Are you reading this article on your smartphone? If you are, it wouldn’t be surprising — considering in 2019 alone, there were 3.9 billion unique mobile internet users.
That’s why, in July 2019, Google rolled out mobile-first indexing — forcing website owners to consider the responsiveness of their sites.
So, is your website responsive? On this page, we’ll go over your extensive responsive design checklist to ensure that you provide the best possible website experience to all users — no matter what device they use.
We’ll even cover some tools that you can use to determine the responsiveness of your site.
If you’d like to stay up to date with the latest design trends and tips just like the ones on this page, subscribe to Revenue Weekly emails!
What is responsive design?
Before we can jump into our responsive web design checklist, it’s important to talk about responsive design.
Responsive design, or mobile-friendly design, ensures that visitors to your site have a fantastic experience, no matter what device they use.
That means whether they use a desktop computer, a smartphone, or a tablet, your site will look and act the same way.
If you visit a site on your smartphone and it has the following characteristics, it’s probably not responsive:
Text is so small, it’s almost illegible
If you try to fill out a form, it stays small, and you must zoom in to fill it out
It’s difficult to click on navigation bar elements
Photos appear out of alignment
You can scroll left to right on a page
As you can see in the example below, you must scroll from left to right on your smartphone screen to see the entire home page of this salon’s site. That said, this site would be considered unresponsive.
On the other hand, if you visit a site on your smartphone that has the following characteristics, it’s likely responsive:
Text sections fill the page
Design modules are aligned and easy to digest
You don’t have to zoom in to read the menu
Navigation bars typically take the form of a hamburger menu until expanded
Forms expand to fill the page, making it easier to fill out on small screens
In the example below, you can see that Swiss Miss hot chocolate has a responsive site. When you switch from looking at the URL on your desktop computer to your smartphone, the website still offers the same great experience.
Now that we’ve gone over the difference between responsive and unresponsive sites, it’s time to dive right into our responsive design checklist!
Your complete responsive design checklist
If you don’t want your customers (and Google) to write you off as an authority in your industry, it’s important to have a professional, responsive site. Here’s how:
Responsive checklist item 1: Test your current website
If you’re not sure if your current website is responsive, you’ll want to test it to find out. You can use a variety of responsive design test tools including:
These tools will provide insight into how your website looks on different devices. Remember, if your site isn’t responsive, it won’t look the same as your desktop version on smaller devices.
When you test your current website on a variety of responsive design test tools, you’ll also want to test them on a variety of devices. Many responsive web design test tools allow you to see what your site will look like to users on different devices.
For example, using Google’s Resizer tool, you can toggle between phone and tablet versions of your website to see what they look like to users.
Responsive checklist item 2: Determine which elements aren’t responsive and fix them
After using the responsive web design test tools mentioned above, you’ll have a good idea of which site elements are responsive and which are not. For example, your entire site might look great on mobile, except for your images.
After taking note of responsive and non-responsive elements, you can start digging into how to fix them.
Some site items to check for responsiveness include:
Navigation bar
Images
Fonts
Forms
Buttons
These are some of the most important web design elements that are extremely important to great user experience.
Responsive checklist item 3: Test site speed on different devices
Page speed is a crucial part of providing a fantastic user experience for users. Your site should load quickly on all devices or you run the risk of users bouncing from your site — which is why site speed is item three on our checklist for responsive design.
Eighty-three percent of users expect a site to load in just three seconds or less, so regardless of what device they use, you should make sure that your site loads quickly.
Your site could load slowly for several reasons including:
When users look at your website on different devices, they could be using different items to tap on your site elements. For example, with smartphones, users are likely tapping site elements with their fingers, but when it comes to tablets, they could be using a stylus.
You’ll want to consider your site elements regarding those different options to ensure that it provides a great experience for whatever “tapping device” a site visitor uses.
You should consider things like:
Are buttons big enough for a stylus on tablets?
Are buttons big enough for fingertips on smartphones?
Are navigation bar hamburger menus easy to tap on any device?
Are forms easy to fill out with finger taps or styluses?
Responsive checklist item 5: Test your navigation
As we mentioned before, on most mobile-responsive web designs, you’ll find the navigation to be a hamburger menu rather than spanning along the top of the page. This keeps users from having to zoom in on your navigation bar to see the options.
Below, you can see an example of Dunkin’ Donuts responsive website, and how their navigation menu takes the form of a hamburger menu that expands when users click.
You’ll want to ensure that your navigation menu works properly on all devices and that nothing gets cut off when users open it.
Your navigation menu is an extremely important part of your site since it provides a roadmap for users to find exactly what they want. Without one that works properly, users could bounce from your site.
