# Responsive design

Responsive design means your website adapts to the screen it is shown on, so it is as easy to read and use on a phone as on a PC.

Source: https://ibenta.no/en/glossary/responsive-design
Publisher: Ibenta (https://ibenta.no)
Updated: 2026-09-27

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A responsive site does not have one version for mobile and another for desktop. It is the same site, rearranging its content according to how wide the screen is. Three columns on a PC become one column on a phone. The menu shrinks to a button, and the images scale down.

## Why it matters to you

The customer who finds you on the bus sees your site on a small screen, with a thumb as the only tool. If they have to zoom and drag to find your phone number, the next result in Google is one tap away. Google also uses the mobile version of your site when it indexes and ranks your content.

Responsive is still not the same as good on mobile. A site can adapt to the screen and still have buttons that are too small, or a contact form that is a nightmare to fill in.

## How to test your own

Take out your phone and open your website on mobile data, not wifi. Do what a customer would do: find the phone number, look at the prices and send an enquiry. If you manage all of it with one thumb and no zooming, you are off to a good start. Note everything that was fiddly, and start with whatever sits at the top of the page.