Mobile Site vs Mobile App: Which is Best for Your Business?
If you haven’t already, it’s time to start thinking about building a mobile platform for your business. With the growing ubiquity of smartphone and tablet use, more people are accessing the internet from mobile devices than ever before. In fact, in 2017, more users browsed the internet from mobile devices than desktops or laptops, and more than 80% of Americans own and use mobile devices capable of accessing the web. The important question is not whether you should migrate to mobile, but how?
If you’re planning to establish a mobile presence for your business or organization, one of the first considerations that will likely come to mind is whether you want to create a mobile website or mobile application, or perhaps both. From cost to speed and accessibility, mobile apps and mobile websites are very different, and determining which is best suited to your business depends on what it aims to accomplish from its presence on mobile devices.
What is the Difference?
Before you can evaluate the benefits of a mobile website vs. an app, it’s important to understand the key differences between the two. A mobile website is essentially the same as any other website – it uses browser-based HTML pages that can be accessed by handheld devices and tablets. Unlike a website built for desktop, however, mobile sites are designed for much smaller handheld displays and touch-screen interfaces. Larger buttons and calls to action for finger tapping, increased the spacing between elements to avoid tap conflict, and quick load times are all examples of elements that are included on a mobile-optimized website. Increasingly, responsive web design is becoming the new standard for websites that are not only mobile-friendly, but that can scale to any sized device – from desktops down to tablets and smartphones.
Mobile apps are actual applications that are downloaded and installed on your mobile device, rather than being rendered within a browser. Users visit device-specific app marketplaces such as Apple’s App Store or Android’s Google Play in order to find and download apps for a given operating system. The app may pull content and data from the Internet, in a similar fashion to a website, or it may download the content so that it can be accessed without an Internet connection.
Mobile Website
There are three main ways to approach building a mobile website:
- You may create a separate mobile website with its own URL that redirects mobile visitors when they attempt to reach your site from a mobile device.
- Instead of redirecting mobile visitors, you may use CSS files to make your desktop URL available to mobile users.
- Using responsive web design, you may create a website that adapts to browser window width.
Here at S9 Digital, we always recommend responsive websites to our clients.
Responsive web design optimizes your website for any screen size, whether on a mobile device or desktop, and it allows your site to react to any window size customizations done by the user. Also, Google recommends responsive design as a best practice for SEO when building websites for smartphones, as Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in its rankings.
Advantages:
Responsive websites have several advantages over native mobile apps. The first is that responsive websites are significantly easier to develop and maintain. While a new app must be developed for each mobile operating system, you can create a single responsive website that users can reach from any device. Designing a website optimized for mobile is also much more cost-effective, and it is often included in the cost of building a new website.
Responsive website design also does not require you to go through an approval process to publish your content. While it is obviously important to do a thorough QA process of a website before it is released, a responsive website is not subject to review by others in order to get approval. This outside review process is required for anyone who is trying to get their app into the app store and can sometimes pose serious issues for mobile app design.
One of the most important advantages of mobile websites is the fact that websites attract much larger audiences than apps. According to a recent Morgan Stanley report, the web drives two times the site traffic of apps. This is due to the fact that a company’s mobile site is intimately connected with all of its marketing activities, including email, SEO, social media, etc. A business’ mobile app is not nearly as richly connected. This interconnectivity not only allows websites to reach more people than apps, it also means that mobile websites provide a more consistent brand experience across different channels and devices.
Drawbacks:
While responsive websites are easier to develop and are capable of reaching more users, they cannot rival an app’s ability to create an engaging, high-performance user experience. Compared to native apps, responsive websites often suffer from poorer performance on mobile devices. Even the best mobile website design is at the mercy of the networks being used to access it. Often the network access, quality, and speed vary from location to location.
Compounding the speed issue is the fact that mobile users are much more demanding than those viewing your site on a desktop, as they’re usually on the go and looking for a quick answer. A desktop user at home will not be put off by an extra click here and there when a usability issue is encountered. A mobile user, however, will leave your mobile website if it’s difficult to navigate or if the loading process takes too long.