Responsive checklist item 5: Make popups responsive
The fifth item on our mobile-friendly design checklist is to make your pop-ups responsive, too.
Popups are typically triggered by a specific action. For example, you might visit a site that shows you a popup whenever you try to leave the site to encourage you to stick around. Other actions that might trigger a popup include:
Making it to the bottom of a page
Clicking on a specific link
Staying on the homepage for a certain amount of time
These popups could provide a special offer or encourage users to sign up for a newsletter.
In the example below, Bones Coffee provides a popup to users that make it to the bottom of their homepage. It’s a special offer for 10% off your first purchase if you enter an email address.
However, if you look at the popup from the perspective of a smartphone, the iPhone 6, 7, or 8, to be exact, you can see that the popup isn’t responsive, and makes it difficult for users to sign up.
It’s equally as important to keep popup responsiveness in mind since they provide enormous benefits for your business.
Responsive checklist item 6: Make sure your site is visually appealing across all devices
Number six on our checklist for responsive design is making sure that your site is visually appealing on all devices.
When you design a site specifically for desktop, it can be difficult to make your site elements look right on other devices like smartphones and tablets.
Even if you make all your site elements responsive, it’s still crucial to make sure every element of your site looks great on every device.
You’ll want to make sure that:
Images don’t take up the whole screen
Menus aren’t cut off
Bulleted lists are formatted correctly
Tables look neat and organized
Service lists render properly
Product images and descriptions are formatted properly
Forms are aesthetically pleasing and effective
Shopping carts are organized and easy to use
Since it only takes users 50 milliseconds to form an opinion of your website, making sure that it’s aesthetically pleasing across all devices is crucial.
Responsive checklist item 7: Make yourself the site visitor
Now that you’ve followed every step on our responsive web design checklist, it’s time to audit your efforts by making yourself the site visitor.
Take a few laps around your site to make sure that you didn’t miss any responsive design elements. For example, you’ll want to:
Test every step of submitting a form
Test every step of purchasing a product
Test navigation bar links
Test different areas of your site like your blog and your product pages
Putting yourself in the driver’s seat and taking a few spins around your website will ensure that nothing fell through the cracks of your responsive web design checklist.
Finish off your mobile-friendly design checklist by working with WebFX
Making your site entirely responsive to users is a crucial part of your online presence and your company’s success online. With mobile users increasing every day, you can’t afford to have a website that doesn’t respond to every device.
If you find that you still need help creating a responsive website, even after following our responsive web design checklist, WebFX is here to help.
We’re a full-service digital marketing agency that offers more than 60 marketing strategies to clients in a variety of industries and locations.
We’ve created more than 1000 responsive websites in our more than ten years of business that help companies just like yours see more site traffic, increase leads, and maximize revenue.
If you’re ready to get started, contact us online for a free quote, or give us a call at 888-601-5359!
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a five-part blog series on refactoring and modernizing PHP applications. We’ve all heard the expression from the children’s story: “slow and steady wins the race.” But what does this have to do with refactoring? And how can this help us to modernize our applications? First, a little background: […]
Your website is your online storefront, whether you operate online, offline, or both, which is why it makes sense to invest in professional web design. How much does it cost to build a website for a small business, though?
On average, small businesses will spend $2000 to $10,000 to build a site. The cost to create a website for your small business will depend on your site’s features. Websites with more features or custom-built components generally cost more due to their complexity.
Are you ready to learn more about small business website costs? Keep reading and learn:
What factors determine your web design costs
Whether to use a website builder or a top web design agency
How much to set aside for website maintenance costs
If you’re looking for a fast (and accurate estimate) for creating a site for your small business, use our free website cost calculator. You can also check out our 30-day web design services, which give your company a brand-new, custom site in 30 days!
What is the average cost to create a website for a small business?
The average cost to create a website for a small business is $2000 to $10,000. This average includes purchasing your domain name and website hosting plan, as well as designing and building your site. How much your business pays to create your website will depend on its size, features, and complexity.
7 factors influencing your small business’s web design costs
Sure, you know the average cost to create a website for a small business, but what makes up that number? When it comes to small business web design costs, you have several cost factors — and many are essential.
For example, your website design costs will almost always include these seven factors:
Small Business Web Design Cost
Cost
Domain name
$0.95-$12 / domain
Website hosting
$24-$120 / year
SSL certificate
$0-$1500 / year
Design
$2000 to $15,000
Pages
$1000 to $5000
Functionality
$2000 to $25,000
Content management system (CMS)
$2000 to $25,000
1. Domain name ($0.95 – $12 / domain)
Your domain name is like your online street address. For example, Apple resides at apple.com — apple.com is the tech giant’s domain name. Generally, you’ll purchase a domain name identical to your company name, like Apple did.
