Ultimate Checklist for Responsive Website Design

The buzz of responsive website design had already started some time back, but has reached its zenith this year.

The traditional way of designing a site for desktop and then making it work on mobile (or other) devices is simply not working anymore.

The bottom line is, and we cannot stress this enough, smart device-first is the ONLY way to go.

Wondering why? Because almost half of the web traffic is generated through a mobile platform (source: Search Engine Watch)!

Leveraging such a wide audience can produce a great impact on your business. But for that, you need to have a clear insight into making a responsive web design.

Of course, you can seek assistance from the experts at any website design company, nevertheless, you should do your homework first.

So, let’s start from the basics.

 

What is a Responsive Web Design - An Overview

Once upon a time, responsive web design used to suggest mobile-friendly websites only. But with the advancement of technology, the term received a greater connotation. Now, it indicates the sites that can be accessed on any smart device.

A smart device can be as small as a watch or as big as a TV. The responsive websites can easily adjust to the specifications of multiple smart devices and remain equally functional and appealing across any device platform.

So, businesses need to ensure their sites look presentable and navigable across various smart devices, browsers, and operating systems.

But the real problem is how would you understand whether your site is working across devices?

No worry! We got you covered. Here is the ultimate checklist for a responsive website.

1. Run a Thorough Visual Testing
The images and texts should be perfectly aligned. Ensure that the content doesn’t exceed the edges of the screen.

If some part of the content is less important, you may choose to keep it “out-of-sight” on small devices. However, make sure the important part of the content remains visible across all platforms.

2. Mind the Typography

The typography must be compatible with varied platforms. The content is the heart of a website and should be readable and presentable across devices.

3. Test the Site on Multiple Devices and Browsers

This is a crucial part. Before your site goes live, it’s important to check its availability across browsers and devices. It will give you a clear insight into how the users can access your site.

Enhancing the User-Experience (UX) is central to a business. If you find any technical glitch while operating the site, you need to fix the issue ASAP.

4. Assess Traffic Data
Avail mobile and web traffic data from Google Analytics. Here you will learn which mobile devices and browsers are mostly used by the visitors to access your site. Now check how your site looks on these devices and browsers.

5. Check the Loading Speed
Do you know that 47% of people won’t wait for a page to load for more than 3 seconds! So, optimize your site loading speed if you don’t want to increase the bounce rate.

Compress large resources to display them appropriately on smaller devices. However, ensure that the quality is not reduced. You may also boost the site’s performance by using cache data.

6. Ensure Smooth Navigation for the Site 

The navigation element must not overlap the edges of the screen. You may use the hamburger menu icon for hidden navigation. Such an intuitive interface can enables visitors to easily navigate through the website.


7. Examine Interactivity

Various control instruments like keyboard, stylus, mouse, and even fingertips are used while interacting with devices. Keep an eye on the accessibility and responsiveness of your site through these control means.

8. Review the Site Pop-ups

You should check whether the inline pop-ups and browser window pop-ups are responsive.

Now that you have learnt analyse your site’s responsiveness, let’s dig deeper.

In the next passage, we will explore the consistency in design assets. Your brand must maintain consistency in design across various media platforms. This is a crucial element in responsive web design.

Why?

Let’s explain it with an example. The moment you hear “Nike”, ”Apple”, or “Coca-Cola”; immediately you can visualize the logos of these brands, right? This is the power of memorable, strong, and consistent designs.

The design assets must look consistent across various platforms even after resizing or scaling. From icons to typography, colours to font - every aesthetic element of your site come under this category.

To avoid a negative brand impression, carefully test the following:

Fonts

Some fonts are likely to look uneven or clumsy when they are scaled up or down, or viewed on different browsers and devices.

For instance, Mac OS can properly set font-weight, whereas Windows cannot. Again, the fonts may appear to be somewhat slimmer on Safari as compared to Chrome.

So make sure to test fonts and evaluate them on the basis of the above-stated parameters.

Media Files and Colour

Make sure that different versions of an image are compatible with multiple browsers, viewport and device resolution.

You may use the Chrome Developer tools to check if the images can adversely affect the performance of the website. 

Also, identify if there are colour inconsistencies and fix them. For a better understanding, you may take a look at the importance of colour theory in website designs.

