Navigating the myriad of screens available can be daunting for websites. The solution lies in responsive web design, or RWD.
Through RWD, your website (and its pages) can seamlessly adapt to deliver the best user experience, regardless of whether they’re accessing it from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. However, achieving this requires a website with a responsive design.
But what exactly is responsive web design, and how does it operate?
Continue reading to uncover the details, and explore real-world examples of responsive web designs!
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Responsive web design, also known as RWD, is a contemporary web design approach that ensures websites and pages render (or display) effectively on all devices and screen sizes, automatically adjusting to the screen, whether it’s a desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or even a smart TV!
Responsive web design operates through Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), employing various settings to serve different style properties based on the screen size, orientation, resolution, color capability, and other device characteristics. Examples of CSS properties pertinent to responsive web design include the viewport and media queries.
You can easily determine if a website is responsive by examining it in your web browser. 
Open Google Chrome
Go to your website
Press Ctrl + Shift + I to open Chrome DevTools
Press Ctrl + Shift + M to toggle the device toolbar
View your page from a mobile, tablet, or desktop perspective
In addition, you can use free tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check if your website’s pages are mobile-friendly. While other design approaches, like adaptive design, can achieve mobile-friendliness, responsive web design is the most prevalent due to its advantages.
Responsive web design alleviates the burden on web designers, user interface designers, and web developers from tirelessly creating websites for every single device. It also streamlines the processes for business owners, marketers, and advertisers.
Here are some key benefits:
One site for every device: The website will be optimized for the user’s viewing experience, whether accessed on a 27-inch iMac or an Android phone.
Optimal design for the device: Responsive design ensures that images, fonts, and other HTML elements are appropriately scaled, maximizing the user’s screen size.
No need for redirects: Responsive design eliminates the need for redirects, allowing users to access content quickly without delays.
From a cost perspective, responsive web design is also effective. It’s easier to manage as it involves a single site rather than two, eliminating the need for duplicate changes.
Instead, you can work on and update a single website.
To observe how responsive web design functions, try accessing the internet from your smartphone and browse through the sites listed on mediaqueri.es—a web gallery showcasing responsive web designs.
Next, view the same sites on another internet-enabled device like your laptop or iPad. You can also use Chrome’s DevTools. Notice how the pages adjust their layouts to fit the device you’re using? That’s responsive web design.
Curious to learn more about responsive web design? Check out these useful resources:
The 3 Elements of Responsive Web Design
Why Responsive Web Design Is a Must
6 Tips for Making Your Website Responsive
How Much Does Responsive Web Design and Development Cost?
In need of professional assistance to make your website responsive? WebFX can help. We offer responsive web design and development services, having launched over 1,600 sites.
Discover some of our locations by city:
Jacksonville web design agency
Dallas web design agency
Denver web design agency
Contact us at 888-601-5359 or online to speak with a strategist about custom web design solutions!
