Responsive web design(RWD) is going to change the design world on its head in the coming years. Websites moved from fluid layouts to fixed layouts the past decade. And now we are moving back to fluid layouts, and how!!
We were planning to do an “m.websitename” last month, and I started reading up on Google guidelines. That is when I came across this page, http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.in/2012/06/recommendations-for-building-smartphone.html. Google gives three options, the most recommended one is where you render the same webpage regardless of the device, modify just the CSS to render it correctly on different screen resolutions. The second option is where the webpage is the same, but the HTML is modified to suit the resolution of the device. The third and the least preferred option is “m.websitename”.
The reasons are pretty obvious
- deciding which pages to publish on different versions
- getting Google to rank the mobile version on mobile devices
- maintaining 2 different websites instead of 1
- web analytics for 2 websites instead of 1
Now that the benefits are clear, we are embarking on a mission to make our website, www.outsource2india.com responsive. We decided to outsource the code part, and started searching for vendors and for good websites that have already implemented responsive web design. My personal favourite is www.bostonglobe.com. Open the website and try reducing the screen size by dragging the edges. It works like music, very smooth, very seamless.
See the 20 best responsive designs here.
We are in the process of identifying vendors and designs. See our designs soon on http://www.outsource2india.com.
Love for Gardening 