If you read the title of this post and you’re lost already — that is, you don’t know what a responsive website is, let’s start there.

A responsive website will reformat itself to adjust to whatever device it is being viewed on. So if someone is looking at your website on a desktop or laptop, it will fill the screen of that device. But if they are looking at it on a tablet or a smartphone, the website reformats and adjusts to be ideal for viewing on those smaller devices.

Why is all this important? Well, first of all, unless you’ve been living under a rock you might have noticed how many people have smartphones these days, and how many people have those smartphones with them at all times, and how many of those people seem to have their heads down and being engaging WITH those smartphones at all times. (Oh, and hey, I’m totally guilty of this too, so I am ABSOLUTELY NOT pointing fingers!)

So naturally, it seems plausible that since we’re all helplessly (hopelessly?) addicted to our smartphones, someone out there who might potentially want to hire you (or, hopefully, a LOT of someones out there who might potentially want to hire you) will be looking at your website on their beloved smartphone. (I’m seriously thinking about naming mine. We spend so much time together, it only seems fair.)

And if these people are looking at your website on their smartphones, they want to be able to access everything in a clear, easy manner. Seems commonsensical, right?

But here’s another reason why your website should be responsive: as of April 21, Google’s search engine will prioritize websites that are smartphone/mobile friendly. That means if your site isn’t, you’re automatically getting dropped to the bottom of the search results. And given that most people will only engage with the first few results in any given search, this can be problematic for your business!

The good news is that so many templates out there today ARE responsive, so it’s not as if you have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to go to a developer and have them completely revamp your website for you. You *should* be able to do it yourself. (And most of these template sites offer free tutorials.)

So don’t get dropped to the bottom of search results just because you’re not mobile-friendly. Don’t delay — get responsive today!