Does Your Business Have A Progressive Web App (PWA)?

Progressive web apps or regular web apps? What makes the two different and why is it important?

Over the last decade, the number of mobile users has seen a steep increase. As a result, users today are using mobile phones to get a variety of tasks done. This necessitated the need for better website experiences on smart devices. Unfortunately, slow loading speeds and poor User Interfaces (UI) of conventional websites could not provide the kind of user experience (UX) today’s mobile users need. People needed websites that could provide a seamless user experience regardless of the device or browser they were using. And that’s how web apps emerged.

What is a Web App?

A web app is a website that is designed to fit the screen size of any device it is accessed on. It operates through a web browser and uses the features and functionalities of the device it is accessed on. Although, the device features that actually work also depend on the browser the web app is operated on. For instance, a native-device feature may be perfectly accessible on Chrome, but incompatible with Safari or Mozilla Firefox. Web apps also cannot be installed on mobile phones as they run within web browsers.

What is a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

Progressive web apps were first introduced by Google in 2015 and have since then garnered significant attention from web designers in Kuwait. They became instantly popular due their relative ease of development and their ability to deliver an exceptional user experience. In essence, a PWA is like a conventional web app except with additional functionalities and a far better user experience on both desktop and mobile platforms. PWAs provide native app-like characteristics, making them more powerful than regular web apps, and encouraging businesses to opt for them in efforts to reach more customers and deliver better user experiences. As evidenced by online platforms like Hulu, Pinterest, Twitter, Forbes, and AliExpress, PWAs increase repeat visits and total engagement value, reduce bounce rates, and surge conversions.

Difference between Progressive Web Apps, Native Web Apps, and Responsive Web Apps

Native web apps were the main drivers of innovation that changed the way people used their mobile phones. They have been developed for a long time and will definitely stick around. Native applications are built for specific operating systems using specific coding languages. They need to be published on an app distribution system in order to reach the consumers.

Responsive web apps were designed for users to have a better user experience on a range of digital devices and screen sizes. They are designed by professional web design companies in Kuwait and are known for providing a convenient web interface and good SEO opportunities. However, features like push notifications and offline services, which are offered by native and web applications, are not highlighting features of responsive web apps.

Progressive web apps are web apps that create similar experiences as native apps yet are not distributed via app distribution systems. They function independent of browser, device, or network, provide better engagement and security, and allow convenient search and installation.

The winning point of PWAs are that they can be disseminated online as a website yet be pretty much indistinguishable from a conventional application. In other words, if designed well, a standard user will not be able to differentiate between a PWA and an app, and enjoy all app benefits on the web browser itself. Progressive Web Apps made by an experienced web design company in Kuwait provide some essential features and experiences that make them a better pick over regular web apps. Let’s discuss them below:

Although a Progressive Web App runs on frontend and backend technologies that are the same as a regular Web App, they give users a native experience. They are called “progressive” because they can leverage most of the native device features without relying on any browser and enhance progressively, offering a seamless and integrated UX, and making it quite hard to distinguish from a native mobile application.
Unlike other mobile applications, PWAs require lesser load times and memory space. They can also be shared and installed through a link, and allow users to keep the app icon on their home screens, increasing ease of access.
PWAs do not need end-users to go the app store in order to update the app. Instead, they get updated on their own when web developers push the live update from their server, giving users access to updated real-time data.
Since PWAs reside in web browsers, you get a better chance of utilizing SEO strategies to improve its Google rankings, and make it more discoverable.
PWAs follow a low-cost development framework since they do not need to be submitted to app stores like native and web apps. Moreover, they are both cross-platform and cross-browser compatible. So all you need is a single PWA that will work on any device or browser, further reducing costs.
PWAs allow caching and storing of data on the device, allowing users to access content without an internet connection. Text stylesheets, images, and other content can appear even before the page loads, giving it offline functionality.
With native apps, online stores are limited to choosing one payment provider. But PWAs are not tied to any application distribution systems like the Play Store or the App Store, and can avail any of the APIs under Web Payments standard, resulting in simplified payment processing.
A PWA lets users shop with no internet connection. Since PWAs allow data to be cached by the app, users can browse products and enjoy basic shopping cart functionality while they are offline.
PWAs can be integrated with Google Analytics to track unique analytics, like the offline browsing behavior of users who install your web app.

While regular web apps have several features that make them look and feel like native apps, progressive web apps can also be installed on your choice of device. All in all, if you wish to give your customers a smooth mobile experience, PWA is the way to go. By creating a PWA with the help of Design Master, a mobile responsive website design company in Kuwait, your business can provide customers with a lightweight, easy to use, secure, and seamless user experience.