A Beginner’s Guide to Responsive Web Design

Have you ever imagined how websites can simultaneously keep up with so many screens? It sounds challenging. But with responsive web design, companies enable their websites to manage this easily.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Pages were developed to target specific screen sizes in the initial days of web design. If the user’s screen was larger or smaller than the designer anticipated, the results ranged from undesired scrollbars to excessively long line lengths and poor use of space. As new screen sizes were available, the notion of responsive web design (RWD) emerged.

This is a collection of techniques that allows web pages to change their structure and appearance to accommodate varying screen widths, resolutions, etc. It is an idea that has altered how one designs a multi-device website, and in this blog, you will learn the fundamental skills you will need to master.

Overall, responsive web design means that your brand’s website (and its web pages) can adjust and provide a one-of-a-kind experience to customers regardless of whether they are using a computer, laptop, tablet, or phone. Therefore, your website must be responsive if you want your customer base to have a smooth and healthy experience.

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How would you determine if your website is responsive?

In your website browser, you may instantly determine whether a website works responsively or not.

  1. Launch Google Chrome.
  2. Visit your website.
  3. To access Chrome DevTools, press Ctrl + Shift + I.
  4. Activate the device toolbar by pressing Ctrl + Shift + M.
  5. Access your page from a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.

You can also use an easy-to-use application, such as Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, to determine whether your website’s pages are mobile-friendly. While alternative design techniques, such as flexible design, can achieve mobile-friendliness, responsive web design is the most popular due to its benefits.

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How does Responsive Web Design work?

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used in responsive web design to offer style attributes based on screen size, direction, resolution, color capabilities, and other user device aspects. Viewport and media queries are two examples of CSS aspects relevant to responsive web design.

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Why do website owners and designers choose Responsive Web Design? 

Responsive web design frees website developers, user interface designers, and website designers from laboring around the clock to create websites for every other device on the market. It also makes life easier for company owners, marketers, and advertising agencies. Here are a few advantages:

There is no obligation for redirects: Other approaches to designing for different devices necessitate the use of redirects to route the visitor to the correct version of a web page. However, the user can reach the stuff he wants to look at as quickly as possible without redirection.

Optimal device design: All pictures, logos, fonts, and other HTML elements will be adjusted accordingly with the responsive web design method and optimizing whatever screen size the visitor has.

One website for each device: The website will get optimized for viewing enjoyment, whether seen on a 27-inch Apple tablet with a Wi-fi signal or from the display of your Android phone.

In terms of cost, responsive web design is also effective. It is not necessary to make adjustments twice when instead, you may update and operate from a single webpage.

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Why should you consider Responsive Web Design?

We exist in a multi-screen culture. As a result, your site must be compatible with as many electronic platforms as possible since you never know what gadget someone will use to view your website.

According to responsive website statistics, it is prudent to attract desktop and mobile readers. Mobile viewers currently outnumber desktop watchers, and this figure will only grow as worldwide smartphone accessibility keeps growing.

In addition, Google declared in early 2015 that mobile-friendliness would be a ranking component in its search engine algorithms. This meant that non-mobile-friendly sites could lose momentum in search engine rankings since they weren’t providing an excellent atmosphere to smartphone searchers and visitors.

Read More: Google Search Spam Algorithm Update Part 2

Economic viability

Keeping different websites for your smartphone and non-smartphone clients might be costly. However, you can still save money by not having to pay for a mobile site if you use responsive design. To cater to all visitors and devices, you will need to spend on a single site design.

Adaptability

When you have a responsive design website, you may make adjustments quickly and easily. In addition, you are not required to make modifications to two websites. This flexibility is beneficial when you need to make a quick design change or correct a typo on your website—you only have to do it one time.

Enhanced user experience

Website proprietors must prioritize user experience. You want visitors to really like your site, and you want it to be simple to use so that they will return. Suppose anyone comes to your website on a mobile device and it takes a long time to load, or your images are low-resolution. In that case, it might make your organization appear unprofessional.

Nobody wishes to do business with a lousy establishment. However, responsive design, which provides a far superior user experience, can help persuade customers to give your organization a chance. Because panning and scrolling will be reduced, visitors will be able to access content more quickly, and their overall impression will be much more pleasant.

Gains from search engine optimization

Most organizations employ search engine optimization (SEO) to help them have a higher ranking on Google’s search results pages. So naturally, the higher you rank, the more likely potential clients will find you.

Responsive design helps with SEO since, as previously said, Google prefers mobile-friendly websites. When combined with other SEO elements, responsiveness can significantly increase search engine results.

Management simplicity

Most businesses, particularly smaller ones, do not have a lot of time to maintain or refresh the appearance of their website. Instead of hiring a designer to manage every part of your website, responsive design helps you make adjustments quickly and easily.

