Viewing websites for various types of content or needs is a common thing, but not everyone uses the same device. If you have a website, you can’t restrict it to one device audience. People may use big desktop monitors or smart watches to browse Google. Every device has different screen sizes, which gives a different visual experience to the viewer. The screen offers a different view on a tablet or a smartphone.
Website owners strive to give the best user experience to their audience. One such effort is making the websites responsive on almost all devices. This is possible with responsive WordPress themes. One such theme adjusts everything from layout to text and images to menus to fit the screen. Websites with proper focus on responsiveness save viewers from unnecessary struggling to read or navigate your site. The viewers don’t need to pinch or zoom to things to get a better visual understanding.
Not every theme is best; finding the right one needs learning the truth behind what makes WordPress themes responsive across all devices and how you can test that. So, keep reading.
Why Responsiveness Should Be a Priority
A mobile phone is a more accessible device, which is why a major population prefers it to browse the internet.
“Mobile devices make up over 61% of global website traffic.”
That’s what Statista stats shared with us.
These figures are alarming for every person who uses general themes and Website designs that only look good on laptops. If your website is not mobile responsive, you’re risking more than half your audience clicking away.
Mobile-responsive websites also load faster on mobile and perform better in search engines like Google. If you want, click here for WordPress themes that are responsive and well-coded.
A non-responsive site is good to use on a desktop, but isn’t suitable for mobile or tablet use. The viewers find difficulty in reading too small text or tapping buttons properly. Images also break the layout of the website on small screens.
Things That Make a WordPress Theme Responsive
A Responsive WordPress theme follows a few key principles that help it adjust across devices. It is important for commoners to know the basics before choosing or testing a theme. The responsive themes typically include:
- flexible layout structure which offers adjustable widths to fit every screen size.
- Allow images to shrink or grow depending on the space available.
- Offers adjustable fonts, which means text size is easily changeable to stay readable on small screens.
- Responsive themes provide mobile-ready navigation. They make menus turn into dropdowns or hamburger icons that work well with touch.
How to Know If a Theme Is Responsive
If you see responsive features in the theme, don’t believe it without testing. You have to check if it performs well in the real world. Some themes break when loaded on tablets. Others might work okay on phones, but load too slowly. You can test by
Resizing your browser window
You can shrink the window slowly after opening your site on a desktop. Check
- Do images resize?
- Does the menu turn into a mobile-style version?
- Does the content remain readable?
Using built-in browser tools
Mobile phones have different screen sizes based on their models and brands. It’s not possible to check the responsiveness of a website on all smartphones. It’s better to use built-in browser tools like Chrome or Firefox, which offer a feature that allows you to view your site in mobile screen sizes. Right-click on the screen after opening your website and choose “Inspect”. Go to device mode and try different phones and tablets from the list.
Trying online tools
You can also use free tools like Am I Responsive and Responsinator to check the responsiveness of your website. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test gets your site’s URL and helps you to check how it behaves across various devices.
What to Do if Your Theme Isn’t Responsive
You can change the theme anytime, but with caution if your one isn’t working well on mobile. Starting from scratch isn’t the solution, but there are two other options:
- Immediately switch to a responsive theme. The modern themes clearly support responsive design, but testing is necessary before selecting one.
- You can also fix any small issues in your theme and website. Simple tweaks in the WordPress customizer or by adding some CSS help you with this.
A pro tip from my side is to consistently test the theme after adding your own content. Theme demos often look perfect, but they may hide layout issues. Sometimes the creators use images and content in such a way that looks responsive, but when you add yours, everything gets out of focus. So, always try the theme with real content and images. Also, check the menu part.
Conclusion
A responsive WordPress theme makes your website accessible to your biggest audience and offers them the best user experience. You can make sure your site works for everyone with a good responsive WordPress theme and simple checks.