Building a website with a fresh, modern design is a great way to attract attention and grow your business, but if your site doesn't shine on all devices, your investment won’t last very long.

This is why responsive web design is so important.

A responsive design provides you the maximum return on investment by ensuring an optimal browsing experience for any user on any device. Your website’s most critical information is available to all possible users, and you only need to manage one set of content.

Here’s how responsive web design will benefit you:

1. It increases your reach to all users

With more than half of the American adult population on smartphones, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer a trend — it’s a necessity. Responsive design creates an optimal user experience on any device, making it easier for consumers to access your website.

2. It means only one website to manage

Planning for mobile and tablet users used to mean businesses needed copies of their website. Responsive design allows for one site to be displayed in a variety of ways. You only need to update information, add pages, and replace images once without having to worry about re-sizing content for different devices. Your website is built to adapt.

3. It saves you time and money

Before responsive design, developing websites for all devices meant multiple versions and testing each one on every possible device. But what happens when the next big innovation comes along? With responsive web design, you won’t need to worry. Your website will work for every gadget and web browser that meets basic compliance standards, which means development is simple and streamlined.

A responsive design offers the short-term benefit of helping you provide all users with a more positive browsing experience, but the long-term benefit is what makes this approach most appealing. Technology is constantly changing, and the next hot device is always right around the corner. Having a responsive website keeps you prepared for such changes by helping your site dynamically adapt to new gadgets and web technologies.

In the past, people asked, “Why should I use responsive design?” Now, the forward-thinking companies are instead asking, “Why shouldn't I?” With the growth and staying power of mobile, the time is now to take a hard look at your current website and determine whether a responsive approach will serve your company’s best interests — not only today, but for the future.