There’s no denying the fact mobile devices are quickly becoming a household appliance. Over 50% of people in the U.S. live in constant reach of a smartphone or tablet, and many of them reach to it the moment they need to buy something. Well naturally this creates a demand for web sites that can function on mobile as well as desktop, and that means going above and beyond the bare minimum. Websites that “work” don’t necessarily make the cut when it comes to selling your product, and people have come to expect a certain standard from their browsing experience.

 

 

What’s So Important About It?

Simply saying it’s important to have responsive web design doesn’t explain why. Yes, it is necessary to implement it, but just exactly why is it such an essential concept?

1) First off, and perhaps most apparent, is that bad websites drive visitors away. If you don’t capture someone’s attention in the first few seconds of their visit, they’re going to head straight for the back button. Obviously you can’t showcase your website to someone who can’t see it, meaning you can’t showcase your product. Plain and simple, bad websites lose business.

 

2) While most of us can recognize a bad website, it’s much harder to recognize a good one. One thing is certain, though: good websites look, well, good. Responsive web design does just that, making sites look attractive across all platforms. This goes a long way towards enhancing user experience, and will not only keep visitors on the page for longer, but can bring them back to make purchases again.

 

 

3) With massive amounts of growth in mobile devices sold each year, these users can’t be ignored any longer. Sites need to be designed for both desktop and mobile if companies plan on keeping customers around, and with over 200 unique screen resolutions out there, this can be quite the challenge. Responsiveness allows any and all screen sizes to display a site the way it’s meant to be, meaning everyone using a smartphone or tablet won’t have to worry about scrolling or resizing.

 

4) We’re at the point in time where some companies design their websites for all devices, but there is still a good number that don’t. Users are noticing this, though, and will browse search results until they find a site that looks good on whatever they’re using. This doesn’t just keep sites from bringing in new customers, it will lose them existing ones as well. Keeping a steady flow of income from online campaigns means adapting to what’s around you, and right now that’s responsive web design.

 

We all know how important a good SEO campaign is. It is more than capable of making or breaking your online profile, and can’t be overlooked if you want to find success on your website. The one downside to this, though, is that very few people actually know what “good SEO” means. Yes, we all have the general idea: choose keywords carefully, post content regularly, etc. But the real challenge is finding how to go above and beyond the basics. Enter Google Authorship, the wonderful little tool that can help bump up your traffic by 150%. A painfully simple method of increasing traffic, it is one of the best ways you can get an edge on your competitors.

 

How It Works

Google+ is a big part of this system, if not all of it, and you’ll need an account to use Authorship. Lucky for everyone, this is easy to do, and shouldn’t cause any problems for some of the less tech-savvy people out there. After you have an account, any blog posts you put up while signed in will show your name, photo, Google+ bio, contact info, and anything else you choose to put on your profile right there on the post link.

 

 

The Effects

We’ve all seen the facts behind rich snippets, so there’s no need to go too in depth behind all of that. However, there are some important aspects unique to Google Authorship that will directly impact SEO results.

• When browsing search results, social annotations attract attention better than video snippets. Not only does this mean personal photos are more valuable than videos, it also suggests that a link’s placement on the front page is not as important if the other links don’t have pictures.

 

 

 

• Users look at links with photos for longer. This further supports the idea that someone will be more likely to click on a link establishing a personal connection. As an added note, the longer someone looks at a link, the better the chance that they will read the description, adding to the effectiveness of search snippets.

• Social annotations also allow you to further refine your SEO campaign through carefully selecting what to put in the snippet. A professional photo, bio, etc. will attract professional users. This can give you an added edge on those pesky sites holding down the top spots for your keywords, bringing increased amounts of traffic without actually increasing your rankings.

 

If you’re looking for the next way to bump your SEO to the next level, Google Authorship could very well be the best method out there. Easy to set up and even easier to use, it’s quickly becoming a staple in every great marketing scheme.

 

Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen an ugly website. Okay, I guess you don’t actually have to raise your hand, but I’m sure all of you would have if I could see you. This makes us wonder if there are so many bad websites, why haven’t designers stopped making them? The answer is simple really: they don’t realize they’re bad. If no one ever teaches you how to read, how can you learn? Well, the same goes for web design. Many designers want to show off their knowledge of photoshop by inserting countless styles and typefaces into a website.

 

 

Unfortunately, this leads to a cluttered, distracting appearance. Even more unfortunate is the inability to directly tell the designer what they have done wrong. With so few feedback systems being utilized by websites, designers are left high and dry to fix any mistakes by themselves. That’s why I’ve compiled this article on behalf of every upset website visitor out there. With a little luck, more than one designer will see this, realize their mistake, and begin creating beautifully designed masterpieces. Well, maybe not that far, but you get the point.

 

Simplicity Is Bliss

In the case of web design, simplicity beats out ignorance. You never want to distract visitors with overly colorful graphics or hard to read text. Remember that content is the most important thing on a webpage, not the design. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice, colorful website, but it does mean the colors have to be subtle. Just think of it like presenting a business presentation. You’d never try and get support for a company while wearing a neon green suit with red pinstripes, so why would your website be any different? Short answer: it’s not, and forgetting this can be the death of a site.

 

 

Use Appearance To Support An Idea

Think of design like the trusses on a bridge. Or suspension cables. Really anything that supports the bridge will work fine. The point is that a website should represent a company. If you happen to be designing a site for a law firm, you’re going to want a simple, minimalist design, whereas something like a casino would want a more colorful site to represent the bright lights and late nights so common to them. Remember that you’re trying to make a design for the target market, not you. A site explaining medicare probably shouldn’t have flashing images and bright colors, lest we scare all the old people away. The best designers can base a website around any specific audience and can make it look good, too.