Responsive website: what is it?
Have you ever entered a website on your cell phone and had to zoom in to read what was written?
So that means that site had a total of zero responsiveness!
If you think it's normal to have to adjust websites with your fingertips on your cell phone or tablet screen, know that this is not only inappropriate, but also doesn't favor the user experience with your brand.
That said, what is responsiveness? A responsive website is one that automatically adapts to the size of the screen it is being displayed on (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc.).
But is that all? A site that fits the screens? That's it, but it's not just that. This small detail can make a huge difference in your sales strategy.
Let's start with the fact that the technological advances of the last decades have already taken such a large proportion around the world, that it is almost impossible to imagine that a person does not access the Internet all the time using a mobile device, isn't it?
Taking into account that each person accesses the Internet in a different way, it is important that websites are adjustable according to the screen size and not the model of the device that accesses that content. Do you agree? This is why creating a responsive website is so important.
If you still have any doubts about why having a responsive website is so important in your competitive strategy.
Responsive websites in practice: what they are and why they matter
A responsive website automatically adjusts its layout, text and visual elements to the screen size, whether on desktop, mobile or tablet, without forcing users to zoom in or manually resize the page. This adaptation directly improves the browsing experience, as content remains readable and easy to interact with on any device. In a scenario where most internet access happens on mobile, having a responsive website stops being a technical detail and becomes a strategic factor to avoid losing visits, sales opportunities and relevance in comparison to competitors.
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Automatically adapts layout to different screen sizes, no zoom needed.
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Delivers more comfortable and fluid navigation on any device.
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Helps you make better use of traffic coming from mobile devices.
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Contributes to generating more business opportunities and sales.
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Strengthens brand perception throughout the digital journey.
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What you will see in today’s content
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What a responsive website is and why it is so important.
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How intensive mobile use impacts how people access your website.
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Why responsive websites tend to be faster and support better SEO.
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How responsiveness improves user experience and overall usability.
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The relationship between pleasant navigation, time on site and higher sales.
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Why a responsive website must work well in different browsers and resolutions.
Enjoy!
1. Mobile is one of the most used means of communication today
Recent studies show that people spend around 6 hours and 30 minutes online per day on average, combining browsing, social media and streaming. In Brazil, this average daily time online reaches roughly 9 hours and 13 minutes, placing the country among the global leaders in time spent connected — most of it on mobile devices.
This number is especially for mobile devices. Can you imagine that more than half of your potential customers may be accessing your website from a mobile device and not be converting into sales because they have a negative experience?
This reflection becomes even more important when we remember that Brazil is among the countries with the highest internet usage time in the world, and that most of this access happens via smartphones. In other words, if your website doesn’t work well on mobile, you’re probably leaving business opportunities on the table every single day.
If you don't want to lose sales by not using your website intelligently and strategically, the time has come to rethink your website!
2. Responsive sites are faster
Sites designed to be responsive, as a rule, are faster as they must work well on mobile Internet. This makes the site lighter and consequently faster.
This page loading speed is one of Google's ranking factors, as sites that take a long time to load are very likely to close the window and look for other options/solutions.
Today, Google evaluates user experience using a combination of signals, including Core Web Vitals, which measure loading performance, interactivity and visual stability. A responsive site that loads quickly on mobile tends to perform better on these metrics and, as a result, in both SEO and conversions.
To monitor these indicators, you can use free tools such as the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and Chrome Lighthouse. They show, with real-user data, where your site needs improvement to deliver a fast, smooth experience on any device.
3. Easier to share content on social networks
With access to social networks increasing, for any company that aims to strengthen branding as well as invest in inbound marketing, it is essential to have social networks as part of the strategy.
And of course, it's no secret that access to social networks is also mostly done via mobile. From a click on your website to a share on any social network, it's just 3 clicks: copy, paste and share. Easy, isn't it?
If this sharing is done by a digital influencer with a large number of followers, this sharing can generate even more significant results.
You don't want to miss this kind of opportunity for having a slow website that doesn't offer a good experience for your user, do you?
Image: designer reviews the layout of a responsive website to ensure a great experience on different screen sizes.
4. Responsive sites rank better on Google
As mentioned in topic 2, Google prioritizes pages that provide a good experience on mobile devices — not only for mobile searches, but across the whole search experience.
Since the 2015 mobile-friendly update and especially with mobile-first indexing, Google has been using the mobile version of your site as the primary basis to index and rank your content. If your site isn’t responsive or doesn’t work well on smartphones, your organic visibility is likely to drop.
In addition, page experience signals and technical metrics such as Core Web Vitals help Google understand whether users can browse quickly, smoothly and easily. In short: technical SEO, performance and responsive design work together to deliver fast search experiences and better results.
Read too:
- How inbound marketing will help you attract customers
- The 10 Whys of Having a Blog in Your Marketing Strategy
- Blog Posts: the 6 most common mistakes when publishing
5. Responsive websites offer a better user experience
For a lead to convert into a customer, it is necessary that they have a good experience with your company. Be it on social networks, physical spaces or on a website. Every touch point of that consumer's journey matters.
With a website this is no different. Optimized and responsive websites tend to offer a better user experience (on any access channel) and consequently tend to convert more.
