Skip to content
PromotEdge

Home World of Marketing What Is Responsive Web Design And Why

Insights

What Is Responsive Web Design And Why Is It Important

Since 201565+ in-house teamKolkata office, 5 team bases

By , Project manager with Sunanda BasakPublished 17 Sep 2024Updated 21 Oct 20263 min read

Brands we have worked with

  • Sai Angan
  • Rupa Peekaboo
  • Tea Junction
  • Zandu Vigorex
  • Fox & Mandal
  • Veedol
  • Tata Efee
  • Avadh Sugar & Energy
  • Taj Cement
  • Weichai
  • Rerasathi
  • Honest AI
  • Walton
  • Supertron
  • Balrampur Foundation
  • Fine Organics
  • Kopran
  • Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited
  • FIVB
  • Hanumanta Foods
  • Linc
  • Nitya Gold & Diamonds
  • Novozymes
  • PSPL
See all 123 clients
/ 01 Insights

In short.

A website that is hard to use on a phone loses buyers who will not pinch and zoom to find your contact details. PromotEdge designs every site for the phone first and then checks it on larger screens.

Many people now prefer using their mobile phones to go online. Desktops still matter for viewing websites, as most formal and official work is still done on them.

In 2010 Ethan Marcotte coined a term. Clients across the globe now rightly demand it.

It is, Responsive Website Design.

As the name suggests, it is all about a website designed to respond to the device it is opened on. Ours is a Web Development Company that specialises in just that.

For instance, while commuting, you come across a billboard with a company name that you haven’t heard of. What will you do?

Press one button on your phone, type a few words and search. Right?

If that company’s website is designed for laptops only, you will get a broken view on your phone.

Now, think of this happening with your company’s website.

Hence, a responsive web design helps both parties on either side of the phone screen, the developer and the viewer. A good way to get quality is to work with a website development company. If you are looking for someone in Kolkata or elsewhere in India, talk to us.

What is responsive web design all about?

Ethan Marcotte in his work drew a remarkable comparison with responsive architecture. He spoke of physical spaces that can respond to the people passing through them. They use installations, structures and sensors that adjust to the people in a room. Similarly, there is no need for disconnected designs for every other device. The way forward is flexible and adaptive designs that give a smooth viewing experience.

In plain words, responsive web design means one website that changes its layout to fit the screen. MDN Web Docs calls it an approach. It makes pages display well on any screen size and stay easy to use. It is not a separate technology. It is a way of building pages.

Many people now prefer phones for finding things online. They have little patience for a page that is hard to read on a small screen.

Think about how much time you spend browsing on your phone vs. any other device?

Or, do you only use a particular device to access different websites?

Or do you open the same website on different devices, whichever is convenient?

We are sure your answers to the above questions tell you how important Responsive Web Design is.

Keep reading for details from a web development company.

Aims of responsive web design

Firstly, it adapts to different screens, from PCs to smartphones and tablets, without loss of quality.

Secondly, it gives the viewer a smooth experience using the same URL or code.

Thirdly, website content renders to suit the screen size of the device. So users won’t need to resize it by hand.

Responsive design also helps in Google Search. Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. It recommends responsive web design. It is the easiest pattern to build and maintain. A responsive site serves the same HTML on the same URL. So there is one version of each page to maintain.

How are these aims achieved?

There are different kinds of devices. Under each kind there are subcategories with varying orientations and sizes. Think about mobile phones. Most of them have both portrait and horizontal modes, and the user can switch at any time. Then on PCs, there are times when a person does not open the browser to its full size.

Designing for all such situations sounds like a lot. But only three components can make or break it.

Flexible layouts

Fluid grids are a must. Web Development Companies use flexible grids so columns can rearrange themselves to fit the size of the screen or browser window. Be it a 14 inch laptop screen or a 5.8 inch phone screen, be it horizontal mode or portrait mode, the look stays consistent on all devices.

Flexible media

Flexible media solves the problem of the visible area being narrower than the image width or height. It does this by giving the image the maximum size, that is, 100%. No fixed number or ratio is set for the width and height. So the browser resizes the image to fit.

Media queries

Media queries help webpage content adapt to different screen sizes. They also help customize its look for different devices. A specialised web development company is your way forward.

Start with three steps. First, add the viewport meta tag to the head of the page. MDN says to always include it. Without it, breakpoints may not work on phones. Second, set images to a maximum width of 100 percent. Then they never overflow. Third, begin with a one-column layout for narrow screens. This is called mobile first. Then add columns on wider screens with media queries. Pick breakpoints where your content starts to look bad. Do not pick them by popular device sizes.

The work still has its difficulties. MDN notes that one large image scaled down wastes bandwidth. Use the picture element, or the srcset and sizes attributes, to send smaller images to phones. Then test your pages on real phones. Fix whatever feels hard to use.

Sources

  • MDN Web Docs, September 2026 | https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Responsive_Design Source: web.dev (Google), August 2025 | https://web.dev/learn/design/media-queries Source: Google Search Central, December 2025: developers.google.com

Our beliefWe believe in process. Good results should repeat, not happen by luck.

What people say

What clients say

What clients told us after working with PromotEdge.