Code

Here’s a basic checklist to support you in the code-testing procedure:

-Check if several browsers support a particular JS, HTML, or CSS property.

-Look for any visual discrepancies after writing the codes. Pay proper attention to the following:

• Spacing - The elements or content must not run over each other.
• Alignment - Ensure that the dynamic elements are aligned properly.
• Layout - Check if the entire layout is compatible with various sizes of the viewport.
• Horizontal Scroll - Look for the long links that make horizontal scrolling mandatory on the small-sized screens. These may affect the readability and user experience. Also, test text legibility on different browsers and viewport.
• Adjustable Format - Make sure to adjust the site elements on the basis of the viewport size. Check if the elements can be easily made to hide, appear, or get re-sized.
• Responsive Image - The images should adequately fit within their allotted spaces. Optimize the CSS and JS images; compress or minimize them without affecting quality.

Note that several factors including the browser engine, display resolution, and GPU play a significant role in determining how the end-users perceive the site. So, if you are not much tech-savvy, it’s better to consult a reputed website development company.

Conclusion

Responsive web design needs to be updated regularly depending on the technological developments. Continue to test your site for responsiveness on various devices, browsers, and operating systems.

Remember, an eye-opening survey by Infront reveals that about 94% of people won’t rely on a website if it has poor design and accessibility!

So, put your best efforts to set the first impression. And for any little help, we are always there!

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Warm Greetings On A Happy New Year 2020 From Webguru Infosystems!

Responsive Website Versus Mobile App: A Comparison

“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all,” Michael Leboeuf.

If the global mobile internet usage figures are anything to go by then mobiles (along with tablets) will be the dominant platform to access the internet vis-a-vis desktops or laptops. A survey has revealed that mobiles have garnered a healthy share of 51.2% of the global online traffic in 2018 (Source: Statistica.) This growing mobile usage has stirred businesses to adopt a suitable mobile strategy to compete in the online landscape. However, the moot question before them is – whether to build a responsive website or a mobile application. Although both have their respective advantages, choosing one over the other would depend on a slew of factors. These include the target customers, business objectives, required features, and budget.

There are valid arguments on both sides of the divide. Mobile website enthusiasts are of the view that having a responsive website that is accessible on smartphones and tablets is more than enough to address the changing dynamics of online business. However, mobile app lovers counter that by stating the unique advantages of a mobile app that a responsive website simply cannot offer. Before digging deeper with the respective advantages, let us first understand what the two are all about.

Difference between a Mobile Website and a Mobile App

A mobile website is a collection of mutually linked HTML pages that can be accessed by a browser on the internet. It differs from a standard website in the way that it is displayed on a handheld device like a mobile or a tablet with a touchscreen interface. In fact, it is fast becoming the standard for building websites that are compatible with any type of device – desktops, laptops, notebooks, smartphones, and tablets. A mobile website provides similar features and functionalities of a standard website (designed to be viewed on a desktop) such as text, images and videos. In fact, professional website development company have long switched over to building responsive websites to meet the trend.

A mobile application, on the other hand, is a self contained program that can be downloaded on a smartphone instead of being run by a browser a la mobile website. Mobile applications can be downloaded from app stores that are specific to an operating system such as Apple, Android, Windows or Blackberry. In fact, there are a host of mobile app developing companies that builds attractive, functional, user friendly and secure apps covering every possible domain such as real estate, tourism, health, education, eCommerce, technology etc.

Which one is better – a mobile website or a mobile app?

This is slightly tricky to answer for each comes with its share of advantages. We leave it to your judgement based on your specific business objectives to choose one above the other. In fact, choosing both can give you the best of both worlds provided you have the requisite budget.

Advantages of a Mobile (responsive) Website

Greater audience reach: A responsive website can be accessed from a plethora of device platforms – mobiles, tablets, desktops and laptops. It can be easily accessed on a search engine as opposed to a mobile app, which is available in specific app stores only. This way a large number of users can easily access a responsive website.

Cost effective: Developing a mobile app is supposedly a much more complex exercise than a mobile website. This makes the latter a relatively cost effective proposition.