A well-optimized and well-structured website is able to guide this lead from the moment he is just considering a purchase, to the moment of the actual purchase. All this is done through studies related to the heat map, texts that connect better and previously tested elements that make a difference in decision making.
A secret: just the fact that the responsive website loads faster and that your customer doesn't have to adjust the screen on their own, already helps the consumer experience a lot.
6. Better usability = increase in sales
Have you ever walked into a store, for example, because you were attracted to the storefront or the type of product the store sold? Have you ever had a situation of entering this store and being faced with an ugly environment, not pleasant to the eyes, maybe even messy and that's why, even though you wanted a product, you gave up on buying it?
So this is a consumer experience. As we have reinforced in each paragraph of this post, your website is the extension of your business, it works like a business card full of information.
The more pleasant, responsive and well-structured your website is, the more time (or less time with greater assertiveness) the consumer tends to spend browsing it and, consequently, the greater the chance of purchase.
7. Accessible for any browser
Today you may prefer Google Chrome, tomorrow Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge — and new browsers may appear in the coming years.
What really matters is that a responsive, well-built website works correctly across all these modern browsers, keeping layout, readability and navigation consistent for users, regardless of device or operating system.
This has an even more interesting point: the responsiveness is targeted at different resolutions and not exactly for different devices. This means that this tailored layout can work on any device. That is, if in the future some new way of accessing the Internet appears, you are probably already prepared for it.
Well, we hope you have understood once and for all how important it is to think about the responsiveness of your website! In fact, a tool that can help you understand even more about this is Hubspot.
If you haven't heard about this tool yet, it's time to find out! To help you, check out this post from our blog: The 10 Whys of Having a Blog in Your Marketing Strategy!.
Frequently asked questions about responsive websites
What is a responsive website?
A responsive website is one that automatically adapts to the screen size where it is displayed, whether on desktop, mobile or tablet. Instead of forcing the user to zoom in or drag the page around to read the content, the layout, text and elements reorganize themselves in a fluid way. This ensures readability, easy navigation and a more comfortable experience on any device, relying on screen resolution rather than on the specific model of the device being used.
Why is having a responsive website so important for a digital strategy?
Having a responsive website is important because a large portion of internet access happens on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. If your website does not work well on those screens, you are probably losing visits, business opportunities and sales every day. Responsiveness also directly impacts user experience and how people perceive your brand. A website that is hard to use tends to drive away potential customers and weaken your competitive strategy in the digital environment.
How does responsiveness affect user experience?
Responsiveness affects user experience by making browsing much simpler and more intuitive. When the website adjusts itself automatically, the visitor does not need to zoom, scroll sideways or “fight” with the layout to find what they need. This reduces friction, increases comfort and supports every touch point in the relationship with your company. A well-optimized site can also guide a lead from the consideration stage all the way to purchase, using structure, copy and tested elements that support decision-making.
How can a responsive website increase sales and conversions?
A responsive website can increase sales and conversions by offering clear, pleasant and objective navigation on any device. The more organized, visually appealing and easy to use the site is, the greater the chance that users will stay, explore your products or services and complete a desired action. It works as a complete business card for your company in the digital world. When usability is good, customers tend to trust more, progress confidently through the journey and, as a result, buy more frequently and assertively.
What is the relationship between a responsive website, loading speed and SEO?
Responsive websites tend to be faster because they must work well on mobile internet, which encourages lighter and more optimized structures. Loading speed is an important factor both for keeping users on the page and for ranking in Google, since slow pages are highly likely to be abandoned. Today, Google considers user experience signals such as Core Web Vitals and prioritizes pages that load quickly, are stable and interactive. With mobile-first indexing, the mobile version of your site is used as the basis for ranking content.
How does responsiveness make access and sharing on social media easier?
Responsiveness makes access and sharing easier because most people use social networks on their phones. If a user clicks a link in social media and lands on a responsive website, they can read the content easily and, in just a few taps, copy and share it in other channels. This becomes even more relevant when the link is promoted by digital influencers or profiles with many followers. A slow, hard-to-use website can waste that potential, while a responsive site makes better use of each visit coming from social networks.
Does a responsive website work in any browser or device?
A well-built responsive website should work correctly in the main modern browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge, keeping layout, readability and navigation consistent. The focus of responsiveness is adapting to different screen resolutions, not to specific device models. This means that a layout designed for various screen sizes tends to perform well across current and future devices. If a new way of accessing the internet appears, a truly responsive site is more likely to already be prepared for that change.
How can I assess and improve the performance of a responsive website?
You can assess and improve the performance of a responsive website by tracking user experience indicators and loading speed. The text highlights free tools such as the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse in Chrome, which provide real data on loading time, interactivity and visual stability. In addition, heatmap studies, element testing and adjustments to copy and layout help you understand how users behave on the page and where navigation can be optimized to increase conversions.
What does HubSpot have to do with my website’s responsiveness?
The content indicates that HubSpot is a tool that can help you better understand the importance of responsiveness and how to manage your website. It is mentioned as an additional resource to deepen your knowledge, with material that presents the platform’s main features. Although the text does not detail each feature, the reference reinforces that, beyond taking care of responsive layout, it is worth using marketing and automation tools that support your digital strategy as a whole, integrating user experience, content and lead and customer relationships.
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