Whether it be reality or virtually, pros and cons has been present. With this in mind, part II of TNO’s blog series goes into the advantage and disadvantages of having a web responsive design. 2013 saw the rise of the tablet pc, android, and smartphone market. This resulted into an increase in demand for websites to have a responsive web design. Meaning a website should follow the idea of “one size fits all,” or in this case screen sizes. But what does it offer to site owners? Let’s take a look.
The Good Side RWD
1. Easy Tracking. RWD makes the task of tracing the site traffic easy; especially with the site connected to a Google Analytics account. Analytics is able to dissect the traffic information it received from different browsers and mobile devices.
2. Cost Effective & Low Maintenance. Using a flexible code, the need to have a different content is not needed with RWD. The Cascading Style Sheet (CCS) Code enables for the site content to adjust to the screen size accordingly. Effectively lowering the expenses since building a new site is unnecessary. It also doesn’t require checking two different websites.
3. Future Ready. There is no need to worry about new devices that are likely to be introduced in the market. The site can adapt to the device’s screen.
4. Better User Experience. Users are able to experience a consistent look and feel on the site whether they are browsing the site on a tablet, desktop, android, and smartphone.
5. Good SEO. Having a duplicate content is not a problem with a responsive design since your url is okay for all kind of gadgets. It prevents the site from receiving penalties from Google such as the ever lovable Panda. This web design has a great online marketing gift to companies, small businesses, and organizations that is brand reliability. It gives consumers the assurance that what they’ve visited is of high quality, dependable, and trustworthy. But just like any technological advancement, there is a downside to it.
The Bad Side of RW
1. Design. The graphic designer has to design several layouts through the use of wire frames.
2. Development. Converting an existing site into a responsive one is harder compared to creating one.
3. Implementation. The RWD practice is relatively new so there are problems that developers and designers are still unfamiliar with.
4. Resources. There are little available resources and support that can provide answers to problems that may arise with RWD since it’s still in the process of having a solid foundation of knowledge.
5. Loading Time. This is the downside of a mobile responsive site. The site takes a longer time to load due the html/ccs codes that needs to be downloaded. With all of these disadvantages in mind, one could simply say that making sure that a site is responsive is time consuming. A lot of working hours is needed in assuring that the site is working.
A lot of tests and monitoring on different platforms are done to see if the site looks exactly the way users should see. It may be time consuming but the benefits to both party, the consumers and the company or brand or organization is great. But what do you think about it? Are the advantages outweighs the disadvantages?
Web Responsiveness is time consuming but it has a lot to offer to site owners and its site visitors if done properly.
To interested parties, who want to know more about web responsive design, The Northern Office-Innovative Marketing can be contacted at +63 45 499 1082 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..