5 Simple Responsive Blunders (And How To Avoid Them)

Smartphones and tablets have made it necessary for businesses to create responsive websites. Over 54% of the overall internet traffic is from a mobile device. So, you’d be potentially losing out to almost half your visitors if your website isn’t responsive. Why?

 

Well, a responsive website adapts to the screen it is accessed on to make navigation easier. Have you ever tried loading a desktop website on a smartphone? It is awfully difficult to navigate, the content is usually jumbled up, links to other pages are small and difficult to click, and so on. You’ll be put off by the design in seconds and close out of the site.

While designers understand the importance of a responsive design, it doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to go about the process of designing a proper responsive website. No need to worry though, because we have the insights on the five common responsive blunders designers make and how to avoid them. So, as a business owner, you can be a source of guidance to your designer while also assess whether your website is responsive.

 

The website takes too long to load

 

Cramming your website with animation, images, and videos will prevent it from loading fast on mobile devices. Slow websites turn users away immediately. Think about it, most people browsing on mobile devices do it while commuting on a train or bus, while on a break, or when they have nothing else to do. They expect the website to load within 2-3 seconds and if it doesn’t move on to the next.

To avoid such a mistake, make sure you limit the use of heavy animations. Videos should be hosted on a platform like YouTube or Vimeo and then embedded to your site, so they will not take too much time to load. Finally, optimise the quality and size of the images you use on the site.

 

Complicated navigation

 

Navigation has to be simple as possible. Clicking on a link on top of the page only to have a menu and sub-menus open up can get very difficult to navigate on a smartphone. It will confuse and frustrate users, which is not the type of reaction you want from your site visitors.

Therefore, keep the navigation simple. Don’t overcomplicate the menu and consider having a search option, making it easier for users to search for the exact page they want without having to click through pages to seek it.

 

Incorporate too many popups

 

Popups serve well as a tool to use for calls to action. Be it getting visitors to sign up for a newsletter or letting them know of a current sale. As useful as they are, they can be a nuisance on a mobile device. At least, for visitors that are not interested in the offering. Having too many pop-ups can turn people away from your site.

Limit the use of popups to just once. Make sure you have the option for visitors to easily close out of it if they are not interested. Not being able to close out without clicking through will leave visitors annoyed.

 

Messy content layout

 

Most of the traffic your website garners is there for one main reason, to get information. If your website fails to provide them with the ease to get that information, they countless others they can and will go to. Yes, responsive websites automatically adapt to font size to the screen of the device accessed on. However, they won’t fix the layout and the amount of content on the website.

Keep the content simple. Don’t have an overflow of information. The content should share important and relevant information only and be properly laid out so it is attractive on any device.

 

Fail to perform A/B testing

 

Mobile devices come in all sizes. You have smartphones that start at about 4-inches to tablets that go up to 13-inches and more. Before making a website live, It is vital that the website is tested on a few different devices that range in size. What may look good on a 13-inch tablet may not on a 6-inch smartphone and so on. By testing the site on different screens, you can identify any problem and ensure that the user experience is the same on all devices.

 

Final thought

 

There is no denying how impactful a responsive web design is when it comes to generating traffic for your online business. It will likely be the difference between success and failure in the online world. Make sure your web design avoids the five responsive blunders we have highlighted. So, your visitors have the optimal user experience on your business’ website.

Need help designing a responsive website? Cactimedia has a team of web designers familiar with the best practices and can help your business grow with a responsive web design. Contact us at +971 4 360 9966 or inquire online to get started.