What is a mobile website?

A mobile website is the version of a company’s webpage that’s formatted for use on mobile devices. Users can access your website by opening a web browsing app on their smart phone or other device. Mobile websites are optimized for use on a tablet or a phone,so they have a different aspect ratio and user interface compared to browsing on a computer.

What is a mobile app?

A mobile app is software users download onto their mobile devicesthat use an interface for accessing a product or service. Businesses develop apps to perform specific functions and may allow users to store and access business data without an internet connection. Mobile apps often contain have similar features as a mobile website, but usually have a more intuitive interface with advanced features and widgets.

Key differences between mobile websites and apps for business

The biggest difference between websites and apps is thatusers access websites through third-party software while apps are independent software applications. Users have to elect to download an app onto their device before they can use it to access information or features related to a business. Websites are hosted on web servers and are accessible from any mobile or desktop browser that has access to the internet.

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Advantages of using a mobile website

Common advantages to using a mobile website rather than a mobile app include:

• Immediate availability:Users can easily access your website on a variety of devices, like their computer, tablet or cell phone through their internet browser. Accessing an app from anywhere is often more challenging, as people typically only use it on certain devices after downloading and sometimes purchasing it on an app marketplace.
• Wider target audience:Websites are a great way to increase your search engine optimization results because you’re able to update it accordingly using SEO best practices to appear higher in search engine results.
• Longer lasting:Since a mobile website is connected to your standard website, you’re able to regularly update it accordingly to keep it running on users’ devices as long as possible. Most apps are more challenging to regularly update and typically last a shorter amount of time on users’ devices before being deleted.
• Cost-effective:Developing and maintaining a mobile website is typically less expensive than building and updating an app. It usually costs more to regularly upgrade, test and perform ongoing development efforts on applications than it is for websites.

Advantages of using a mobile app

Common advantages of using a mobile app rather than a website include:

• Regular usage:If customers need to regularly use your service on a daily, ongoing basis, they’re able to easily download your app and log in to your system to gain quick access to what they need.
• Notifications:Mobile apps allow you to easily send direct messages to users through push notifications if they grant you permission. You’re able to more effectively connect and interact with customers through these messages, essentially building a stronger relationship and regular communication with them.
• Interactivity:Apps are great for companies that want to give users a more interactive experience. Featuring a game or activity created by your company is a great way to help your app and company stand out from competitors.
• Offline accessibility:Most users can access your business’ information in your app, like hours, location, products and menu items when they’re offline and away from a functioning internet connection.

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Tips for deciding whether to use a website or an app for your business

Follow these tips to help you decide whether a mobile website or app is the best option for your business:

Build your budget

Meet with your accounting or financial teams to build your company’s budget and determine whether an app is an affordable option for your company to pursue. An app costs anywhere from $25,000 to $70,000to create, plus regular upkeep costs. Designing a mobile website usually costs between $100 to $3,000, depending on the size of your company, its lead generation goals and the website’s capabilities.

Think about whether building an app works with your current budget. If your business is still growing, consider sticking with a mobile website and creating an app later when you have a larger budget.

Consider your SEO goals

If your business is currently focusing on reaching a wider audience and appearing higher on search engine results, consider using a mobile website. You’re able to optimize your website using common SEO best practices, like inputting certain keywords, images and links throughout your site. This increases the likelihood that your target audience will find your business when browsing search engines.

It’s more difficult for apps to appear in search engine results, so it’s best to focus your efforts on optimizing your mobile site, rather than building an app, if SEO optimization and conversions are two of your main goals.

Determine your brand awareness objectives

Most customers find and interact with new brands by finding them on app marketplaces and downloading them. If you’d like to increase your brand awareness and attract new customers, building and listing your app on a store is a great way to do so. You’re also able to use features like push notifications to communicate with customers directly.

Customers also have the option to turn their geolocation feature on, which tells you where your audience is located to help you more accurately target them.

Types of roles that develop websites and apps

Whether you’ve decided that a website or app is the best option for your business, you’ll need to hire someone to develop, test and update this service. Types of role to consider include:

App developer

Application developers work closely with customers to create new apps and update current ones. They’ll assess users’ needs to customize these solutions accordingly, design prototype applications to present to leadership teams and troubleshoot current apps to modify them to enhance user experience.

Web developer

A web developer evaluates the needs of a company and its users to create codes, designs and layouts of websites. They’ll often provide updates to current websites to make them more user-friendly and easy to navigate. Web developers are proficient in many coding languages and use them to create websites that are both computer and mobile-friendly.

As you determine which option works best for your business, conduct research on your target audience. Learn how they prefer to view their content and how often they may need to access your site to use your service.