Is your site responsive yet?
If so – good work – you’re on the right track to blogging like a pro.
If not – why not? Are you living in 2011?
If you’re running a blog – it needs to be responsive. Period.
Here’s the difference between how a static site looks on desktop vs. mobile & how a responsive site looks on desktop & mobile.
Responsive Blog on Desktop
Responsive Blog on Mobile
See how all the content is resized to fit the size of the screen? It makes it so easy to read whatever content you decide to post.
Now let’s take a look at a non-responsive or static site.
Static Blog on Desktop
Static Blog on Mobile
See how the content is cut-off on mobile devices? This is what happens when your site ISN’T RESPONSIVE.
Do you see the difference?
If you have a static blog still – your users aren’t going to be experiencing the site like you want them to and you’re doing them a disservice if you still have your site being static.
If that’s you – here’s why you need to make a change.
Why You Should Make Your Blog Responsive
60% of traffic is mobile
Seriously. 60%! If you’re not building a responsive site – then you’re leaving 60% of your users out in the cold & making it VERY difficult for them to read what you’re writing. Imagine you’re a restaurant and you turn away 60% of the people that walk by your shop because you have your sign in Spanish (and they can’t read it). That’s what you’re doing when you’re not making your site mobile responsive.
You don’t have to build multiple sites anymore
A responsive framework + theme make it super easy to do this. Instead of hours of developer work, all making a theme responsive these days takes is a couple of clicks to install it!
I remember a day when I used to work for a small local agency (around 2010). Back then, mobile was starting to become a thing and people needed to prepare for it.
They did this by creating two different websites altogether. The main desktop version would live at yourblogname.com and the mobile version would live at m.blogname.com (or something like that).
Ah – the good ole days.
Actually – NO! Those days sucked! You had to build TWO different websites.
Sometimes – if a client had too much money and wanted to be ahead of the curve – they would make a TABLET specific site! Three whole sites that basically did the same exact thing.
All of that work to do what ONE responsive theme can accomplish in seconds. It’s so simple.
Google rewards responsive blogs
Google recommends you make your site responsive and even uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal! This means that if you’re NOT making your site mobile responsive than google can penalize you and make it harder for people to find you! Avoid all of that headache by getting a responsive theme from the start.
Got it? If you want to blog seriously, you should make your site responsive and make sure that the 60%+ of people who are visiting your site on mobile devices are having a good experience & actually READING the content you’re writing!
The Takeaway
If you’re brand new to blogging – start with a mobile responsive theme right off the bat – you’ll save yourself a lot of time & heartache later trying to eventually make it responsive.
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you’ll want to switch to a responsive theme. Unfortunately, if you want to have this done – you’ll have to hire a developer and this can easily run $500 – $2,000. Your best bet is to start fresh with a new theme that’s responsive from the get-go.
How To Make Your Site Responsive
- Install WordPress (cheap + easy hosting w/ BlueHost)
- Get The Genesis Framework (mobile responsive out of the gate)
- Download a Genesis Child Theme (all of these are good)
- Customize the Theme to your likeing.
- Boom – Your site is responsive!
That’s how and why you should make your site responsive. If you need more help on this, check out our blogging 101 guide.
Happy blogging out there everyone!