Responsive design is a term used to describe website development that maximizes the user experience and provides an optimal viewing experience across all devices—including mobile phones, tablets, and both laptop and desktop computers.

Websites that utilize responsive design adapt the layout to the viewing environment. What once was socially acceptable because it was a cool technological marvel—allowing customers to pinch and zoom on their devices to see things on your website—has become of faux pas and a major drag on the finger muscles.

In fact, Google has started to boost the ratings of sites that are mobile friendly if the search was made from a mobile device. This effectively penalizes those sites that are not responsive (you can test the mobile-friendliness of your site here).

The key takeaway here: Responsive design is not just a fad, it’s a fact.

If you haven’t already, consider updating your site to use responsive design. And if you’re looking into responsive design, it’s possible your site hasn’t been updated in a while and could benefit from a structural overhaul. This isn’t a bad thing… it can actually work to your advantage.

Not only will this give you an opportunity to revisit and justify any relevant content on your website, it will also help you streamline your site for your customers and provide them with a better experience—inevitably building stronger relationships with them.

Remember, people love for things to be easy. They want your website to give them what they need. Make them look too hard for it and they’ll be off to the next site.