A domain name will generally cost $0.95 to $12 per domain name.
You can browse and purchase domain names from companies like GoDaddy, HostGator, and Dreamhost. If your domain name isn’t for sale, you may have to choose an alternative option. While you can approach the existing owner of a domain name, this option will generally cost more.
2. Website hosting ($24 – $120 / year)
If your domain name is like your online address, website hosting is like your online power company. You need a website hosting plan if you want to turn on your storefront’s lights in the digital world. That’s because web hosting companies power your site and make it available on the Internet.
Website hosting prices range from $24 to $24,000 per year. As a small business, you’ll generally see lower web hosting costs. Most small websites, for example, use shared hosting, which costs around $24 to $120 per year.
With shared hosting, your company will “share” a server with several other websites. That’s why shared hosting costs less. Shared hosting does come with more limited server resources, but it’ll often work well for small sites because they require fewer resources.
If you find you need more server resources, like due to a slow site, you can always upgrade your plan.
3. SSL certificate ($0 – $1500 / year)
A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate protects your website and its visitors’ data.
While optional, most businesses consider an SSL certificate essential. It serves as a trust signal, which can motivate users to complete your contact form or purchase your product. SSL certificates also protect customer data from hackers, which protects your business and brand.
In some cases, your company can receive an SSL certificate for free.
Your web hosting company, for instance, may include an SSL certificate with your subscription. Depending on your needs, however, you may opt to purchase an SSL certificate, which can cost up to $1500 per year to secure your site.
4. Design ($2000 – $15,000)
When it comes to small business web design costs, design is a cost factor that varies widely. Your company may prefer a no-fuss look while another may want a high-end layout that requires more designer time.
In addition, you’ll likely need multiple designs or templates, like for the following pages:
Homepage
Product or service page
Contact page
That’s why website design costs can range from $2000 to $15,000.
In most cases, small businesses will not reach $15,000 in design costs.
When meeting with web design agencies, ask about their design costs. Request examples, for instance, of what a high-end design looks like and what a basic design looks like so you can build a realistic budget for your business.
5. Number of pages ($1000 – $5000)
Websites range in size.
While an ecommerce store may feature over 100 pages, a service-based company may have less than 10. From a web design and development perspective, it takes time to design and build those pages, even if the pages use some of the same layouts.
For example, an ecommerce store may have 50 product pages. Those product pages use the same design template. The design and development team, however, needs to upload images, videos, and copy to those pages, as well as test the pages.
These tasks take time, which is why websites with more pages cost more.
Page costs can range from $1000 to $5000 for sites with 1 to 50 pages, which is the average page number for small business websites.
Generally, web design agencies will price pages in tiers, like 1 to 10 pages or 10 to 20 pages. If your business required 8 pages, for example, you would fall into the 1- to 10-page category and pay that tier’s rate.
6. Functionality ($2000 – $25,000)
When it comes to web design, functionality encompasses a range of features, with most focusing on ecommerce capabilities. If your company wants to accept online payments or orders, plan for functionality expenses in your small business’s web design costs.
Even if you provide services, like landscaping, plumbing, or home maintenance, it’s worthwhile to offer online payments. For many shoppers, online payments deliver convenience. If your business’s site accepts online payments, it can serve as a unique selling point and help you earn more clients.
Web design costs for functionality features range from $2000 to $25,000.
As a smaller business, your functionality costs will likely range towards the lower end versus the higher end. That’s because smaller websites don’t require the robust payment systems that large sites like Amazon do.
For reference, a CMS is a type of software that lets your business create, manage, and update website content without coding knowledge. For many users, it’s similar to working in a word processing program like Microsoft Word.
With a CMS, your company can edit and update your website with ease. For example, if you want to change service or product pricing, you could easily log into your CMS and make the change, without contacting your developer.
On average, a CMS costs $2000 to $25,000.
In most cases, how much you invest in a CMS will depend on your preferred CMS and the amount of customization. If your design and development team spends more time customizing your CMS, it makes sense that your CMS will cost more.
How much does DIY web design versus professional web design cost?
The cost to create a website for a small business depends heavily on whether your company builds your site in-house or with the expertise of a professional web design agency. Typically, do-it-yourself web design with a website builder costs $0 to $300, while professional web design costs $2000 to $10,000.
