How to Build a Multi-Page Responsive Website

Defining what a responsive website is, and how you can build one with Dazzly.


Update - 07/12/2022 -

We have now put together a supplementary video resource titled "Service Website - Single Service Page (Under 10 Minutes) [2022]" which is a walk-through tutorial of how to build a multi-page responsive website, please find this resource below:



We hope you find this video useful as a core resource in your journey to learn how to build a multi-page responsive website. We encourage you to share it with anyone else who is interested.


What is a responsive website?

In recent times, when you need to get a website, it might come as a surprise that you’d need an assurance about how it will look and function on different computer devices. As you know, websites need to be flexible and able to adjust their appearance to match the viewer’s device. If you’re using a very small mobile device screen, then your website will need to be able to show a condensed view of your headings, images and still have clear routes to your inner more informative pages. So when you are looking to create a website or seeking out a website designer, then you’re going to need to make sure what you get a responsive website – or a website that will respond to differing screen sizes and computer or mobile device models.

Merriam-Webster defines responsive as – “giving response: constituting a response” this definition likely predates the modern necessity for responsive website design, but they also add “quick to respond or react appropriately or sympathetically” and “using responses” which seems accurate in the context [1].

The typical screen size for a desktop computer is 1920x1080, often with home and business desktops having multiple monitors (luckily something that we don’t need to often consider, yet). With tablets, you can expect screen resolutions such as 768x1024 and with other mobile devices you can get resolutions as small as 414x896 [2]

Responsive website design methodology is defined as incorporating responsive based knowledge and experience into the key website design decisions from the outset of the process. The result being a comprehensive, adaptable website design that will respond and accommodate most mobile devices that your website visitors may use.

When setting out landing pages (home page) every single element must be considered – how will it lay out on a large PC screen and how can we make a minimal version of this element that will still function on the mobile screen. What elements don’t need to be immediately visible? What elements can we move into the menu to save previous screen real estate? These are the sorts of questions that professional user interface (UI) designers ask themselves and are exactly what software and website designers ask themselves too.

When you create a new section on the website, you might have a neat function that will be great for desktop users, but if it relies on an interface element such as a drag-and-drop element, this will not work on mobile devices. So, from the outset you will need to consider whether you can use alternative elements to achieve the same experience but that will also function on all common devices.


Why do you want to ensure your website responds and functions on many devices?

The reason for this is simple – you want more people to have a pleasant user experience (UX) on your website and you want them to come back and ideally contact you regarding your services or purchase a product. The more people that can access your website, due to its responsiveness, the bigger the potential direct to consumer orders that you can service. Traditionally, experienced experts that knew how to build a multi-page responsive website had to keep the above considerations in the forefront of their minds in-order to ensure everything worked correctly and it provided a great user experience. However, as you will see now, there are several responsive website builders available to take all of this technical knowledge and hassle off of your hands.


Do you require a responsive website to be competitive online in 2022?

Regardless of the level of competition in the market that you service, you will need a responsive website builder software in order to create a responsive website to get yourself ahead. There in no question that getting visibility, impressions and clicks for your website in your local area is always a challenge in modern days, but with using Dazzly, you ensure that your website is already pre-made and continuously updated to ensure it responds to the vast majority of consumer devices all around the world.

Current estimates shows that a large proportion of New Zealand website users browse using their mobile devices [2], hence it is absolutely vital that your website is able to respond to all screen sizes that visitors may use. As recently as 2021, a Pew Research Centre survey shows that 15% of all do not have broadband internet at home and use their mobile device instead [3]. We suspect that the people in residential homes will have broadband and mobile internet options, particularly in apartment or condominium residences.

 

8 Steps to Build a Multi-Page Responsive Website

For a more comprehensive outlining of the steps to launch a responsive, multi-page website, please refer to our mobile website builder guide.

 

1.      Sign up for a free trial of Dazzly

2.      Select the ‘Service Warrior 2’ website template

3.      Enter your logo, and brand colors

4.      Enter a couple of photos

a.      This can be done directly from your Android or iPhone mobile device for added convenience.

5.      Type in a little bit of text

6.      Hit ‘Publish’

7.      Wait & view your ‘Preview Website’

8.      Load your Preview Website URL on your Desktop PC, Laptop and mobile devices.

a.      Ensure that the website looks visually OK on all devices

b.      Ensure that the main contact elements are still visible/easily accessible

c.      Test a few things to be sure (sanity check)


If you don’t want to carry out these steps immediately, please continue reading for example screenshots demonstrating the responsive capabilities of these websites.


As you can see in the following figures, the knowledge of how to build a multi-page responsive website has been captured and embedded into the Dazzly website creation system so that you can automatically enjoy the benefits without needing to invest years of experience into learning the technical difficulties and nuances. Dazzly is extremely proud of this fact and wants to use this software to help as many businesses in New Zealand as we possibly can!


Figure #1 - Example showing a construction website built on Dazzly – shown for PC/Desktop resolution

 

Figure #2 - The same construction website shown on a Tablet (iPad Air). Note how the elements respond to the change in screen resolution

 

Figure #3 - The same construction website shown on a Mobile Device (iPhone SE)

a.      Note the responsiveness properties of the website and how several elements are hidden from immediate view in order to preserve and make the best use of the limited number of pixels available on the screen.

b.      Note additional response of the website in changing some functionality such as disabling the overlaying call-to-action prompt that would be very distracting, would cover previous website usable space and would significantly dampen the user experience from otherwise enjoying this website.


This will show you that, in a matter of minutes, you can build a multi-page website that responds to a variety of mobile device screens with our no-code website maker solution. No matter whether you need an ecommerce website or a multi-page service website to highlight the range of work that you can carry out, there are now responsive website builder options available.


In conclusion, no matter where you are in New Zealand, you deserve a fantastic website, and now you can have the confidence that you know how to build a multi-page responsive website. Dazzly is the best responsive website builder – every template is optimized and regularly updated to best respond to the latest device screen sizes on the market. If you happen to find that your website doesn’t work for a particular device, we urge you to report this to support@dazzly.co and we will release an update in due course to improve the responsiveness of the website. Our development team are very serious and vigilant about such updates.


References


[1]        Merriam-Webster – ‘Responsive Definition & Meaning’ (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/responsive).


[2]        statcounter –‘Desktop Screen Resolution Stats United States of America’ – ‘May 2021 - May 2022’ (https://gs.statcounter.com/screen-resolution-stats/desktop/united-states-of-america).


[3]        Pew Research Centre – ‘Mobile Fact Sheet’ (https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/).   Published 7th April 2021. Accessed 18th June 2022.