No matter which industry you’re in, you want your website to show up in searches. This is how the majority of your visitors are going to find you. And as any SEO company in Nashville will tell you, not all websites are created equal in the eyes of search results.
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” The goal of SEO is to get your website to show up as close to the top of the list of search results as possible when someone types in a query that relates to your services.
There are many different practices that can be implemented to get your website higher in the search result rankings. In fact, just about every aspect of your website can be optimized—everything from the images, to the text, to the layout.
However, there is one particular aspect of a website that is continually growing more important: responsiveness.
But what does that mean? And why does it help in search result rankings?
What Does It Mean to Be Responsive?
A responsive website is one that loads smoothly and quickly on multiple devices and screen sizes. This has become increasingly important as a large number of internet users are moving away from their computers and relying on mobile devices.
In a literal sense, the term refers to the ability of a website to adapt itself to the size and shape of a screen. Various elements are utilized in order for a singular website to be able to display itself in a number of different ways.
For instance, a desktop website might have a large banner image across the top that will get automatically resized when viewed on a smaller, mobile device. Or maybe the content is laid out in multiple columns that simply won’t fit on a smaller screen. A responsive website will adjust the amount of columns, or perhaps move them to save the visitor the hassle of scrolling left-to-right in order to read all of the content.
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Why Is It Important?
Google isn’t the only search engine, but they do have a massive slice of the industry. 76% of desktop traffic and 86% of mobile traffic, to be specific. And they’ve recently altered their search result rankings to favor websites which are better-suited for mobile use. This shift is a result of the increased tendency for people to use the internet on their mobile devices.
The main goal for Google is to provide an experience that is user-friendly. After all, there are plenty of options on the internet, and people are going to gravitate toward that which is easiest to use. A responsive website is inherently easy to use, and is therefore rewarded with higher rankings in Google’s search results because of it.
How Do You Make Your Website Responsive?
Make It Fast
Page load time is factored into Google’s search results. They know that waiting for a website to pull up pictures and text makes the user’s experience less pleasurable. And a website that has been designed with an eye toward responsiveness will generally load faster because it isn’t trying to fit something where it wasn’t meant to go.
Make It Easy to Use
The amount of time a user spends on your site is important. However, users are likely to go elsewhere if they can’t easily find what they need. Responsive website design ensures that no matter how someone is viewing your content, it will be laid out in a coherent fashion.
Make It Easily Shared
A responsive website will be tailored for social media shares simply because of its design. And while this might not directly influence your search result rankings, it can be a great source of traffic. Links on various platforms can be continually shared, exposing your content to new readers and potential visitors.
Make It Engaging
The bounce rate tracks how quickly people leave your website. Do they dig deeper or do they leave without exploring other pages? A website that has a short average amount of time spent on a website is an indication of subpar content. This is reflected by lower search rankings. However, design plays as much a role in a user’s decision to leave a website as content.
Minimize Duplicate Content
One method of making a website viewable on both desktops and mobile devices is to have two separate URLs with similar content but different layouts. However, Google doesn’t understand this idea and can lower your rankings based on the existence of duplicate content alone.
Are You in Need of Website Design in Nashville?
NoSweatWeb is your one-stop shop in Nashville for both SEO and website design. We know what it takes to get results and have been helping Nashville businesses optimize their content as well as their website design.