Responsive Web Design

[Alliefan]

I'm using Xara Web Designer Premium 365 and published a site for a customer last year. Their page ranking has suddenly started dropping so it has made them question the design of the site. My question however, isn't about page ranking really. I need clarity on our web design for a meeting I have with them.
The website was created with a mobile variant. I was under the impression that this made it a "responsive" web site. If I started out with just a plain canvas and then later added a mobile variant, rather than using a template marked R, is it still a "responsive site? Or do I need to use a template for it to be a "responsive" site. Quite honestly I can't remember which I did as so many changes were made (by the customer) early on.

Also, if I post the url address to the site will this thread come up in searches?? If not I will post it. Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

[xtom]

If I started out with just a plain canvas and then later added a mobile variant, rather than using a template marked R, is it still a "responsive site?

Same thing. Xara will always use variants whether you use a template or create from scratch/add later. Variants are not "true" responsive design but there are so many factors that can effect seo and site design is just one. For example if competitors are actively getting lnks etc. or adding new content to their site over the last year it will push them up the rankings and other sites down.

[Acorn]

I'm using Xara Web Designer Premium 365 and published a site for a customer last year. Their page ranking has suddenly started dropping so it has made them question the design of the site. My question however, isn't about page ranking really. I need clarity on our web design for a meeting I have with them.
The website was created with a mobile variant. I was under the impression that this made it a "responsive" web site. If I started out with just a plain canvas and then later added a mobile variant, rather than using a template marked R, is it still a "responsive site? Or do I need to use a template for it to be a "responsive" site. Quite honestly I can't remember which I did as so many changes were made (by the customer) early on.
Also, if I post the url address to the site will this thread come up in searches?? If not I will post it. Please advise.
Thanks in advance.

Where to start...

...Does your design have adequate meta-data for pages, content and images?
...Has the site been updated at all in the last year?
...Did you add Google Analytics?

I have a client who has three prior stale sites that have not been updated for a time but, despite asking for him to remove them, they are still there and ranking promotion has taken 6 months to punch through for the one I designed. Had I not added good Keywords and embroidered them into the page prose with H1/H2 Headings then it still might be in the doldrums. That said, SEO is mainly useful for a contested sector; I rarely favour it for self-effacing hubris.

Your hand-designed variant site is R.

Anything you post is searchable, so a URL fragment will be found easily. If worried, PM me directly and I can check for you.
Publish and be damned. The ranking will go up as people view it!

Acorn

[pauland]

Whether a site is responsive or not has no effect on SEO ranking. Xara websites are adaptive, not responsive.

There can be plenty of reasons why page ranking changes, none of them are related to whether a page is responsive.

[Alliefan]

I sent you a PM. Thanks for the help.

[Acorn]

I sent you a PM. Thanks for the help.

I have replied. Your site is very good and is well-suited to the client. I hope my explanations around adaptive and its merits, over responsive, work.

Acorn