Which Is Better For Your Business: Mobile-First Or Responsive?

What is the best way to make your website mobile friendly?

With 52% of web traffic coming from mobile devices in the second quarter of the year 2018, optimization of mobile devices is no longer an option. Every business looking to generate more leads and enhance customer engagement wants to amplify the mobile experience. The question 'should we' has gradually been replaced by 'how should we'.

So, how should you? Mobile-first or responsive?

Let's analyze this from the perspective of a website design company.

Mobile-First Design vs Responsive Web Design

For users to visit your website time and time again and comprehend the information on your website, it should be user and mobile friendly. However, being able to make your website fit every screen size and type is a challenge. If the website is messy on a smartphone screen or if it is difficult to perceive information, consumer experience ends up becoming unsatisfactory.

There are two ways of making your website mobile-friendly and providing a better experience to small screen users.

Mobile-first design
Mobile-first design is specially developed for mobile users. This is designed separately from the original desktop website with a different URL. The features on mobile and the main site may differ. For instance, while developing a mobile website, a web designer in Mississauga may skip complicated infographics that would be hard to rescale for small screen users.

However, this is not always the case. With technology improving by leaps and bounds, mobile websites now contain every feature on the main sites. Only the placement is rearranged to better suit small screens.

Pros

• Improves the experience for mobile users.
• Boosts the use of built-in features of the phone.
• Cost-effective solution when compared to iOS, hybrid, or Android apps.
• Fast loading speed for mobile users.
• Increases local search results for your website.

Cons

• Mobile design is not suitable for heavy websites.
• A single design may not be compatible with various mobile devices.
• Separate URLs can create confusion for users as well as increase the need for SEO.
• Maintenance will be increased with two distinct websites.

Responsive web design
Responsive websites are designed and developed in a way to adjust to varying screen sizes. The same information is sent by the server to every device and only the how-to-display pages are altered according to the screen. Well-organized website design Mississauga organizations will automatically shrink, resize, move, enlarge, and place content in various formats to make it look good.

The URL, content, and the look and feel of the website remain same across various screens, which provides a consistent theme for users. Whether a user visits the website from a laptop, phone, or a tablet, the overall CTA and content placement will be similar and more relevant.

Pros

• SEO search results are improved. The main site traffic will be directed to a mobile device and vice versa.
• Maintenance efforts are reduced with fewer things to manage.
• Cost-effective as there is only one website.
• Marketing tasks are reduced and experience is enhanced.
• Convenient option for websites with complex CTA and bulky forms.

Cons

• The mobile experience can't be 100% optimized with a responsive website.
• Glitches in responsive websites can result in user experience being substandard on every platform.

Also Read: How Does a Responsive Website Design Work?

Which One Should You Choose? Mobile-First or Responsive

The decision depends on your traffic, budget, and type of experience you are willing to provide to your users. In general, the incoming traffic decides the type of mobile website. If your users mostly prefer mobiles, then choose mobile-first for a personalized experience. If most of your users are desktop users, then try responsive.

What if the users are divided into equal halves (approximately)?

Then, the decision should be based on your budget, user trends of previous years, and where you want to foray in the coming years.

How should you start working on this?

Just hire a good website design company and start discussing your requirements for efficient working and utmost user experience.