Desktop First Vs Mobile First: Which Web Design is Best?

We all know how crucial a website is for a business. Without a good website, your business cannot be successful or reach your target audience. If you are developing your website or updating it, a common problem you might encounter is deciding the responsive strategy. 

Mostly, people get confused between desktop-first or mobile-first. Of course, you don’t want to make design mistakes as it will take up a lot of money and time. And if you have taken a wrong decision, even the best web design company in New York wouldn’t be able to save you from the consequences that you’ll have to face due to one miscalculated move.

Are you wondering how to make the right decision? In this post, we have talked about both the responsive strategies in detail. 

When You Must Focus on Desktop-First Design 

You Are Working In An Old Industry 

You must focus on desktop-first web design when working in an old industry. There are some industries, quite old actually, in which mobile doesn’t matter a lot like building supplies. 

If you are working in such an industry, there is no point in creating a mobile-first responsive strategy. We are saying that you don’t need a mobile presence. Of course, you do. You just don’t have to focus on mobile-first. 

Your Target Audience is Older

Another circumstance in which you must choose desktop-first is when your target audience is elders. It is no surprise that elders tend to use a desktop instead of mobile devices. 

Thus, it is not just the industry or type of business you are doing rather your audience that helps in deciding which responsive strategy you must choose. 

When It Suits You The Best

A common mistake made by thousands of people is blindly following what they read online or hear from a friend. There are plenty of things to focus on, especially when designing your website. Even a small mistake can cause you hundreds of dollars. 

That is why it is crucial to analyze a technique or design properly and ensure whether it can be applied to you or not. It means you must make sure what will be better for your project, mobile-first or desktop-first. 

When You Should Use Mobile-First Web Design 

Data Supports It

One of the reasons to choose mobile-first web design is the data. Analytics help determines the performance of your website, user metrics, and what content is consumed. Not only this, but it can help provide insights into how the visitors use your website. Thanks to analytics, you can find out what technology the visitors are using for access. 

An important thing to keep in mind is that most of the B2B businesses are desktop prevalent. On the other hand, B2C companies are mobile dominant. 

For instance, the data shows most of the traffic comes from desktop, approximately 80%. And you focus on mobile-first web design. Does it make any sense? Of course, not. So, you must always consider the data. 

Type Of Business

Another factor that will help you decide which web design you must select is the type of your business. As mentioned above, B2C companies have mobile traffic. If the company has a physical location, mobile traffic will increase. It means you will have to focus on a mobile-first strategy. 

For instance, you have a restaurant, retail store, or a healthcare facility. You might have more mobile users. However, this might not be the case with a travel agency targeting retirees. 

So, it is important for you to consider the type of business. 

There Is No Difference In Content 

In case, there is no difference between the contents of mobile-first and desktop-first, you can sit back and relax. The biggest problem when designing for mobile-first is the content. As you all know, mobile consists of less content than a desktop. 

Designers find it easy to remove content instead of add content later on. If the content is similar, then it doesn’t matter whether they work on desktop-first or mobile-first. 

Final Thoughts 

Choosing the right web design can prove to be daunting and challenging. By focusing on the type of business, your target audience, the industry you are working in, the data, and the content, you can decide which responsive strategy is best suited. Keep in mind there is no one right way to do things. A web designer can help you decide the best approach for your project. Also, the performance of your SEO campaigns also depend on the web design. With the help of professional SEO Services, even if the users have visited your landing page, chances of lead generation would be minimum if the design isn’t appealing, responsive or user-friendly.