What is Responsive Web Design?

Responsive web design is the approach that suggests that design and development of websites should respond to the user’s browsing behaviour and preferred tools to access the Internet.  Is the user accessing the site using a tablet or a smartphone? What is the screen size and orientation of the gadget? Responsive web design assures web owners that their sites are compatible with multiple devices.

Responsive web design allows a website to adapt itself to multiple screen sizes, making it look good on a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, and not just the desktop. Websites designed using the responsive web design method feature the following:

• Flexible Orientation
The website automatically shrinks or expands to fit the screen, whether it be tilted horizontally or vertically.

• Flexible Imaging
Website photos and images automatically changes size depending on the screen, platform, or orientation

• Flexible Screen Resolutions
Website resolution remains of high quality in any device – phone, tablet, etc.

Benefits of Responsive Web Design

Mobile users looking for the best restaurant or the most reliable removal company do not care about how pretty a website looks like. Mobile Internet users, all 800 million of them according to ComSource 2012 survey, want direct information on menus, operating hours, prices, and other essential information. Responsive web design offers the following benefits:

• Saves Money
Websites are designed using only one code that will be compatible with any platform, system, and device, thus reducing your design and programming cost.

• Saves Time
Only one design for all devices means you spend a little time with your design team and more on your business. No more flowery front page introductions, lengthy marketing spiels, or boring video presentations.

• Maximises compatibility
Majority of the beautiful websites designed for desktops can become ordinary and unappealing when accessed through a mobile device. With responsive web design, websites look great on any device.

• Improves SEO
Search engines use different algorithms in displaying results from queries done using mobile devices. Responsive web design affords websites the chance to be listed on mobile search engine results

• Better performance
Mobile browsers are people on the go. They want to access information using their devices as quick as possible. Responsive web design presents an optimal experience for all users regardless of whether they’re using a phone, tablet, computer, or other devices.

• Beats competition
A recent study showed that mobile users prefer companies and shops with websites that can be accessed using their gadgets and devices. Customer retention and loyalty also increase for businesses that have mobile websites

• Google recommended
Yes, responsive web design is highly-recommended by Google to webmasters!

Responsive web design makes businesses ready for the future. According to a TechCrunch 2012 Survey, mobile devices will overtake desktop PCs as dominant global internet platform this year and mobile internet users will hit 1.9 billion in 2015. If your site is not ready for the future, you should start to panic by now.

The Future of the Web

Responsive web design is the future of the Internet. It is all about automatically and quickly delivering to your visitors the content they want using the gadgets they prefer. If your website is still not mobile responsive, here are some figures that could make you decide to take that big switch:

• Responsive web design uses CSS3 media queries supported by all mobile browsers – Safari, Opera Mini, Android, Symbian, etc.

• More than 1 billion people around the world now own at least one smartphone.

• According to a Google 2012 Survey, 75% of customers prefer a mobile-friendly website

• The same Google survey showed that 79% of mobile phone owners use their gadgets to visit online shopping sites and 74% actually make a purchase as a result

• Some 61% of customers who visit a mobile-incompatible website are likely to go to a competitor’s site, says the Interactive Advertising Bureau

We hope this article helps to explain a little more about responsive web design and the benefits of responsiveness with mobile devices. Upper Case creates responsive web design and mobile websites for local business owners in Ireland.

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Know your objective – even if an active response is not required, be honest and direct about what you are trying to accomplish. If a reply is desired, pinpoint the exact action you want the reader to take, build your response device first then coordinate other media around it. Keep your wording clear, concise and user friendly. Follow the time-tested formula AIDA:

1. Get ATTENTION
2. Arouse INTEREST
3. Stimulate DESIRE
4. Call for ACTION

Whatever your objective, don’t forget to ask for action, whether it’s simply to fill out and mail a reply card or to consider a new product or service.

Once you’ve determined the desired results of your campaign, take advantage of the many features of direct mail that other media can’t match. Direct mail is a purely physical presentation, utilising a myriad of visual and tactile senses to reach the reader. For example, direct mail is the only method for introducing powerful attention getters in the form of novelties like cut-outs, pop-ups, odd shapes and patterns or actual samples of your product. Direct mail also offers total flexibility in production, with no limitations on space or format, use of colour etc.

The next best thing to personal contact, direct mail is the most effective medium for conducting test marketing or research on your potential customers. When co-ordinated with direct email and/or telesales, direct mail can be a powerful influence on your marketing efforts.

Through the use of action devices like business reply cards, postage-paid envelopes, coupons or surveys, direct mail can stimulate sales, increase your customer base, provide valuable information, generate sales leads and a host of other benefits.

Remember that direct mail advertising is still the only way to pinpoint and individually reach your market. Make the most of its ability to deliver a mass audience message in a way that feels absolutely personal and confidential

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We at Upper Case know, that running a flourishing business requires a lot of decision-making and activities. It is as if you have to play with several marketing strategies at appropriate times to stay ahead in this competitive world. Planning the right strategy and deciding the best time to use it are some of the important decisions. Of all the advertising and marketing strategies, you can never doubt on the efficacy of promotional items.

Such small gifts provide many benefits and successfully take your business to towering and new heights. If you are someone dealing with sales and marketing business, you are very well aware about the importance of brand recognition and brand visibility. Following we present you the five biggest benefits of promotional products:

1. Increases Traffic during Trade Shows

These products are generally more helpful in generating or increasing traffic during trade shows and make target customers flock your stall. By distributing, these gift items you can attract the fancy of people and thus encouraging them to visit your stall. For further increasing your sales and informing people about the products and services offered by your company, you can affix a pamphlet or brochure to the gift item. This will make other people curious and in turn, more people will flock to your stall.

2. Making Impression

Another benefit of handing out these products is the retention of interest. Most of these products are durable and useful items. Gifts like pen, designer boxes, umbrellas, caps etc. imprinted with the name and logo of your company serves your purpose of promoting brand name for a longer time. These imprinted logo and name continually reminds the recipients of how they received the gift item in the first place. This results into the retention of your company’s product and services in the mind of your target customers.

3. Promotes your Company through Corporate Gifts

Whenever your company celebrates an important milestone like achievement of a special objective, acceptance of awards or anniversaries, you can efficiently use the occasion as an opportunity to promote the products and services offered by your organisation through these gift items.

4. Free Samples as Promotional Products

Everybody loves to receive gifts. If you have launched a new product in the market than you can catch the fancy of your potential customers by gifting them free samples of the product so that they experience themselves the goodness and effectiveness of your new product. This is an affordable step providing an effective marketing strategy and thus, you do not have to depend on the services of other manufacturing companies to promote your product.

5. Incentives for Sales Team

Contrary to one of the most popular beliefs, promotional products are for not only clients and customers alone. Giving these gifts to sales team not only encourages them to work harder but also motivates them to generate positive results.

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When it comes to taking care of SEO yourself, there are some basic mistakes a lot of website owners still do – mistakes that can easily be fixed to increase your website traffic. Here is a breakdown of the top ten most common website mistakes – and easy fixes:

View & Download The Top 10 Website Mistakes & Solutions

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View & download it here!

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View & download our guide here!

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