If you’re one of a surprisingly large contingency of businesses still not getting on board with the importance of responsive web site design, a time for panic has indeed come. As of right now, it’s not simply a case of shrugging off the warnings of those telling you there’s much you’re missing out on – you’re actually in genuine danger of going out of business.
Well, that’s assuming of course that you are to some extent dependent on your website as if you do not operate an online presence at all, this of course doesn’t apply to you. If on the other hand your website is your livelihood, you’ve been treading very thin ice for a good few years now and the cracks have turned into huge ruptures.
In terms of what all the fuss is about, the fact that 2013 was declared something of a deadline for getting on board with responsive web design should drill the point home nicely. Does this mean that as of 2015 you’re dead in the water? Of course not – but only because most of your competitors are in exactly the same boat as you – late arrivals to the party.
If you’re wondering why it matters, it all comes down to the way in which more consumers than ever before are using mobile devices exclusively to access the web. And it’s no longer a case of the numbers being totally outweighed by desktop web access – things have tipped entirely in the opposite direction and the mobile masses are winning…big time! Sure, they might be able to access your website at least in a technical sense without you bothering with responsive web design, but chances are they won’t. Or at least, they might pay one visit once and never head back having found your site an absolute nightmare to negotiate from a tiny touch screen.
As for the good news, having your site modified to make it responsive and thus compatible with mobile devices across the board probably won’t cost nearly as much as you expect it to. And even if you find yourself having to part with a smaller four-figure sum, this is way less than you’ll end up losing long-term if you continue to ignore the fact that the future is mobile…period.
You still have every chance to give your business a shot in the arm and to gain an advantage over your rivals – it’s a chance that won’t be hanging around much longer though.
