A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a website with all the best features of native mobile apps, which makes it behave like a mobile app. A PWA utilises the full screen of your device and works on any browser, regardless of personal preference. A PWA is the perfect alternative to mobile apps.
Why consider a progressive web app?
There are currently more mobile users than desktop users. The screens are getting smaller and apps are (partly because of this) becoming more and more popular. Visitors are also increasingly surfing to a website through a mobile browser. What could be better than to surprise visitors with a flawless and fast PWA experience? We’ll discuss all the valid reasons and benefits of having a PWA:
Offline
Users can also download and save a PWA to their home screen. They can use the app regardless of them being on connected to the internet. Users can easily install your app on iOS, Android, Windows and more. An intermediate step, such as visiting an app store, isn’t even necessary!
Consistency in User Experience
You no longer have to make a difference in A/B testing between mobile, desktop or tablet. A Progressive Web App gives the same experience and design on all types of devices. This means, for example, that you need to worry less about the shopping experience across different devices or UX for each type of device.
Lightning fast
A Progressive Web Application also has an important advantage for the SEO of a website: a PWA makes your website lightning fast! Not only does this allow users to navigate at lightning speed but it also makes ordering through the website easier. A PWA not only affects the speed positively but also increases the conversion rate. Say goodbye to slow websites!
Search Engine Friendly
You shouldn’t worry about SEO or Search Engine Optimization, because a PWA is crawled by search engines just like normal websites. When you initiate a search for a PWA through a search engine, your PWA will simply be found like a website. You don’t have to worry about App Store Optimization (ASO) either. Furthermore, a Progressive Web App will significantly improve your Google Page speed score, so your website/app will rank higher in Google’s search results.
Cheaper than making Apps
Publishing an app is also cheaper and easier with PWA. You don’t have to build seperate apps for IOS or Android. Freedom and platform independence is key with PWA. If you wish to, you can now have your PWA published in the Google Play Store (another advantage). You don’t have to go through an approval procedure from the App Store. Also, you don’t have to pay commissions for e-commerce sales, for example.
Push notifications
Like an app from the Google Play Store or Apple Store, a PWA can send push notifications to users. This instantly leads to more engagement and boosts awareness.
Hold on, are there no disadvantages to progressive web apps?
Apple is not rushing to support Google PWA’s on iOS’ Safari, but they are making progress. For example, some critical bugs have recently been fixed by Apple through updates such as session state preservation during PWA-in app browsing. Android users get a user-friendly prompt to install a Progressive Web App as a standalone app. iOS users need to perform some manual actions to install the PWA in Safari.
Author: Phpro, 27 nov 2019
