Mobile Apps vs Optimized Mobile Site

Mobile Apps

Mobile applications are programs that are saved to a mobile device’s storage and can be used offline. Mobile applications must be designed and developed for the mobile operating systems you wish it to operate on, whether that includes Apple’s iOS, the Android platform, or both. As a result, preparing a mobile application for your business can be quite time-consuming and expensive. It’s a big project, but can be worth it for marketable apps.

Mobile Websites

Mobile applications are not actually the best way to market your business to mobile users. Usually, most businesses merely need to provide a decent mobile experience on their websites. If your website is your best digital selling tool and you do not need to leverage any mobile device functionality, then preparing a decent mobile website experience is a superior option to building a mobile application.

Mobile websites vs. Mobile apps

According to Internet observers know that the future of the web is mobile. While users are spending more time on their devices (an average of 2 hours and 42 minutes per day, up four minutes on the same period last year), how they use that time has changed as well. Only 22 minutes per day are spent in the browser, with the balance of time focused on applications. More and more users will access the data and information via smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. So businesses need to prepare by beefing up their presences on the mobile web.

But what is the best solution? Weather to go with mobile app or optimized mobile website. So before going to decide the platform this wevio blog article will guide you in following passion and you need to consider following important points.

Business considerations

Any mobile Application presents unique challenges and considerations, but regardless of your requirements, deciding whether to create a mobile app or a mobile website does not have to be difficult. Define the purpose of your application and prioritize all of your business and marketing needs first. Then determine the solution that will best address those needs now and into the future.

Purpose and goals

What is the purpose or goal of the mobile initiative you are considering? Take everything else out of the equation and answer this question first. There should be a business decision that is driving the process. It could be that your regular website doesn’t work well for the increasing traffic from mobile devices. Or maybe your marketing department wants a mobile application that helps people customize a widget that they can then order online. Whatever your goal, define it first and think about the development and distribution second.

Audience

Define the likely audience that is going to use this mobile application and the classic use cases that would inspire them to use it. Also think about how frequently these people engage with your brand or business. An app requires someone to discover it and then download it, so consider whether these are steps your audience will take the time to do.

User experience

Imagine how users will interact with your application. This may be the single biggest thing that determines whether a mobile app or a mobile website is suitable. Determine whether you want this application to deliver a highly graphical and strong user experience or whether it’s primarily for delivering static or server-based dynamic html based content information.

Budget

For most small to mid-sized businesses, budget is a serious consideration. Developing individual mobile apps for multiple operating systems or devices can lead to high expensive. Reaching a broader audience with a mobile website is an easier and more economical venture.

Ease and speed of implementation

Design, development, and deployment of a mobile website is similar to a standard website. Once it’s live, it’s immediately viewable by anyone who visits the URL with a mobile browser.Mobile apps may also require a submission approval process from app stores.

Performance considerations

A well-designed mobile app typically delivers a superior experience for several reasons. Apps are much like your desktop software. Apps can also tie into the functionality of the device, which is not possible with a mobile website. Interface controls are more intuitive and operate without the same lag time of mobile websites, which transfer data back and forth between server and user. Lastly, an app is developed for a single screen size or a smaller range of sizes, making it easier to design an outstanding interface and controls.

Updates and maintenance

Updating a mobile-optimized website involves the same steps required to update your traditional website. App updates may require submission approvals before being updated in their marketplace. Unlike a mobile website, where updates are immediate, mobile apps require users to download software updates. Keep in mind that if you’re developing apps for multiple platforms, even a simple update may require significant development resources and time.

Search engine optimization

While a good portion of mobile website visits are destination-driven, mobile search continues to grow rapidly, and local search is even more important considering the nature of mobile searches. A mobile-optimized website can be found and visited from a standard search, and you can even expand your paid search campaigns to target mobile devices. If you do offer a mobile app, it’s a good idea to provide a link to it from your mobile website.

Evolving web technologies

HTML5 and CSS3 are hot topics these days in web development circles. The mobile web will be the major beneficiary as these technologies evolve and become more commonplace. When combined with improving data transfer rates and better connectivity, the divide between web and mobile app experiences will continue to narrow.

Data connectivity and offline use Paid vs. free

Resources and data can be stored locally in a mobile app, and the user interface operates independently of web-delivered interface elements, so some or all of your app may be used when Internet or Wi-Fi is not available. (Of course, you can store data from the mobile browser, so network connectivity is not absolutely required to interact with a mobile website.)

Paid vs. free

Another technology decision you’ll need to make about your app is whether to charge for it and how. In many cases, company apps are an extension of other customer-facing efforts and are offered for free to attract as many users as possible. If your mobile application is intended to generate revenue, the app marketplaces make it easy to sell.

Conclusion:

A mobile app is faster, more interactive and can integrate with all kinds of other portable devices features. But the app must be installed to be of any use at all, while a good mobile site can simply be navigated to on a user’s whish. It’s also typically very low cost to build a mobile website, and you don’t have to deal with any risky approval hassles.