If youΓÇÖve ignored previous warnings and your business isnΓÇÖt taking advantage of responsive web design right now or planning on it in the very near future, you are in danger of going out of business in 2014. There are three exceptions to the rule; 1) you donΓÇÖt depend on your website to stay in business, 2) you have no competitors, or 3) you are familiar with responsive design, youΓÇÖve already verified itΓÇÖs not the right fit for you, as Linkedin has, and you have an alternative mobile strategy. If any of these three apply to you, then youΓÇÖre ok, carry on. But if your company depends on its website enough that losing the business it brings to you would be a serious blow, getting a responsive website before the end of the year should be your #1 online marketing goal.

If the term ΓÇ£responsive web designΓÇ¥ is new to you, donΓÇÖt feel bad, I promise youΓÇÖre with the majority. In about 20 seconds youΓÇÖll know what it is and be able to look smart by talking about responsive design at dinner parties. Responsive web design is simply thisΓÇôa website design that adjusts gracefully to fit on desktop, tablet, and smartphone browsers. Ever pull up a website on your smartphone and it was just a very tiny version of what you would see on your desktop, so you zoomed way in, and then moved the website around and enlarged and shrunk it as needed to read text and click on things? That was not a responsive website. Or if it was, it left out the key point of adjusting ΓÇ£gracefully.ΓÇ¥ A responsive website looks good no matter whether youΓÇÖre looking at it on a phone, tablet, or desktop.

If you read Peter CashmoreΓÇÖs piece from almost a year ago proclaiming 2013 to be The Year of Responsive Web Design you might wonder if youΓÇÖre too late. No, youΓÇÖre not, because in all likelihood all your competitors are late to the game as well. 2013 turned out to be the year when those companies and industries that tend to stay somewhere just behind the cutting edge of online marketing and web design got their acts together when it comes to responsive design. Most businesses lag behind the cutting edge by at least a year when it comes to such things. YouΓÇÖve been safe for the time being, but now your competitors are figuring things out. (Via Forbes) more…