SEO friendly: Recently, Google has announced giving a higher search ranking to a responsive website as compared to a standard one. This helps to garner a greater brand visibility and web traffic for a mobile website.

On the flip side, a mobile website can have a few cons as well.

• Accessibility and user experience depend on the quality and speed of the internet network.
• The small screen of a mobile makes it difficult to fully navigate a website unless the usability and functionality are top notch.

Advantages of a Mobile App

Better branding opportunity: Users can have an altogether different experience in accessing information/products/services of a company when compared to its website. A company can utilize the personalized app to target users with better branding styles and tactics. If the company website falls short of user expectations, a mobile app can be the way to go. However, make sure the app provides a rich user interface and seamless functionalities. Also, the app should possess strong security measures to counter fraudulent activities.

Better medium of communication: Since a mobile app can be customized to suit the interest and preference of the user, a business can leverage it to offer personalized communication, recommendations and updates. A mobile app helps to identify the geographical location of a user, which can be used by the company to provide location specific info about special discounts, promotions, and deals through push notifications.

Offline access: Although an internet connection is preferable to run most of the functionalities that are present in a mobile app, the connection is not essential. In fact, by using a mobile app, a user can access business specific information offline as well.

Better UX: A mobile app can provide a better immersive and personalised user experience. It provides interactive ways through which a user can engage with the content. This is in sharp contrast to the similar looking interface of a mobile website. As a mobile app provides a better user engagement, it helps to improve the conversion rates.

Conclusion

Choosing a responsive website or a mobile app ultimately depends on your business objectives. If you are looking to target a large audience cutting across geographies then a responsive website is arguably a better option. On the other hand, if you want to provide a better user engagement and garner brand loyalty among your users then a mobile app is a better option. So, no matter which mobile strategy you choose, it is better to engage a professional web development agency or a mobile app development services or both to reap better rewards.

Why is minimalist web design important for your business?

Do you want to create a website for your start-up? While you may pick a flashy web design for the website, it might end up compromising on the customer experience due to slow loading of the site thereby hampering the conversion rate. The importance of having a minimalist web design is often downplayed, for it is considered to be bland and not stimulating enough for the user to pay a visit. However, according to an observation made by Google, visual complexities can repel online visitors instead of attracting them (Source: ai.google). Therefore, a simple website with a robust interface can ensure higher user engagement and satisfaction. To incorporate minimalist features in your business website, it is advised that you engage one of the experienced web design services. With professional help, you can get a comprehensible website that aligns with your vision and business objectives.

Reasons why a minimalist web design is in vogue

1. Minimalist design is always classy- The saying “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” explains the significance of a minimalist design the best. Moreover, it is also wrong to assume that sleek designs are outdated. Rather, minimalist styles are constantly evolving to keep pace with the current consumer market trends. Uncomplicated web design is always visually-stirring and cognitive-friendly. By picking out this style, more and more customers can feel encouraged to visit your website.

2. Improved loading speed- Have you decided on having a fancy website? Well, you might have to reconsider your decision for obvious reasons. Studies have shown that websites with unnecessary graphic elements, pictures, and gifs can delay the loading time thereby ruining the user-experience. This is where a minimalist design comes into the picture wherein you can simplify the user interface by chucking out irrelevant elements that do not benefit the users in any way.

3. Allows ease of navigation- What good is your website if it does not facilitate easy navigation for your customers? An organized site with minimal design allows users to search for relevant information thereby enjoying a positive user interaction. Since the stakes are high, it is advisable to apply the minimalist strategy to your business website by hiring top web development services. This will help your website to garner better traffic, user experience, and ROI.

4. Boosts readability of the site- Bright colour schemes and illustrious designs are certainly eye-catching and trendy these days. However, should you want to lend a professional touch to your online portfolio, a minimalist design can do the right trick. Flat patterns, grid layouts, simple-formatted typography, large picture backgrounds, and restricted features are the typical elements of a minimal web design. Thus, websites free from unwanted distractions can enable target users to read and process information effectively.

5. More SEO-friendly- Apart from enhancing the user-experience, a minimalist website is SEO-friendly as well. This is due to the fact that search engines can crawl easily and uninterruptedly through the webpages. Needless to say, convenient crawling enables the search engines’ bots to rank a particular page higher for the users. Another fact to bear in mind is that SEO-complaint pages are faster to load thereby lowering the bounce rate.

