So Why Do I Need a Responsive Site Again?

History of the Modern Smartphone

In the 1990’s and even on into the early 2000’s, most business professionals had a device called a PDA, or Personal Digital Assistant.

These devices were similar to miniature computers, complete with their own operating systems and a small stylus to operate the moderately insensitive touch screens.

Some of the most popular brands involved in the business were Palm, HP, Sony, and Toshiba. Most of these brand names became well known computer brands.

They typically contained smartphone-like software.

Sound familiar?

Soon, for the sake of the business professionals who had PDAs and mobile phones both, device creators began to combine the two, eventually coming up with what is now known as a smartphone.

The most popular device in the United States during the initial smartphone run was the Blackberry.

It, and to a lesser degree it’s competition, was one of the most coveted phones of the time for the business professional. These phones primarily had the native capabilities that PDAs had, but also had calling and text message capabilities.

Blackberrys eventually gained mass popularity in the U.S. beyond the intended audience.

Most Smartphones looked and functioned like these devices. They in no way looked to replace physical desktop and laptop computers, they were their own device, used by millions of people all over the world.

That was soon to change: Apple’s new device, announced on January 9, 2007, changed the smartphone game completely.

Not only was it a smartphone created for mass market consumption, this was the first smartphone with features such as a touch screen, multi touch gestures, and the use of more intuitive features and controls.

The device revolutionized the entire smartphone industry, as well as the market for devices that Apple released within two years of the original iPhone: media players (iPod touch) and tablets (iPad).

After that, everyone began producing phones (as well as media players and tablets) with touch screens instead of buttons. Today, practically every phone has a touch screen, and every company has tried (with varying success) to create something to compete with the iPhone.

Google, Apple’s biggest competitor, was quick to revolutionize their Android OS, as was Microsoft to revamp their Windows Mobile into Windows Phone.

What Do Smartphones Have to Do with My Website?

If you look around, you’ll see that essentially everyone has a smartphone. In 2014, internet users on mobile exceeded internet users on desktop (or laptop) computers, and those numbers have yet to go back down.

Ever wondered why it’s SO important to not only have a website, but a mobile website?

That’s your answer.

When you’re on the go and you need to find any type of business (a restaurant/salon/gym/web development agency), you go to your mobile browser and type in “*insert business type here* near me” to find what you need.

If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, usually responsive at this point, your website will be further down in the search results, sometimes not even on the first page at all. As you all know, NO ONE goes further than the first page of Google search results.

Unless your users are looking for you specifically on their smartphones, they won’t find you easily in their Google search. You might show up on other sites such as Yelp or Google My Business, but that’s not guaranteed.

Moral of the story?

Make sure your site is optimized for mobile. The business will be worth it.