Add viewport meta tags to ensure that the mobile device renders the page correctly; 2. Create a fluid layout using relative units such as percentages and rem; 3. Use CSS media queries to apply styles for different screen widths, and recommend mobile-first min-width breakpoints; 4. Use Flexbox or CSS Grid to achieve flexible and responsive layouts; 5. Use max-width: 100% and background-size: cover to adapt the image and media containers; 6. Use browser developer tools and real device testing to ensure cross-device compatibility. Combining these methods can make the website display and run well on all devices.
Making a website responsive with CSS means ensuring it looks good and functions well on all devices—desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Here's how to do it effectively:

1. Use the Viewport Meta Tag
Without this, your responsive CSS won't work properly on mobile devices.
Add this line inside the of your HTML document:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
This tells the browser to set the width of the page to the device's screen width and set the zoom level to 1. Without it, mobile browsers may render your page as if it were on a desktop, making text and elements too small.
2. Use Fluid Layouts with Relative Units
Avoid fixed pixel widths. Instead, use relative units like percentages, em
, rem
, or fr
(in CSS Grid).

Example:
.container { width: 90%; max-width: 1200px; margin: 0 auto; }
This ensures the container scales with the screen size but doesn't stretch too wide on large screens.
Also, use rem
or em
for font sizes and spacing so they scale relative to user preferences or root font size.
3. Apply CSS Media Queries
Media queries let you apply styles based on device characteristics like screen width.
Common breakpoints:
/* Mobile first approach */ @media (max-width: 767px) { /* Styles for small phones */ } @media (min-width: 768px) { /* Styles for tablets */ } @media (min-width: 1024px) { /* Styles for desktops */ }
Example:
.sidebar { width: 25%; } @media (max-width: 768px) { .sidebar { width: 100%; } }
Tip: Design mobile-first—start with mobile styles, then enhance for larger screens using min-width
.
4. Use Flexbox or CSS Grid for Layouts
These modern layout systems make responsiveness easier.
Flexbox example:
.nav { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: space-between; }
On small screens, flex-wrap: wrap
lets items stack when space is limited.
Grid example:
.grid-container { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr)); gap: 1rem; }
This automatically adjusts the number of columns based on available space.
5. Make Images and Media Responsive
Prevent images from overflowing their containers:
img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; }
This ensures images scale down on smaller screens without losing aspect ratio.
For background images, use:
background-size: cover; background-position: center;
6. Test on Real Devices and Use DevTools
Use browser developer tools (like Chrome DevTools) to simulate different screen sizes. But also test on actual phones and tablets—emulators don't always reflect real-world performance or touch behavior.
Basically, responsible design is about flexibility: flexible layouts, flexible images, and smart use of media queries. Combine these techniques, and your site will adapt smoothly across devices.
The above is the detailed content of How to make a website responsive with CSS?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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