Looking to update your website to better cater to mobile shoppers? If so, you essentially have two viable options: either create a separate mobile store or update your website with a responsive design. If you’re having some difficulty deciding which solution is best for you, there’s a clear choice -- one that is easier to implement and avoids potentially creating further problems. Continue reading to learn why a responsive design may be the best choice for you and your business.
Why Double Your Workload?
Creating a separate mobile store means that you’re also creating a new domain name -- and with two domain names comes twice the work. Shifting to a responsive design requires a one-time adjustment to your existing code; a solution that’s guaranteed to work even as new mobile technology hits the market. Ultimately, sticking with one domain name means a lot less work, saving you valuable time and energy.
Stay on Google’s Good Side
Maintaining two separate, yet similar domain names puts you in danger of being flagged as a publisher of duplicate content. Search engine bots may crawl your sites, decide that the content isn’t original and penalize you with lower search rankings. While there are canonical tags that can be added to help prevent this from occurring, such tags aren’t fail proof. And since search engines are constantly crawling pages, you’ll have to remain diligent about checking your website stats, ensuring that the second URL is accurately recognized as a mobile store.
The dilemma of duplicate content is essentially a non-issue with responsive websites. By switching to a responsive design, you’re still using your original site -- you’re simply making key adjustments that allow it to be easily viewed and navigated on any and all mobile devices. A responsive design tends to be less labor intensive, in the short and long-term sense, and more search engine friendly.
Save Money
Every business owner is looking for ways to cut costs without reducing the quality of their goods or services. Choosing a responsive design over a mobile store is a simple and easy way to keep costs down. With a responsive design, you don’t have to worry about purchasing a new domain, paying for the man hours it takes to design a mobile store, or the long-term upkeep of a second site. A responsive design just plain makes sense from a practical and fiscal perspective.
Enjoy Low Maintenance Performance
Did I mention that a responsive design involves a lot less maintenance? A responsive design will appear just as polished and professional as a mobile store, with the added benefit of half the stress and hassle that comes with maintaining two sites. With a responsive design, the same information is relayed to every customer, regardless of the device they may be using, with CSS automatically translating and presenting information in a way that is mobile-friendly.
In the vast majority of cases, using a responsive design is the smartest, most efficient way to move toward a mobile–friendly market. Transition to a responsive design today with one of 3dcart’s 100+ professionally designed, responsive themes and experience the benefits that await you.
Visit our theme store here to get started.