Furthermore, managing other aspects of your advertising will be a lot easier with just one website. You’ll never have to worry if you should link to the mobile or desktop site in a social media update or whether all of your redirected links will function to deliver the targeted audience to the desired site. Responsiveness alleviates much of the stress associated with running a business website.

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What are the three essential elements of Responsive Web Design?

Media Queries

Media queries are undoubtedly the most interesting (and daunting to inexperienced web designers) component of a responsive web design. People frequently get swept up with media queries, viewing them as the essential elements of a responsive design while making adaptable page components optional. The reality is that media queries are almost useless without a part of a continuing rock-solid HTML and CSS base that incorporates not only a flexible grid but also adaptable pictures.

By selectively providing stylesheets based on user-agent features such as browser window size, media queries enable designers to create various designs using the same HTML content. Other factors include screen orientation (portrait or landscape), screen resolution, color (the level of color that the screen can portray), and so on.

Flexible Grid

The definition of a grid in web design is becoming hazier. Saying that your site must have a flexible grid does not imply that you are limited to one of the dozen or so excellent grid systems available. Defining your own columns, spacing, and container settings is often the ideal answer for a web design and can be just as versatile as any established system.

Flexible images

Another important component of a responsive site design is images that flow and resize with a flexible grid. Web designers frequently struggle with flexible pictures. Loading large, gigantic pictures that are downscale using width and height HTML properties to make more room for text content on smaller surfing devices is not a smart practice for better web page load times.

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What are some tips to make your website highly responsive? 

Now that you know what responsive design is and why it’s so crucial for website owners, here’s a quick responsive website how-to that will walk you through making the necessary modifications to your site.

Use a fluid grid

Many years ago, most websites were designed using a unit of measurement known as pixels. However, designers are now employing a fluid grid.

A grid scales your site’s parts proportionally rather than having them all the same size. This simplifies sizing for different displays because the elements will adapt to the screen’s size (the grid) rather than the size specified to be in pixels.

A responsive grid is frequently divided into columns with scaled heights and widths. However, nothing is fixed in terms of breadth or height. Instead, the proportions are determined by the size of the screen.

You can define the rules for this grid by editing the CSS and other code on your website.

Make room for touchscreens

Even laptops now come standard with touchscreens. As a result, responsive websites must be developed with both cursor and touchscreen customers in mind.

If you have a form on a desktop view with a drop-down menu, consider designing it so that it is bigger and easier to tap with a finger on touchscreen devices. Furthermore, keep in mind that small elements (such as buttons) are tough to touch on smartphones, so strive to include graphics, messaging, and controls that display correctly on all screens.

Determine which elements should be included on small screens

Responsive design does not imply exactly copying your website from one device to the next. You want to provide the best user experience possible, which may imply leaving items out when someone visits your site on a tiny screen.

Menu options or navigational options on responsive websites are frequently condensed into a button that can be accessed with a single press. The menu may appear enlarged on a large screen, but it may be accessed with this single button on a tiny screen.

Again, by adjusting your website’s CSS and other code, you may define criteria for adding or excluding specific items. This may take some effort to set up, but your customers will be grateful!

Consider images

It is noted that an element of responsive web design- image scaling, is considered to be one of the most difficult. First, create CSS rules that define how photos are treated on multiple screens- they are made to be full-width, removed, or handled differently.

Experiment with a pre-designed thematic style or layout.

If you are not a natural designer, you may require additional assistance in changing your site to be responsive. The great news is that assistance is available.

If you lack the time or desire to create a responsive website from scratch, you can cheat by using a template or an already-designed layout that handles the work for you. This means that all you’ll have to worry about is adjusting the colors, logo, and content to meet the needs of your business.

If you use WordPress, there are several free and premium themes that are responsive straight out of the box. The same is true for many prominent eCommerce suppliers who give their website themes.

Contract out your project

If you do not utilize WordPress or a hosted eCommerce site, it may be challenging to find a pre-designed theme to employ. Or perhaps you prefer a design that better suits your individual requirements or a corporate logo. Of course, you can always employ someone to make something unique for you!

You can also consider hiring a freelancer to revamp your site, but check their references first because this is a complex process. Designing flexible websites necessitates a solid foundation in web design. This is not an issue where you want to skimp on costs. Instead, make funds available for someone to execute a comprehensive job, so you don’t have to revisit the issue six months later.

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Website Developer

Having more than eight years of experience, Deepak Chaudhary is well versed in planning and prototyping new applications. Deepak Chaudhary is on the Website Developer team. As part of his many operational duties at JDM Web Technologies, Deepak Chaudhary oversees web development and builds the company culture. With a background in design and development, Deepak Chaudhary has the unique perspective of creating a website. Deepak Chaudhary started programming in 2010 and became an experienced web designer. He is well known for testing the site and applying different browsers. He has been are often involved with the designing and appearance of a website.

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