It is the age of smartphone revolution. In fact, things are moving from smartphones to phablets, a combination of smartphones and tablets. With record 1.56 billion smartphones being shipped this year, business owners, professionals, and service providers of all kinds will certainly want to grab hold of the mobile market. There are two ways to make you presence felt in the mobilesphere. The first is to create an app and the second one is to create a mobile website.
Multi-device compatibility, which is a benefit of a mobile site over an app for businesses? It may seem to be a big reason in the favor of the former. However, mobile apps have their own set of advantages you cannot ignore.
So what is it going to be for your business? Find out in this guide.
Apps Vs Mobile Site
Both mobile apps and websites can be accessed on a mobile device. Mobile websites are similar to standard websites in being made up of HTML pages linked together that can be accessed over the internet. Mobile sites are designed keeping in mind the features, traits, and limitations of handheld devices. These sites follow the principle of responsive web design, ensuring that the site is rendered effectively on any screen. In addition to displaying textual content, images, video, and data, these sites can also access mobile features like click-to-call.
Apps are, however, different from websites in a number of ways. These are applications that need to be installed on your smartphone. They are not accessible through a web browser. Users will have to visit portals specific to their mobile’s operating system to be able to download the required apps.
Benefits of Mobile Apps
Now that you have a pretty good idea of the position of apps and websites, it is worth learning about the individual benefits of each one. Some of the key benefits of creating an app for your business are as follows:
i. Better Personalization: Apps allow you to deliver personalized communication to users based on factors like interests, behavior, location, and more. Besides, users can also be allowed to set their preferences from the very start.
ii. Use Mobile Device Features: Apps have a unique advantage of websites. They can have access to almost any feature in a mobile device. This includes the contact list, camera, GPS, and other features. This allows the user experience (UX) to be more engaging and interactive.
iii. Easier Notifications: Apps allows two different types of notifications to be sent to the end user. These are the push notifications and in-app notifications. Both provide a more engaging and less-intrusive way of communicating with users. This is a big reason you should use apps for your business.
There are many more reasons for investing in an app. Some of the most notable ones are as follows:
- Apps can work even in offline mode
- Their design and functionalities are not limited by browsers
- There is more branding flexibility
Studies show that users spend more average time on mobile apps than on mobile sites.
Benefits of Mobile Websites
Mobile websites are also important to a business in a number of ways. Find out the different reasons why your business or professional service will also need a mobile site:
i. Instant Availability: Websites are instantly available to users through a web browser. There is no need to download and install anything.
ii. Compatible: When it comes to mobile apps, it is required to develop one for a specific operating system. This is not an issue with mobile sites. You can create a single website that can be compatible with all mobile devices. Your target audience can access it on any device including an iOS, Android, Windows Phone or any other platform.
iii. Easier Discoverability: Websites can benefit from the power of SEO. This helps enhance the discoverability of your mobile site in your search engine results. Your site can also be listed in niche directories.
There are many more ways in which a mobile site can be beneficial for your business. Eventually, in the comparison between apps and websites, there is no clear winner. Your business can be a winner if you make the most of both these platforms in promoting and growing your business.
