business is a familiar task. Designing a website around what displays where and when… well, that takes the development of your website to another strategic level. With the help of a program manager you can target primary calls to action and plot exactly how the site will function prior to entering design. Responsive sites generally include three primary layouts geared toward desktop computers, tablets and phones.

Of course, you aren’t required to have a responsive website. In fact, many large retailers, such as Target and Walmart, use custom mobile sites. This means that their mobile websites do not correlate or directly tie into their desktop websites. These mobile sites are tailored toward specific products, categories and advertisements. This is still a viable way of delivering mobile content to your users, but most businesses should consider developing a mobile application instead. This allows you to drive users visiting the mobile website to download the mobile app by displaying a message at the top of their screens.

Mobile apps give your users a more seamless experience and are developed around the limitations of devices, making them user-friendly. We encourage you to employ a mobile strategy for your business.