I couldn’t agree more! The fallacy that all Websites must be “responsive” is just that! Fallacy!
I have a bit of advertising experience, having studied advertising art at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh when I was young, and I also have studied copy writing, so I have an entirely different perspective on the purpose of a Website than most new developers today.
The purpose of a business Website is ADVERTISING! A company wants a Website in order to gain more business and sell more products or service. A Website, like a print ad, is an advertising tool, but it is capable of so much more than a print ad, and that is the beauty of it … or WAS.
No small screen mobile device can display sufficient copy and graphics to do the job it is supposed to do, and that is to grab the attention of the viewer with an attractively designed site, an effective headline, perhaps a subhead, and well written copy that is designed to SELL. “A copy writer is a salesman behind a typewriter,” said Judith K. Charles, president of Judith K. Charles Creative Communication.
I have designed sites for people in construction who want photos of their jobs on the Website as examples of their work. Before I started building Websites for others, I built one for my ceramic tile installation company, and displayed photos of my work, as well as progress photos showing step-by-step how to build a custom ceramic tile shower. I challenge anybody to make such a site do that job when viewed on a mobile device. I guarantee, it can’t be done.
Additionally, the design possibilities are extremely limited as well. A well designed Website that SELLS is an art form. An attractive Website tells something about the business, but a poorly designed site reflects negatively. If you’re not a “Home Depot” your Website had better look good, because it makes the owner appear to be a professional who cares about his business.
My wife sells on Etsy, and one of the biggest complaints from sellers is that people using mobile devices do not read descriptions or other important information, as they don’t want to have to scroll to find what they need to know. Then they are dissatisfied with what they get, claiming that it isn’t what they expected! This results in negative seller feedback. This isn’t a problem when people purchase using a standard PC with a wide screen display, which shows more information without the need to scroll.
While it’s true that you can build an attractive site using Joomla! or some other CMS program, there is still a huge difference between that and a custom designed Website. And you still have the same problem when viewed on a tiny screen; it does not show enough information at once, and the artistic value is lost.
Lastly, the cost to make a Website look good on both a wide screen display and a mobile device would probably be prohibitive for most small businesses. It requires 3 times the work for all the different CSS style sheets and coding required to satisfy the requirements of both.
I would never even THINK of looking for a building contractor by using a mobile device, or any other type of product or service. It simply cannot do the job.
And that’s my rant.