- Author Sanjib Kumar Das
- Published June 22, 2022
- Word count 985
View author’s other articles
CSS is a requirement for responsive web design. This article will tell you if CSS is necessary for responsive web design.
Many experts emphasize the advantages of responsive design. This was especially true after Google recommended the strategy. Responsive design is an effective tool to build websites that adapt to multiple devices. But is it right for every site?
Let’s begin by clarifying the basic definitions so we are all on the same page.
What is Responsive Web Design?
Responsive web design simply means that your website adapts to different screen sizes and window sizes. In other words, visitors who visit your website from a smartphone will not be confused or intimidated by the large columns and important sentences that are only for desktop users.
Wix and Editor X are two examples of web builders that allow users to design and create their own responsive websites. They also offer the ability to incorporate the most recent design trends and tools with very little code. If you are looking for complete freedom and control while building your website, you might consider learning CSS and programming your site from scratch.
Introduction to CSS
CSS is shorthand for Cascading Style sheets. It is the programming language used to create the website’s layout and appearance. Web design is dependent on CSS. Without CSS, websites might be just plain text on white backgrounds.
Before 1996, the World Wide Web Consortium created CSS, web pages were very limited in their form and function. In early browsers, a page was displayed as hypertext. This included plain text and graphics along with links to other hypertext pages. The layout was a single column of text that ran across the page.
CSS allows for many website layout advancements, including the possibility to:
• Color background should be used.
• You can specify other fonts than the default browser font.
• Text and links can be customized to match their colour and size.
• You can use boxes to store webpage items, and then float them to specific locations on the page.
They also added “style” to style pages, which allowed the creation of Web sites.
Why is CSS so important for responsive web design?
There are many reasons, but here are the most common.
#1: Your site can be designed however you want it to
It is easy to create a website using a free template. These templates are not very elegant so your website will look just like every other site on the internet. These templates can be customized using CSS to display your colour schemes. You’ll be able to create a customized website without any work.
#2: It saves you money
To build your website, you can always hire a professional. Web developers can be expensive and often are too expensive. When you find little errors that you can fix yourself, knowing how to edit CSS can help you save money. As you practice, you’ll be able to solve more complex and significant puzzles.
#3: You Can Earn Extra Money
Once you are proficient in CSS, you may be able to sell these solutions on other websites. You will not be able to become a freelance web developer if you don’t know CSS.
#4: Quickly Redesign Your Website
Because they are older sites, many of them are difficult to rebuild. It can be easily modified once a website has been built using a CSS hook. It is possible to change the background and colours of a website easily. Many regions can now create customized versions of their websites to accommodate special events. It takes only a few hours to create an additional stylesheet.
#5: Make Your Websites More Diverse
CSS makes web pages look very different without having to write a lot of code. For example, many websites now allow subtle colour shifts to be used in other areas of their website. To alter the CSS in each section, you can use page IDs. However, the structure will remain the same. Only CSS and the content can be changed.
#6: Improve the Appearance of Your Website
The greatest benefit of CSS is its increased design freedom and interaction in Web development. Developers can make individual modifications to the design. Because CSS customization is easier than plain HTML, web developers can create different appearances for every page. CSS allows you to create complex websites that can be customized for each page.
#7: Your site will load faster
Page loading speed is a critical but under-appreciated feature of CSS. Browsers can download and store CSS rules for all pages. This speeds up website navigation and improves customer experience. This feature allows websites to be easily accessed even when they are not connected to the internet. Accessibility on low-end devices is also improved by faster loading times.
CSS Limitations
CSS is not perfect. There are some limitations and drawbacks. Here are the most important.
#1: It is browser dependent
CSS’s biggest drawback is that it relies heavily upon browser support. Each browser performs differently, so compatibility is not the only problem. Your CSS should reflect all these changes. Even if the browser does not fully support your CSS style, people will still be able to explore the HTML functions. You must therefore always use well-structured HTML, and decent CSS.
#2: Retrofitting Old Websites is Difficult
It is natural to want to include CSS into your existing site after learning the benefits it offers. This is not an easy task. CSS style sheets, especially the most recent, must be included in HTML code. They must also be compatible with HTML versions at floor level. Retrofitting CSS to older websites takes time. You also have the option of completely breaking the HTML coding and rendering your site unusable. It is better to wait until your website is completely overhauled before you make any changes.
The bottom line
You now know all about CSS. It is vital for responsive web design. There are many benefits to CSS, but also a few drawbacks.
