The numbers are in. The clear majority - 80 percent - of internet users own a smartphone. Of those mobile users, 83 percent say that a smooth experience with different devices is very important (Wolfgang Jaegel) and 57 percent say they won't recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. (CMS Report) Lastly, there are now more mobile internet users than desktop internet users with 75.1 percent of U.S. internet users accessing the internet via a mobile device, according to hostingfacts.com.
LKF Marketing and our web-savvy team have known the trajectory of these statistics for years and consequently have been hard at work seeking a better mobile web experience for our clients. This article will highlight two crucial elements of mobile web design: functionality and accessibility.
One of the biggest mistakes made in responsive web development is that a mobile-formatted site is created, but all useful functionality is eliminated. We work hard to create mobile sites that are every bit as functional as their "bigger brothers and sisters" in the laptop/desktop world.
This is where LKF's design and development teams put their minds together to find innovative and creative solutions so that our clients' mobile web experience is as productive and pleasing as the desktop version.
Functional mobile websites also mean increased speed. Page load times are critical on mobile devices, especially in the case of older technology or poor service coverage. The mobile web needs speed more than ever; speed that LKF helps facilitate with responsive web design.
The second critical aspect is accessibility; it is at the heart of what we do. We love what Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web, said on this topic, "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
More than one billion people have some form of disability worldwide, of whom 285 million suffer from visual impairments, according to the World Health Organization. Of all the important aspects surrounding the topic of accessibility, the screen reader is king. In a nutshell, screen readers allow visually impaired people to access mobile websites reading the text and other content aloud.
LKF learned to appreciate the value of writing and coding websites in a way that meets or exceeds some of the accessibility guidelines in the industry. We understand that everything we do to help a screenreader interact with our sites also impacts the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of the site. We continue to invest in researching new and better ways to make accessibility a key feature of our web projects.
We love what we do here at LKF Marketing. We love helping our clients - more often referred to as family - succeed. Responsive web design is just one of the many ways we push for success. When it comes to responsive web design we build sites that are fast, secure, beautiful, and, most importantly, functional and accessible.
Not sure if your website is responsive? Contact us today to learn how we can retrofit your existing website with a mobile update or build a responsive website from scratch.