In WordPress, responsive themes are themes and designs with a fluid layout that automatically adjusts to the various screen sizes and resolutions across various electronic devices. For example, they may shrink, expand, or change the layout of components to optimize how the page appears on a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. They account for the various possibilities in a single theme and eliminate the need to use different themes or designs for Web vs. mobile display.

Before responsive themes, developers had to create separate pages for each platform. For instance, the same coding for a web page to display properly on a desktop would have to have alterations done in order for the theme to correctly display on a mobile device. Even then, developers would still have to use different language to ensure a proper user experience because Apple and Android platforms had to also have a unique code to display resolution and screen size right.

Now Responsive themes provide the advantage of multiplatform displays, allowing a single page to responsively scale up or down to fit different screen sizes and resolutions like going from a desktop display to the mobile version on your iPhone. The page will respond to the type of device that is accessing it and will appropriately show the contents of the page in a user-friendly manner.

This is important for any website or business owner who runs a website because more and more people access the web through various mobile devices from tablets to smartphones and from virtual reality platforms to wrist watches capable of streaming videos, audio, and even supports the visual display of some web pages.

The WordPress Theme Directory offers a wide variety of responsive themes. You can find them by searching the directory for the word “responsive.”