Mobile Websites VS Responsive Websites

This article is made for those people who are going crazy over the confusion between mobile websites and responsive websites. One would think that these two are precisely the same thing or some would often wonder what is the difference between the two. The difference between the two is not equivalent to rocket science, it is actually rather simple.

The major difference between a mobile site and a responsive site is their URL STRUCTURE.

According to Christian Stack, an Internet Marketing consultant, “A mobile site exists on either a subdomain of your website’s root domain (m.yourdomain.com, for example) or a completely separate URL than your root domain (yourdomainsmobile.com, for example). While a responsive site is your main site and root domain; it’s just built in a way that allows it to respond appropriately when viewed on a mobile device.”

Basically, a mobile site is like a secondary site or a completely separate site while a responsive site is your main site.

• Do not be confuse with one over the other. Using mobile sites might pose a lot of dilemmas because if you have two completely different versions of your site online, it can pose major issues such as risk of duplicate content issues.
• Why is this a risk? Well, if Google will index your site, and if you have two different sites to choose from, Google might get confused on what side should be rightly indexed to its search engines.
• Having a mobile site means you have two versions of your site, it also means that the content could be different from your main site. This can be awful for your search results and traffic. Having two different versions of your site, you will need to update content in both versions if you are making changes to your site. There are potential for mistakes, and the wrong content can be conveyed to your audience.

Sizing is another difference between mobile and responsive sites.

• The reason behind creating these sites is the capability to scan contents on a smaller device, like your mobile phone, tablet, or any other devices. When it comes to mobile sites, it is designed to fit these devices with smaller resolutions.
• If you try to view a mobile site using a desktop, your contents will dwindle and will become unreadable, so it is best to only view it using your mobile devices. In the case of responsive sites, it is designed to fit all existing devices. It can be seen using either your mobile phone or your desktop without affecting the content’s readability.
• Doing such thing can make your visitors stay longer on your website and there is a greater chance that they will click the web elements found on your site such as call-to-action buttons, clickable phone numbers, and live chat.

The Conclusion

With all the reasons stated above, a responsive site provides a better experience for every user. It can prevent possible SEO nightmares because these sites are found and indexed by Google. Within the Web designing industry, there is an effort to promote mobile-first design.