August 7, 2013

Mobile vs responsive web design

It’s all about giving your customers the most optimized and convenient experience your web site can provide. After all, if your visitors aren’t enjoying their experience, they won’t stay long.

So what’s the difference between mobile and responsive web design?

Let’s take a look…

Mobile Web DesignA mobile website is a copy of your website that has been converted to a smaller and easier to navigate form using a separate URL and is the ultimate in convenience for your on-the-go customer.

 

 Responsive Web Design Responsive Web Design is simply a code that is applied to your existing website. With this design your website automatically adjusts to the screen size of any device using the same URL.

A few advantages and disadvantages of each design:

  • Mobile Websites use a separate URL
  • You are virtually maintaining and updating two separate websites.
  • Works better than websites on smart phones since they are tailor-made for small devices
  • A mobile website can be accessed anywhere, any time.

 
  • Uses the same URL for mobile, desktop, and tablets.
  • Only one site to maintain
  • Is optimized for search engines
  • Automatically adjusts to every mobile browser.

Conclusions:

A responsive web design is a more advanced way to make your site mobile-friendly and makes your website look great no matter the device it is being viewed on.

Because more and more people are using mobile web  to access email, social networks, search and more, creating a browsing experience optimized for mobile makes sense.

For further reading, check out the 10 Facts about Mobile SEO article,  or our websites pages on Mobile, Responsive and Web Design.