Since the introduction of the World Wide Web in the early ‘90s the world has been astonished by the growing power of the web. The connected world has more access to more information than ever and sites like Amazon, Google, and Facebook rule the online world.
In this very short space of time for humanity, the internet has changed more of our world than almost any other advance in history. The way we use and interact with the web has changed at a phenomenal rate, too.
Consider this:
Back in the ‘50s, black and white TV was introduced. It took 13 years to reach 50 million users.
It took the augmented reality app Pokemon Go just 9 days to reach the same number of users.
We’re sure you can appreciate the sheer speed of change online.
Websites live on this plain that changes constantly and so very quickly, and you must keep up with the way it changes.
With the introduction of the iPhone in June 2007 the web changed in a big way once more. Never before could you access the internet – the real internet – on your phone so easily, and we’ve loved it ever since!
Now it’s just common sense that your website needs to be responsive and mobile-friendly.
If you site doesn’t work effectively and look good on a mobile device, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic and longer visitor times on your site. People just won’t wait around for things to load. They don’t have the time or the patience any more!
Given that more than half of all traffic online is now thought to be via mobile, you can see how the quickly things have changed in just over 10 years of smartphone usage.
“We’re using our phones to browse the internet. Big deal.”
Well… it is a big deal for your business.
How do we harness this big mobile use online?
- We once had standalone web apps.
- Then of course the ever-popular mobile apps were introduced.
- And now we have the new boy in class – the Progressive Web App (PWA).
Interestingly, despite the dominance that Apple and Android have had on the web for so long, there’s a lot of evidence out there to suggest that mobile app usage is down and that mobile app retention is decreasing too. Over 50% of people say that they delete apps just a week after downloading them.
It’s time to look at the next option online and look at what the future holds…
As a progressive web app development company, we’re really excited to be able to share this concept with our clients and explain the simple yet highly effective differences between native apps and PWAs.
But what is a progressive web app?
Simply put, a PWA takes everything that was simple and focused about a native app (apps you download from The App Store or Google Play Store) and puts it onto your website.
Essentially a PWA is an app that works within your site and works perfectly and seamlessly on any device.
Instead of being a standalone app that you send people away to add to their device, it just works right there in their mobile browser.
A Progressive Web App:
- Works like an app
- Fits any screen, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or desktop
- Works on the site, not in a separate app
- Must work on all devices.
Progressive Web Apps take what’s great about a native app, adds it to your site, and leaves the messy and annoying parts of native apps behind.
Progressive web app benefits:
- PWAs are fast – and speed is the order of the day.
- With PWAs as a business or website owner you can avoid the app store slow-downs.
- PWAs are really safe thanks to HTTPS.
- PWAs are Indexed and discoverable.
- Push notifications drive your users back to your apps.
- No messy download and install instructions for users.
- Easier to develop so your idea gets online faster.
The benefits of a progressive web apps versus a native app
It’s pretty clear to us that enabling your visitors to do everything on your site in a fast, secure, and focused way without complicated steps or added downloads is a big win.
If you’re not yet convinced, then here’s a summary plus a few more reasons to choose a progressive web app over the traditional native app:
- PWAs are built for fast, mobile friendly actions.
- You don’t need to click out of the site to download them.
- Normal apps lose 20% customers on every step but PWAs have fewer steps.
- We’re downloading fewer apps now but using the web more on mobile.
- There’s more mobile traffic than ever and now Google index for mobile first.
More speed, less faffing, same focused functionality, and the ability to drive your website visitors back to your site with push notifications? We think that’s a win, win, win!
Progressive Web Apps are next obvious step
W3 (the World Wide Web) has changed so much in its 30-year history and the way we interact with and use it changes constantly. If you’re not mobile focused and you’re not making it really simple for your visitors to do that thing you want them to do, then you’ll lose out.
We’re Progressive Web App developers, and we’d love to chat about your idea for an app. We’ll show you how it could live on your website to not only engage your current users but attract even more.
Give us a call now on 01189 306 717 or contact the team right here.
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