According to Google, more than 60% of Google searches are now performed on mobile devices. Therefore it should be no surprise that Google are changing the game and officially announced that mobile friendliness is now a ranking factor in the mobile search results as of April 21st 2015. This means if someone searches for your industry with specific keywords associated to your business (set up via your google AdWords account or through reputation), those sites with responsive, mobile friendly design will be ranked higher. Can you afford to start missing out on over 60% of searches?

What are my Options?

The ideal way to achieve mobile friendliness is to build your website with a fully responsive design – JSWeb’s expert team offers new builds that are now built in that way. But what if you have an established site that is not mobile friendly? How do you keep up to date?

You have 3 standard options:

Option 1. Incorporate a readymade template which is cheap to buy.
Option 2. Convert your existing site and design to fully-responsive.
Option 3. Start afresh with a brand new modern design and build.

By “readymade” we mean from places that specialise in creating templates and mass selling them. These can appear to be very cheap at first glance but although the actual installation should be straightforward, there is always a considerable amount of time and effort required in configuration to bring it to the required state of branding – something that is not always made obvious by the vendor of the template!

Option 1:  Somewhere between 15- 20 hours work is normally involved in implementing a template to an existing site, costing between £975-1300

Option 2:  Converting an existing site to responsive is normally around 25 hours (about £1600). If you have a complex custom design or build, then the price is more likely to be in the region of £2600 but we’d need full details of requirements before giving an accurate quote.

Option 3: Starting from £3000 – rebuilding your site from scratch with a modern, responsive design. Take the step forward and get the traffic and business you deserve. Remember, your site is your shopfront! Make sure it isn’t dated!

We realise that all the above options are expensive, but the only way forward is to have a fully responsive design so JSWeb have come up with a fourth option specifically for ZenCart that may be more suitable for your budget and we invite you to have a good look around our responsive demo.

Option 4: We can convert your site to the demo above for a fee of £750 including changing the colour scheme and branding to match your existing site. Please note that apart from the products and images, your site will look and function almost exactly the same as our demo.

If you have custom work that you wish to be migrated over to your responsive design, then either this option is not for you or extra charges would apply. Get in touch and we can advise you on the next steps for your site.

Some sites we’ve completed based on our standard are ….

www.liberro.co.uk
reggae.co.uk
bambinomerino.com
www.portuguesefood.co.uk
www.epsomsalts.co.uk
www.nichelocks.com
americanmodeltrucks.co.uk
jrpassonline.com
www.becksdvds.co.uk (this site chose to retain the “retro” look, but it is RWD)
www.paulwrightjewellery.com

Whilst we don’t necessarily agree with some of those design choices, we’re showing them to illustrate the range of possibilities.

Will It Really Affect Me?

Not having a responsive site these days is a major drawback. We can’t stress it enough! Google now take into account mobile accessibility as a major factor for mobile searches. The rate of increase in mobile browsing and mobile/tablet e-commerce over the past year is astonishing. Sites that do not work well on the billions of phones across the globe are losing out on conversions and ultimately return on investment.

Converting to responsive design is a one time, long term investment. One that really pays off. When you visit a site on your mobile that is not responsive, it is extremely annoying to scroll and zoom to see the pages and information you want, not to mention trying to complete a transaction. You really do lose customers because of the difficulties with the client experience. If your clients appreciate your existing theme and build, then it is only logical to continue with what you have, but making it user-friendly on all devices. The reason converting it takes so long – and therefore costs what it does – is that your current build is based for the most part on fixed dimensions, and everything needs to be altered to use percentages of available space.

We know it’s not easy to hand over so much money, but we can set up a payment plan where you pay a deposit and then pay the rest over a number of invoices. This way it’s accessible to all of our clients regardless of their budget.

Do I REALLY need to change?

We could talk at you all day and quote statistics left, right and centre, but there is a very simple test that you can do – go to your own website on your mobile phone and try to place an order.

To see what your site looks like on a mobile/cell, click here to use Google’s mobile friendly tool.

If you want more information on how to see your site on a range of devices, click here.

Get in touch by submitting a ticket in your client area on the JSWeb website and we’ll be happy to help!

 

How Does Responsive Design Impact WordPress and WooCommerce? 

A responsive website is particularly important for WordPress and WooCommerce websites. These platforms are widely used for building and managing websites and online stores. By ensuring that your WordPress website or WooCommerce store is responsive, you can provide an optimal user experience across various devices.

A responsive design automatically adjusts your website’s layout, images, and content to fit different screen sizes, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This flexibility allows your WordPress or WooCommerce site to be easily navigated and visually appealing, regardless of the device used to access it. With more people browsing and shopping on their mobile devices, having a responsive website built on WordPress or WooCommerce is crucial for engaging and retaining visitors.

In addition, a responsive WordPress or WooCommerce website can positively impact your search engine rankings. Search engines like Google prioritise mobile-friendly websites in their search results. By using a responsive design, you avoid needing separate mobile versions of your site, which can lead to duplicate content issues and dilute your SEO efforts. Consolidating your web presence helps improve your website’s visibility and search engine rankings. Furthermore, delivering a seamless and user-friendly experience on mobile devices can enhance user engagement metrics, such as longer visit durations and lower bounce rates, further improving your WordPress or WooCommerce site’s SEO performance.