“PromotEdge and their team did an excellent job with our website. They engaged with every team member, understanding their needs with great patience before collating them into a user requirement and a design spec. …”
Bimal ShahBimal ShahExecutive Director at Fine Organic Industries LimitedManufacturing
“PromotEdge has been working with our organization for social media management and other creative activities. They are responsive, supportive and hard working. We look forward to a long and positive relationship with them.”
Medha SharmaMedha SharmaStrategic Head at TATA MetaliksSteel and metals
“PromotEdge has been a unique creative group amongst unique creativity world. …”
Rajat ChatterjeeRajat ChatterjeeHead Business Development at Birdman Chemeng Pvt Ltd.Manufacturing
“An aligned partner is always a welcoming step. Someone who can think deep through lines, understand the matrix of product management. Fortunate enough, PromotEdge has been a partner in progress for me. …”
Bobby SrinivasBobby SrinivasChief Manager Marketing & Brand Marketing at Utkarsh IndiaSteel and metals
“We are thoroughly impressed with the extensive knowledge and professionalism demonstrated by PromotEdge. Their adept management of our digital and creative requirements has significantly contributed to our satisfaction with their digital marketing services and expertise.”
Rahul MishraRahul MishraAssistant Manager Digital Marketing & Ecommerce at Magik LightingElectricals
“We have been working with PromotEdge for almost a year. We have engaged them to manage our Digital marketing campaigns and are impressed with the outcome. …”
Shubham GadodiaShubham GadodiaDeputy Brand Manager at Shyam Metalics GroupSteel and metals
“I really want to thank Sayantan and his team from PromotEdge because what I find good in them is that, the team. When the team is wonderful, the outcome will definitely be wonderful. …”
Abhijit BhattacharyaAbhijit BhattacharyaFormer Captain Indian VolleyBall Team; and Founder of Brahmaputra Volleyball LeagueSports
“PromotEdge is one of the most hard working creative agency that LISTENS ! Do I need to say anything more ?!!!! …”
Harsh GuptaHarsh GuptaManaging Director at Rishta FoodsFMCG
“I would just like to congratulate, PromotEdge Led by Sayantan and his Team who have done an absolutely fantastic job of branding for the Kolkata Thunderbolts, the Branding, the social media campaign was bang on, and I think …”
Joy BhattacharjyaJoy BhattacharjyaCEO at Prime Volleyball LeagueSports
“I am delighted with the successful launch of our new website, thanks to the exceptional support from PromotEdge. …”
Mom MitraMom MitraMarketing Head at IleadEducation
“I commend PromotEdge as a content and advertising partner. I applaud their top-notch team, swift problem-solving, and outstanding digital media work for my brand. I express my happiness and eagerness for a long-term partnership.”
Priyanka GuptaPriyanka GuptaDirector at Nitya Gold & DiamondsJewellery retail
“PRAN & PromotEdge have been working together for last 1.5 years. Throughout, the work experience is good and satisfactory. As a client, we found PromotEdge very professional and dedicated towards any project assigned to them. …”
Sharif Rezwan KabirSharif Rezwan KabirBrand Manager at PRAN RFL GroupFMCG
“As a progressive and emerging digital marketing company, PromotEdge is doing something right to enhance the experience of companies associated with them. …”
Anish Basu MallikAnish Basu MallikMarketing Executive at Unimark GroupReal estate
“Hi, my name is Hitesh Malhotra. I'm working in FIVB. We are working with PromoteEdge (with Team Sayantan). I would like to give you a brief detail. …”
Hitesh MalhotraHitesh MalhotraSports Development at Fédération Internationale de Volleyball - FIVBSports
“Working with PromotEdge has been an enriching experience for ABP at many different levels. Your understanding of the digital space, customized brand solutions and prompt servicing have helped us achieve our brand goals with so much ease. …”
Satabdi SahuSatabdi SahuLead - Brand and Content at ABP EducationEducation
“The PromotEdge Agency stay with us all these 3 days, since when we arrived..more, more than 3 days. Since in the airport, they stayed together with us (FIVB team). …”
GibaGibaBrazilian Former Volleyball PlayerSports
“In the city of Kolkata , there are very few full service advertising agencies which are compact, agile, quick and yet have the vision and creative /executional abilities of large reputed agencies. …”
Hardeep SinghHardeep SinghMarketing ConsultantIndependent view
“It’s a great way to be back at PromotEdge. …”
Priyam GhosePriyam GhoseContent Creator
Read all 20 testimonials
Want this done for your brand?

Let's plan ittogether.

Get a growth plan Call us WhatsApp us

Or leave your number. A strategist calls you in one working day.

We use these details only to call you back. Privacy policy.

Common questions.

  • The three components are flexible layouts, flexible media and media queries. Fluid grids let columns rearrange to fit the screen. Flexible media lets images resize with the browser instead of using fixed sizes. Media queries help page content adapt to different screen sizes and change its look for different devices.

  • It has three aims. First, adapt to different screens on PCs, smartphones and tablets without loss of quality. Second, give the viewer a smooth experience using the same URL or code. Third, render content to suit the screen size, so users never need to resize it by hand.

  • Visitors on phones will see a broken view. Think of a person who sees a company name on a billboard and searches for it on their phone. If the site only works on laptops, that visitor has a poor first experience. Responsive design helps both the developer and the viewer.

  • Ethan Marcotte coined the term Responsive Website Design in 2010. He compared it to responsive architecture, where physical spaces adjust to the people passing through them. In the same way, there is no need for separate designs for every device. One flexible and adaptive design gives a smooth viewing experience.

  • Yes. Many people now prefer using mobile phones to go online. But desktops still matter for viewing websites, as most formal and official work is still done on them. A responsive website works for both. It suits a 14 inch laptop screen or a 5.8 inch phone, in portrait or horizontal mode.

  • Responsive web design means one website that changes its layout to fit the screen. It is an approach to building pages. They display well on any screen size and stay easy to use. It is not a separate technology. One address and one set of code serve phones and PCs.

  • Take three steps. Add the viewport meta tag to the head of the page. Set images to a maximum width of 100 percent. Begin with a one-column layout for phones. Add columns on wider screens with media queries. Pick breakpoints where your content needs them, not by popular device sizes.

  • Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. It recommends responsive web design. It is the easiest pattern to build and maintain. A responsive site serves the same HTML on the same URL. So there is one version of each page to maintain.