A few years back, web designers build a website according to a particular screen size. With technological advancements, a boatload of mobile phone and computer versions are available in the market. A single website design cannot run smoothly on all the screen sizes and resolutions in the market.
It means a website design should be compatible with the iPhone, Android, netbook, Kindle, PCs, and laptops. However, it is impracticable to create a website design for every type of screen resolution and size separately.
Here comes a dire need for the website design to be compatible with all versions of mobiles and laptops. If you are running a business and want to make a website, don't forget to make your website compatible with mobile phones. Because a massive amount of website traffic comes from mobile phone users.
According to exploding topics, about 62.06% of users access websites using their mobile phones. Laptops, PCs, and tablets share the remaining percentage. Resultantly, you should build a website that is usable seamlessly on both mobile phones and computers. Here comes the question of how to have such a web design. Responsive website design is the ultimate solution to all your requirements. Let's go through this article to learn what is responsive web design and what is necessary to make a responsive website.
What is responsive web design?
Responsive web design is a user-friendly concept of creating a website that enables you to make a website adjust according to conditions. These websites run seamlessly regardless of the device, screen dimensions, and platform. If you move from the mobile version of the website to the desktop version, the website will change its image sizes and resolutions without lagging.
A lot of knowledgeable programming queries is necessary to make responsive websites. But in this age of innovation, a responsive website design has become substantial for your business. Most users quit the website due to delays in the loading of website content and images. If you want to engage your audience for a long time, provide an enjoyable user experience on all devices. It is only possible by developing a responsive web design.
How to attain a responsive website design?
In a responsive web design, all the web pages reformat themselves according to the situation without requiring the users to change the settings. If you also want such a responsive web layout, you must look for the following features in your website. Here we have listed some considerable aspects of attaining a responsive website.
1. Placement of breakpoints
A breakpoint is an extent to which your website adjusts itself upon shifting from one screen size to another. You need to place the breakpoints very carefully because if you fail to do so, more significant are the chances that your website will flop.
2. Typography
Adaptive typography is mandatory to create your website based on responsive web design. In website building, typography has to do with font size and type, the amount of text in one line, color contrast, etc. Text on your website is the first impression of your web design. Choosing a premium font will make your website appealing to the users.
Although you have the liberty to download several fonts from the internet, it also has a drawback. Using custom fonts on responsive websites is not safe because such fonts may have slow loading. It is better to use Arial, Georgie, and Limelight, which are compatible with almost all browsers.
If you have multiple web pages, ensure consistent fonts on all pages. Consistency will ensure a safe browsing experience for users on different devices. Moreover, font size is also another essential factor. Choose a size that adjusts easily on various screen dimensions. If you are still getting confused about typography, you can look at Strikingly typography guidelines.
Image taken from Strikingly
3. Reduced page loading time
Most users access websites through mobile phones. Page loading time must be very low for mobile phone and tablet audiences because they are very impatient and expect a website page to load within no time. To make your website responsive, you must remove all the plugins from your website, which hampers the fast loading of web pages. Also, reduce the number of redirects and prefer to use optimized images.
4. Choice of media
High-resolution media like images and videos costs you a lot of storage and consumes a lot of time while loading. Try to condense the media on your website to make it responsive for all types of platforms.
5. Creation of enough whitespace
There must be enough room for your website content to breathe. It means you must leave some blank space between different page elements. Adjust your paddings and margins so that enough whitespace is available on your responsive websites. It will help the content and product sections adjust when users shift from desktops to mobile phones. Overcrowding of the screen can put mobile users in a dismal mood. You can provide a comfortable reading experience on smaller screens by making smaller chunks of your website content with enough white space.
6. Easy usability and navigation
The easy accessibility of online stuff makes a website responsive. If you also want your website to be responsive, provide ease of use to your users. Make sure that pricing plans, contact information, products, and links to your social media handles are also available on the mobile versions. Double-check that there are no alignment issues while navigating your website.
Creating responsive websites with Strikingly
Responsive websites have become a must-have to thrive your business. The websites must be accessible on all devices to stand out from the crowd. You can sign in with Strikingly to build a website based on a user-centric responsive concept. Moreover, you don't need to be a tech person or learn to program for this. Go for the following steps to create your future-proof responsive website.
1. Sign in with Strikingly
Take the first step and sign in with Strikingly free of cost. You only need a valid email address and set a password to sign in.
2. Choose a responsive website template
Strikingly is undoubtedly the most user-friendly website builder. You can browse several templates here. The best thing is that all the templates are responsive on different screen sizes. There is no need to do any additional programming to adjust the templates. With a small share of homework, you can build as many responsive websites as you want.
Image taken from Strikingly
3. Compress your media files
Strikingly enables the media to load fast and consistently on different devices. However, the best practice is to compress your media files according to the recommended specifications of Strikingly. Here, we have enlisted suitable sizes for images to create responsive websites.
1. Background images
The size of background images must be 1600x900 px.
2. Full-width images
The width of such images must be at least 1400 px. The height can vary.
3. Half-width images
The width of half-width photos must be 700 px. The height doesn't matter.
4. 1/3 width images
At least 480 px of width is necessary, while height doesn't make a difference.
5. 1/4 width images
Such images must be 360 px wide to create an adaptive effect.
6. Small icons and logos
The width of the small icons or logos must be about 100 px for responsive websites.
7. Gallery images
These gallery images can be of any size.
However, the pixels mentioned in these guidelines are only to give a rough estimation for a wide range of images. However, the dimensions of the pixels discussed above are not exact for every shot.
3. Organize the content
Responsive websites are not only compatible with every device but also provide accessibility to all types of information. For a safe user experience, it is better to arrange products in different sections. You can highlight the essential details by making the text bold or colorful.
Strikingly Responsive web design examples
Here are some new, responsive websites developed using Strikingly. Take a look at these websites for your inspiration. You can learn and extract tips for creating your responsive web design.
1. Namesake Coffee
Image taken from Strikingly user's website
2. Drumpants
Image taken from Strikingly user's website
3. Why did the chicken
Image taken from Strikingly user's website
4. ANNE SIGISMUND
Image taken from Strikingly user's website.
5. Emilio Rios Designs
Image taken from Strikingly user's website
The Bottom Line
This guide about responsive websites covers everything you must know about developing a responsive web design. If you have not created a responsive website, strikingly is the best go-to option to get started. You only need to consider the above-mentioned points for creating a responsive design.
Moreover, you can look at any responsive web design example on Strikingly. You will find it time compatible with all types of browsers and screen dimensions. In addition to the development of a responsive web design, maintenance of a responsive website is also necessary. The 24/7 live support system of Strikingly is available to help you out. Moreover, if you are afraid of programming responsive websites, Strikingly has made way for you to make them responsive automatically. Create a responsive website design and start getting more traffic.
