It has been years since the number of mobile users surpassed those who use desktop computers to browse the Internet. By now, most, if not all websites, probably have responsive web design, which allows them to be viewed optimally on smartphones, tablets, and laptops.


The problem is, that is hardly the case. The year is coming to an end, and more than half of all websites are still a far cry from being responsive.


It’s a head-scratcher, really, why most webmasters don’t jump at the chance of becoming responsive when being one brings a ton of benefits to their SEO. Here are six ways your SEO can benefit from mobile responsive web design.

 

1. More traffic


Mobile users now comprise the majority of Internet users. By catering to the majority with a web design that makes browsing websites easier on their mobile device of choice, your traffic will see an uptick that will eventually lead to an improvement on your SEO score.

 

2. Faster loading time

 

The speed at which the pages on your website load can impact your SEO rankings simply because Google has declared that page loading time is now a ranking factor. Responsive websites load exceptionally fast on mobile devices, and that speed should impress users enough to enjoy their experience browsing your site, something which Google will take notice of and promptly reward with better rankings.

 

3. Better UX

 

Any good thing that comes out of responsive web design, like the optimal display across all mobile devices and the speedier loading time contribute to a much better experience for the user. And since Google has already stated that user experience or UX is now one of the main ranking factors, you can be sure of the rankings windfall your SEO will surely get if you make an effort to improve UX by implementing a responsive mobile design.

 

4. No duplicate content

 

Making your website more mobile-friendly is one thing. Furthering that goal by creating a separate website—with the exact same content—for mobile is another. Doing the latter would be an easy way to get tagged by Google as having duplicate content, and you already know what comes with such a tag. When you opt for responsive design, you won’t have to use a separate URL and risk being flagged for duplicate content. All your content will be on the same domain.

 

5. Lower bounce rate

 

It’s but natural for people to open a website, look around, and leave for another website. What matters most here is the time they spend looking around, because Google monitors the amount of time visitors spend on your site.

 

If visitors exit your site just a few seconds after opening it because it didn’t display well, Google will know and will take it as a sign the user didn’t get anything useful from your page. That will then be reflected in your reduced rankings.

 

To make people stay longer and keep the bounce rate down, implement a responsive design for your website.

 

6. Google’s Mobile-First Index

 

With the Mobile-First Index, Google now uses a website’s mobile version when indexing and ranking sites. That means websites that work well on mobile devices get dibs in the ranking and indexing process. Come to think of it, the implementation of Google’s Mobile-First Index should have spurred webmasters all over to switch to responsive mobile design.

 

 

Then again, it’s only been a couple of years or so when mobile overtook desktop. Responsive design may not yet be the standard today, but with the seemingly unstoppable rise of mobile, it would just be a matter of time before every webmaster decides to catch up with the rest of the world and go responsive.