Conclusion- Today, when a factor as important as user experience can either make or break the credibility of a website, one cannot take a chance while opting for web design. In this connection, the minimalist web design trend is highly sought after for credible reasons. Hence, should you want to build a website with minimalist design features, then feel free to contact a leading website design company in India.

How Can Explainer Videos Help To Build Brand Awareness

Video marketing has become one of the most effective and popular tools to promote one’s business. Explainer videos help create and enhance user engagement since the visual media has a profound impact on potential customers.

Corporates too have realized the importance of explainer videos in promoting their brand. These videos help potential customers to understand the brand and the concepts and ideas that make the brand in a simple manner. As customers view engaging corporate explainer videos to know more about the brand, products and services, the conversion rates show an increase as well.

What Are Explainer Videos?

The objective of creating explainer videos is to offer answers to questions that the customer may have about a brand, product or service in an engaging manner. Also, the USP of the product/service and how it can be differentiated from other competing products/services in the market are highlighted by these videos.

The best thing about such videos is that the content (read details about the business objectives, brand, products and services) is presented in a simple, understandable, unambiguous, and engaging manner that all customers are able to follow. Besides, the videos are able to share key messages that the business wants to convey.

The slew of advantages to be gained by embracing the explainer video services includes:

• Clarify the business objectives
• Increase in conversion rates
• Increase web traffic
• Achieve higher search engine ranking
• Easily sharable
• Help your audience retain information

Each of these points has been explained in the following sections.

Clarify the Business Objectives

Sometimes it is difficult to convey a message to the audience and there is always a possibility that it can be misinterpreted. However, explainer videos explain the objectives or features of your business or brand in a simple and engaging way.

Furthermore, customers can easily learn about the products or services offered by the company through the video. Additionally, the video helps create a better connection between the business and the customer.

Increase in Conversion Rates

The use of explainer videos can generate interest in the product and help increase the conversion rate. These informative videos help new businesses, in particular, to establish their brand and offer visibility to their product(s) or service(s).

Also, it is easier for businesses to keep a track of the number of potential customers who have viewed the video. Based on customer responses, these videos can be altered to add new details or features. These, in turn, can help to make the product even more attractive to potential customers.

Increase Web Traffic

These days, the best way to increase traffic to a website is by creating a “viral” content. Interestingly, a viral content can generate a lot of views within a relatively short span of time as opposed to other forms of advertising. Even statistics state that the buying decisions of 90% of online shoppers are influenced by explainer videos. Thus, a viral video can make a greater impact on customers by inducing them towards conversions.

However, it is easier said than done since there are no hard and fast rules on what type of content shall go viral. Some brands have been able to make the most of this trend since their videos went viral with millions of views.

Achieve Higher Search Engine Ranking

Static websites don’t get as much traffic when compared to the ones that have some form of a multimedia content. For such static websites, incorporating explainer videos can help to make their content even more appealing and at the same time, boost their search engine rankings as well. This is where corporates can gain by engaging professional explainer video services thanks to the latter’s expertise in promoting the brand through exquisite animations.

When a static website includes an explainer video, customers who didn’t find the content interesting earlier will be more inclined to watch it. This can increase the view rate and most importantly, the conversion rate of the products/services shown on the website. Explainer videos can be an excellent way to organically boost traffic, which in turn gets reflected in the search engine rankings of the website.

Easily Shareable

The best part about these videos is that they are not restricted to a website alone but can be shared on multiple platforms as well. YouTube and Vimeo are useful platforms that corporates can leverage to their advantage by using keywords to garner a greater interest.

It is an added bonus that these videos can be shared by using text web links to increase their probability in reaching a wider audience.

Help your Audience Retain Information

The biggest advantage that businesses can gain by creating explainer videos is in getting a word-of-mouth publicity. Thus, the videos are a great way to create brand awareness without trying too hard or spending a lot of money on traditional forms of advertising.

Conclusion

Explainer videos have become popular for they help to boost the prospects of a business by raising the brand awareness. If you want to reach your target audience with your brand, products and services effectively, it is time you got in touch with experienced website design company.

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