Is responsive web design for you?

Responsive web design for estate agents is really just taking off and has become a pretty hot topic in web design.

Understand the different types of web design

• Responsive web design

A responsive website will automatically adjust the content and imagery for viewing on a desktop, tablet, smartphone or in fact any other device. Making it easy for the consumer to read the content and use the website no matter what device they are viewing it on.

• Traditional desktop web design

If you have a website now that isn’t responsive then it will be a desktop website. It has been designed to work only on a desktop PC or laptop. If a user accesses this type of website from a mobile device, the website won’t adjust to the screen size but instead shrink to fit the screen. Making it difficult for the user to read and navigate the website.  

• Mobile web design

A mobile website is technically a completely different website to your desktop website, when someone accesses your website from a mobile device it directs you to the mobile version over the desktop. Of course the website is designed and optimised specifically for a mobile device so the user should be able to use and read it easily, however it doesn’t have all the positive aspects that a responsive sites have.  

The importance of being mobile optimised

These days the majority of consumers start their house hunt online and with on average over 40% of visitors to an estate agency website coming from a mobile device, it is clear to see why mobile websites and responsive websites are growing in popularity.

But is responsive web design really for you?

If you want to provide your users with a better user experience than your local competition then responsive web design is for you.

Complete optimisation for every specific device isn’t vital but to ensure the best for all your users, responsive can deliver you these results where a mobile website can't.

The minimum action you should take is for you to get a user-friendly mobile website. This is the more affordable option and still gives your users a good mobile experience.