You’re thinking of buying a jetpack. That’s right, a jetpack.

You tried building one yourself, but every time you press the little round button atop a swiveling joystick, the pack sputters and fails, or launches you — involuntarily – through the neighbor’s horrendously expensive atrium.

So, it’s time to admit defeat and buy from a trusted, less destructive brand. What’s the first thing you do when searching for specific products or helpful information? That’s right, you grab a smartphone and start searching.

After typing “jetpack dealer near me,” you click one of the websites presented in the search results. Unfortunately, the website is nearly impossible to use on a phone. The text is too small to read, the menu is too small to use, and the images are cut off or incredibly tiny.

Because this website is completely unusable, you do what’s only natural – you click on another website.

The unusable website? The one that isn’t sized or configured for smartphones or handheld devices? It’s NOT a “responsive” website, and therefore, proactively deflecting customers.

What makes a website “responsive,” and why is it an absolute necessity for businesses? Glad you asked.

A responsive website adapts itself automatically to the size and shape of any device, whether it’s a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Every element of the website (text, images, menus, videos, etc.) is easy to see and easy to use, delivering the best possible experience to users regardless of screen size and shape.

Responsive website design makes sure the information contained on a website is sized according to the device being used, so you’ll never have to pinch or enlarge content in order to view or interact with it.

Now you’re second-guessing yourself (and your website). A friend’s nephew built your website four years ago, but a customer recently made a complaint: it was hard to use on their phone. They couldn’t see the content or navigate to the appropriate page. Want to know if your website benefits from a responsive design? Here are a few quick ways to find out:

• Bring up your website using Chrome
• Place your cursor anywhere on the page and right-click. Notice the menu?
• Click the “Inspect” option.

• After clicking the “Inspect” option, you’ll see an icon showing a phone and a tablet.

• Click this button! Watch in awe as your website toggles between smartphone and tablet presentations! Is your website “responding” well to each version? Is the content scaling itself accordingly and adjusting to its new configuration? If items are too small or hastily hacked off, your website isn’t responsive.

For a live demonstration, check out this video:

This guy? Totally responsive. The text size is enlarged and perfectly positioned within the narrow screen size. The image isn’t cut off, and the menu is easy to see.

Google offers a simple tool to determine the responsiveness of your website. Just head on over to Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, insert your website URL, and let the test work its magic.

Prepare yourself for some overly nerdy tech-speak: Responsive web design works because of Cascading Style Sheets (CCS). The CCS utilize various settings to serve various, stylistic properties depending on the requirements of a user’s device (e.g., screen size, resolution, orientation, color capability, and several other characteristics). Basically, the CSS makes sure the website is projected correctly on the device it’s presented on.

Why do web designers love responsive website design? Because they only have to build ONE website. Before responsive web design, web designers had to build a separate website for every conceivable device. And when it was time to make any changes, they had to make them on each and every website.

Business owners love it because it grants users the best possible version of a website, and helps rank businesses more favorably in search results.

A few more reasons why responsive web design isn’t just important — it’s absolutely essential for a user experience that warrants a return visit.

• One Site Shall Rule Them All: Whether the website is on a massive 38-inch screen, or a scrubby little Android phone, the site will configure itself perfectly according to the device being used. No matter the device, the website will present itself perfectly and offer a seamless user experience.
• Because, according to Google: “In the USA, 94% of people with smartphones search for local information ON THEIR PHONES. Here’s another doozy: “77% of mobile searches occur at home or at work, places where desktop computers are likely to be present. So, people are immediately using their phones to look up local businesses, AND they’ll do so even if there’s a desktop in the room. What does it all mean? It means a website’s mobile presentation has to be on-freaking-point.
• Because Google ranks your website based on its mobile presentation. Google moved to a “Mobile-First” policy, which means it ranks a website more favorably based on the functionality and appearance of its mobile presentation. When Google notices a website isn’t responsive, it realizes the potential for a poor user experience. Because Google wants to show users the best possible options for their search, it will be less inclined to present anything with noticeable issues. Want to make sure Google doesn’t have any issues? Make sure you have a responsive website!
• Because it costs less money and time to manage. Need to make changes, promote a sale, or add integral information to the website? If a website is unresponsive, you’ll have to create those changes repeatedly across every website iteration (phone/tablet/desktop). You’ll have to resize text, images, menus, logos, etc. every time you make an update to each and every version of your website. With a responsive website? Once. You’ll make changes once, and they’ll project themselves perfectly through every possible device.

Need a website that looks great – perfect, even – across all devices? Want to make sure Google embraces your website’s flawless presentation on desktops, smartphones, tablets, and various mobile devices blinking in your pockets and disrupting family dinners?

Reach out to Amity Digital. Reach out today. We’re waiting. Still waiting. Getting a little bored. Pulling out our phones and watching another cat video. Are they sill a thing? Do people still watch those?  Should we start locking up, or….?