Everybody knows (or at least should) that proper and professional web design is crucial to long-term brand success. In a digital world where first impressions are made immediately and users have plenty of alternatives to consider, sending the wrong message through shoddy design isn’t permissible.

While many think about specific aesthetic elements when designing a killer website, all too many continue to forget about the differences in perception based on what device a visitor is using. With the majority of web traffic now originating from mobile devices, you absolutely have to consider how your website renders on mobile screens.

Today, let’s examine exactly why mobile responsive design is no longer optional.

Sheer Visibility

Above all else, brands and blogs alike should be concerned with mobile responsive design due to the effect that it has on visibility. Search engines such as Google and Bing exist to provide users with the most relevant search results possible – and that now includes preferences for format. Websites that are pinging to Google a variety of desktop-only elements and formatting will not render as well on mobile devices, which produces an inferior browsing experience for those visitors. As such, search engines now actively nerf visibility of non-optimized websites in favor of those that provide a quality browsing experience for mobile users.

User Experience

As alluded to above, the user experience on a website can make a huge difference in how it is perceived. Even if people are finding their way to a website that does not utilize mobile responsive design, their level of engagement and overall experience will likely be less in many regards. Whether it’s hard-to-click links, oversized images or difficult checkout experiences, catering to the majority of people who now use mobile devices to browse the internet is crucial for maximum engagement and conversion rates. Everything from convincing visitors to subscribe for future updates to sealing the deal on purchases can be affected by a poor, non-mobile website design.

Consistency

Most brands would agree that a consistent and seamless user experience is ideal for targeting online audiences. Whether you’re worried about maintaining a brand’s look and feel or simply want to control for all potential outcomes throughout the sales funnel, knowing what your audience is seeing and experiencing is crucial. Another great benefit of mobile responsive design is the ability to fully control and design every aspect of web design – and know how it will look on every potential device that visits your website. Ultimately, this level of control helps brands better determine where both aesthetic and practical design elements can be improved and tweaked for better performance.

Competition

Even if search engines weren’t penalizing websites that forgo mobile responsive design, there would still be threats for brands that fail to embrace the future. In any niche, there are many competitors seeking to maximize their performance among one or more audiences; a well-designed website that is easy to use goes a long way toward winning people over to your side. When multiple competitors are all pinging to Google or Bing links in prominent search results, mobile users – which, again, comprise the majority of search traffic – are likely to choose those with the easiest-to-use and most efficient web designs.

Mobile responsive design isn’t something that you should think about doing: it’s something that should already be done. However, it’s never too late to begin optimizing your website for mobile audiences. Whether it’s to counter the competition, a desire for consistency or an improvement in user experience, there are multiple reasons to act immediately.