Responsive Design vs. Mobile Websites

- May 29, 2015
- Posted by: Nina
- Category: SEO » Best Practices
DO YOU NEED A MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITE?
For those unsure which route to go…
Both mobile sites and responsive design indicate that your website has been optimized to be suitable for small screens; both suggest that your website will load faster and navigate with ease. Nonetheless, there are a few differences, which is why we decided to share the pros and cons of both solutions below.
EXPLORE MOBILE SITES VS. RESPONSIVE DESIGN
RENDERING EXPERIENCE
Mobile Site:
A mobile site is essentially a replica of your website, where the server works to provide an optimized view of your page that is smaller in size and simpler to navigate.
Gives mobile users a unique and customized experience. The optimal choice for those on a budget who may find it too expensive to redesign responsively.
Responsive Design:
By design, responsive websites automatically adjust in correlation to the display size and placement of a device.
A versatile solution that modifies to the screen of any device on-the-fly.
DOMAIN PROTECTION
Mobile Site:
With mobile sites you’re required to create another domain—many companies set themselves apart by opting for “m.domain.com”.
Running this approach can reduce the value of your domain and effect your organic search traffic. You would now need to manage two separate silos of content; your primary website along with the mobile version.
Responsive Design:
Responsive design allows you to support your own domain, and nothing would change aside from having your site code modified on the back-end.
Rightly so, Google considers it the best choice. [read more]
LINK JUICE | PAGE AUTHORITY
Mobile Site:
Since mobile websites need to use separate domains, shared links from mobile browsers won’t score your primary site any search link equity.
Unfortunately, it’s not an effective option for search.
Responsive Design:
The link equity of your company is safe since responsive design generally relies on new code embedded on the back-end of your site.
Most effective for search.
FUTURE-READY
Mobile Site:
A website revamp is often necessary for mobile sites to stay current with present-day mobile browser functionality and next-generation technology.
A greater cost is involved for the continued effort needed to modify, refine, and adjust your website.
Responsive Design:
The minute responsive design is employed into your website, the forward-thinking technology remains receptive to any device without requiring any further programming.
Ultimately, it’s your best return on investment.
RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN IN ACTION!
See it for yourself. First, go to our homepage. Then just gradually reduce or expand the size of your browser window, and watch as the scheme of the website automatically reconfigures to its new size. Pretty neat, right?
So, now that we know the importance of maintaining a website on a single domain, and how valuable it is to build and keep the search link equity (Google’s currency for ranking) — it’s probably a good time for you to upgrade your website to a responsive design.