Pick Your Weapon: Progressive Or Responsive Web Development For Your Business
As the number of mobile users grows, it is expected that over half of all e-commerce sales will take place on mobile devices rather than traditional websites by 2024.
This demands the development of user-friendly interfaces that allow mobile purchases; e-commerce businesses that fail to satisfy the increasing demands of customers end up falling behind.
Most e-commerce sites are not mobile-friendly. Furthermore, it is doubtful that potential buyers would download a native app only to purchase anything from an online store.
So, how do e-commerce businesses guarantee that their leads convert and their prospects buy? They have two options for getting their digital business noticed online.
Know the difference between progressive and responsive web development
When mobile first became popular, responsive design was the first logical step toward making websites perform better for mobile users.
It also rapidly became a must for new websites, with up to 87% of web developers adopting it to create excellent digital experiences for website users.
Even so, responsive websites failed to offer advanced functionalities such as offline support, notifications, and other native app-like features that users have come to demand on their smartphones.
These features are necessary to boost customer engagement and conversions on your e-commerce site. As a result, many website owners are thinking about converting their responsive websites into Progressive Web Applications, or PWA.
While a progressive app behaves like an app, it is not one — it is a website.
It is only designed for specific screen widths using CSS, HTML5, or JavaScript.
When the screen size is determined, the PWA comes into action, presenting the visitor with a customized version of the website when they visit. This means that different versions of the same website/web app might have to be created based on the screen sizes of smartphones and tablets in common usage.
A responsive site is built once and then depends on multiple mobile devices to display the content based on screen size. Scripts that run in the background usually adjust the site to fit the user’s screen.
Progressive web apps (PWAs) vs. responsive websites: Which is best for you?
Both are intended to deliver a seamless online customer experience on multiple devices; which works better?
Here are a few ways to tell the difference:
PWAs are faster than responsive design.
With a responsive website, the next stage is a progressive app. Your business most likely already has a website or a web app, and you can boost its efficacy and make it load faster on different mobile devices.
For example, the UK clothing brand George claimed that using PWA results in a website that is 3.8 times quicker than the previous one.
The good thing about PWAs is that they are compatible with previous-generation browsers and include current features such as offline support, push notifications, and native video, and audio capturing capabilities.
PWAs let you operate offline.
The app cache feature allows websites to save a large amount of data offline, offering PWAs many of the same features as native applications.
Because of this feature, there is no need for a web server to use a progressive web app.
This lets the online streaming platform ZEE5 cut buffering time by half while also allowing consumers to explore their catalogs offline.
PWAs are costly to produce and maintain.
The screen size of the user’s device is an important factor to consider while designing progressive web apps, which means that the website must be constructed many times for different devices.
This makes PWAs the more expensive of the two solutions — maintaining the web app might be pricey in the future as opposed to a responsive website.
All the same, many businesses have seen their earnings surge after deploying a PWA. Think about the Best Western River North Hotel, which saw a 300% boost in sales after using a PWA.
PWAs include an excellent app experience without paying development fees.
Progressive web applications give your website the feel of a high-quality, well-developed, and pricey app — and this is fantastic value for money because PWAs are less expensive than apps.
Furthermore, you will not have to go through the hard process of hiring app developers, choosing between native and hybrid apps, picking an effective basis, testing the app, and so on.
Progressive web applications allow for the integration of functionality like file access, task scheduling, SMS/MMS functionality, offline storage, location, and device position directly into the website.
No need for downloads when saving to the home screen.
Users can add the progressive web app to their device’s homepage and use it as an app.
A PWA is designed for:
- Start full-screen mode
- Get clipboard access
- Through a browser, you can access and view files.
- Show a stylish user interface that refreshes at 60 frames per second.
- Appear as an app in the app list by using Web APKs.
To ensure online visibility, both function well with SEO and SEM.
Because they are websites, responsive websites, and progressive apps are ideal for SEO and SEM.
They can be boosted by including keywords in the headlines and text of your website. All content on websites and web apps is still scanned and indexed by search engines, and it can play a significant role in the overall rank of the website in search results.
Companies can use paid search engine marketing to promote both progressive web apps and responsive websites, guaranteeing that their websites and web apps show at the top of search results for specific keywords and phrases.
Final Words
When customers and clients express their needs and preferences, businesses must begin to spot these cues and quickly adapt to new developments to keep their products and services attractive.
Multiple factors go into creating and building a unique website that fulfills your company’s goals while also attracting your target audience.
As you wrap up, consider fueling my creativity with a $1 coffee boost!