A website builder can seem like a cost-effective option, but there are some downsides, including:
You must do all the work, which can delay your site’s launch significantly
You must learn how to maintain your site and troubleshoot issues
You must settle for a cookie-cutter website
While you may pay up to $300 to create your site with a website builder, you’re also paying with your time. It’ll take time for you to learn how to use the website builder, as well as read up on critical factors, like basic web design rules and best practices for SEO, which helps people find your site.
The question you must ask is, “Do I have the time?”
If not, think about investing in professional web design services. An expert team of web designers can help your business create a beautiful and functional site that helps your company attract new customers. Over time, your investment in web design services will pay for itself.
Beyond small business web design: 6 recurring website maintenance costs
Besides calculating your small business’s website design costs, you also need to plan for website maintenance costs. While routine expenses, you can look at these recurring charges as an investment into your site’s performance and security.
Six website maintenance costs to expect include:
Domain
SSL certificate
Website hosting
Ecommerce functionality
CMS
Website maintenance
Check out the table below to learn more about these costs:
Factor
Cost
Why
Domain name
$2 to $20 / year
Renew your domain name purchase every year. If you don’t, someone else can purchase your domain name.
SSL certificate
$2 to $20 / year
Renew your SSL certificate each year to keep your website secure.
Website hosting
$24 to $120 / year
Keep your website live by paying for monthly or yearly website hosting.
Ecommerce functionality
$180 to $300 / year
Maintain your ecommerce system through routine updates, including for security.
CMS
$0 to $40,000 / year
Keep your CMS updated with the latest patches, as well as online if using a subscription-based CMS.
Website maintenance
$200 to $1250 / year
Maximize your site’s performance with regular performance and security updates, as well as any miscellaneous fixes.
Calculate your small business’s website design costs instantly!
Small business website costs depend on a range of factors, from design preferences to must-have features. That’s why web design calculators are so useful. They provide you with a price estimate based on your specific needs.
Got more questions about professional web design costs for a small business? Connect with a seasoned WebFX strategist and ask away. Give us a ring at 888-601-5359 or contact us online to learn more about using web design services to build your dream website!
Another free service has been added to the
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your own domain name
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I'm not the one who philosophizes often in public, but indulge me this thought on the types of work we do as programmers and feel free to add your own dimensions.
I've thought about how sometimes I like to work on user-facing products and sometimes on developer-facing ones. Real products that my mom can see vs libraries and tools to empower other programmers. Spend too much time on a general user-facing website and (if you're lucky that it does well) inevitably the stakes get higher, the product starts moving slower, you spend more time in meetings, more product-manager type of folk show up and less you have a say in the direction. The romance starts to disappear and I decide - let me build something of my own where I can move fast and make decisions quickly. Then, if I spend too much time building libraries and tools, the more it feels like programming for the sake of programming, not for solving real-world problems. As Vonnegut puts it when talking about writers who have only studied literature "Literature should not disappear up its own asshole, so to speak." s/literature/programming/
And so the pendulum swings in the other direction.
I was thinking about this recently and it occurred to me that, when talking about the type of work that makes me happy, general-public vs developer-public is not the only dimension where the pendulum swings and balance can be sought. I came up with a few more.
And another overall trend of risk-taking vs comfort zone can be spotted in the dimensions. Of course, all of this is approximate and I'm sure you can think of your own dimensions. But indulge me.
Another dimension I find myself swinging back and forth is productizing the code you're hacking on. Is it a prototype that you can iterate quickly? Or something in production that needs to be performant and stable and scalable and bug-free and analytics-ladden. Prototyping is fun. But spending all the time prototyping and never seeing anything bear fruit can become boring soon. Productizing can be a "death march" but can also be a challenge worthy of the quest.
And how about using the skills you already have mastered vs learning new things. Being comfortable and fast and productive and on top of your game is exciting. But venturing into unknown territory is rewarding too. A version of this dimension is also being a specialist in a certain part of a stack or technology (say JavaScript) vs being a more general jack-of-all-trades, full-stack kind of person.
Then speaking of career and development do you want to focus more on your company's particular tech, processes and ways of doing things and grow there? After all, at a certain level you need to be deep in your company's machinery to grow, promotion-wise. Or would you rather be involved with the larger industry out there, do something open-source, get involved in web standards, blog, etc and grow your career jumping from between companies a little quicker?
So what?
Is there a perfect balance of dimensions that make you happy? (Maybe.) Should you be chasing this balance? (Hmm...) Is it a static balance? (Unlikely.)
Anyway, I'll stop here, just wanted to share something to think about next time you need to think about moves worthy of thinking about
Oh, and what other dimensions do you see for yourself?
