This article was originally published on the Spectrum blog. 

Whether you know it or not, responsive website design (RWD) is the future of your website.

A site built with RWD will adapt its layout to the device it's being viewed on -- a desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone -- making it easier for visitors to read and navigate a website without having to constantly pan and resize the screen.

Before RWD technology was available, you had to create (and maintain) a completely separate mobile version of your site. Responsive web design allows for one, easily maintainable site that updates automatically across all platforms.

Every day, more businesses are making the transition to responsive website design because statistics have overwhelmingly shown that the functionality of RWD lends itself to the habits and expectations of consumers. Take these 14 smartphone facts, for example. They're a powerful reminder that when it comes to generating business leads, smartphones truly are the future:

Within 4 years, more consumers will access the Internet on their mobile devices than on their PCs

(Source: Brightcove)

There are 5 times as many cell phones in the world as there are PCs

(Source: Impiger Mobile)

74% of smartphone users use their phone for shopping research – 79% ultimately make a purchase as a result

(Source: Impiger Mobile)

82% of adults in the United States own a cell phone

(Source: Pew Internet)

49% of the mobile subscribers in the United States own a smartphone

(Source: MobiThinking)

25% of Americans ONLY use their mobile devices to access the Internet

(Source: GoMo News)

73% of smartphone users said they used mobile web to shop instead of an app

(Source: Yahoo)

74% of people will wait 5 seconds or less for a site to load on their smartphone before giving up

(Source: Compuware)

60% of web users expect mobile sites to load in 3 seconds or less

(Source: Compuware)

72% of US smartphone users go online with their device while traveling

(Source: zmags)

70% of mobile searches lead to action within one hour – It takes one month for the same percentage of desktop users to catch up

(Source: Mobile Marketer)

64% of US smartphone users go online with their device while in a restaurant or coffee shop

(Source: zmags)

63% of US smartphone users go online with their device while shopping in a store

(Source: zmags)

90% of mobile searches lead to action and more than 50% lead to a purchase