Mobile websites also lack the ability to access and employ all of a mobile device’s features (camera, GPS, etc.). This makes it more difficult to create an experience that fully engages your users. In addition, some businesses (such as Uber) may provide a service that depends upon access to a mobile device’s GPS or camera, and they may find that a responsive website is insufficient for their needs.
Another significant downside of mobile sites is the fact that it can be more difficult to track user behavior. Because mobile websites aren’t as interwoven with customers’ devices, a business simply can’t leverage all of the important data about key demographics that mobile apps are able to gather.
When You Need One:
Nearly every business needs a mobile website, especially businesses that consumers are likely to search on the go. This includes restaurants, retailers, entertainment venues, etc. People can already view your website on a mobile device; however, it likely doesn’t look very good because it’s not designed and optimized for mobile. Individuals need to be able to navigate your website easily, and they need it to perform efficiently on a mobile device so that they can quickly find the information that they are looking for. If you’re a small business with a limited budget or want to offer mobile-friendly content to the widest possible audience, a responsive mobile website is the best way to go.
Mobile App
A native mobile app is written in the language of the operating system of the device it is installed on – Android, iOS, etc. These apps are usually downloaded from an online store – the Apple App Store on iOS or Google Play on Android – and installed directly on the device. They exist outside of an individual’s browser, and they have their own icon on that person’s mobile home screen.
Advantages:
Responsive websites require an internet connection and a static, navigational user interface that reflects your overall website design. A mobile app, on the other hand, can be accessed after installation without using an internet connection. Mobile apps allow businesses to be connected directly to a user’s mobile phones at all times. This gives businesses access to users that a responsive website is simply unable to provide.
Furthermore, apps can also leverage a device’s features, information, and hardware, such as location services, camera, and vibration notifications. Effectively using these features allows an app to be more connected to a user’s everyday experience with their phone in ways that a responsive website cannot. Native apps also generally have a friendlier UX design than mobile websites. Rather than being redesigned to fit a mobile platform, they are built specifically for mobile audiences from the very beginning. According to a recent study, 85% of participants said they prefer mobile apps to mobile websites, and their preference was found to be due to reasons such as speed, convenience, and ease of use.
Native mobile apps have inherent advantages over mobile-optimized websites in terms of engagement. Out of a sample of 56 million people, 65% of impressions with a business on mobile devices came from a mobile browser while only 35% came from mobile apps. However, app users consume 2.4 times more impressions with a single brand on average. This means that while a mobile website might increase exposure to your business, mobile apps will drive engagement with individual users and increase the amount of time they spend in contact with your business.
Drawbacks:
Creating, publishing, publicizing and maintaining apps can be much more costly and time-consuming than managing a mobile website. You will have to create the same app several times for each operating system, as each app must use the native programming language of the device: Java (Android), Objective-C (iOS), and Visual C++ (Windows Mobile). This can be a tedious process, and you can receive a lot of pushback from audiences who may be frustrated if they can’t yet access your app on their particular device.
Another long-term drawback is the app store process. If you want to reach people who use Apple and Android products, you’ll have to submit your app for approval in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The guidelines for acceptance into app stores are not written in stone, and as they change, you will have to make sure your app stays in compliance with the rules. Also, any changes in functionality or design that are made to the app require the user to update them manually rather than automatically. The need for apps to be downloaded and updated manually means that many users will be operating on different versions.
Additionally, most businesses require a website as well as an app, so understand that if you decide to build an app (unless you’re planning on forgoing websites altogether, which is inadvisable), you will also need to create a mobile website.
When You Need One:
If you’re developing a game, an e-commerce shop, or an app that serves a very specific purpose that cannot be effectively accomplished via a web browser, the native app option is ideal. Also, if you already offer a popular web-based service, a native mobile app may be a worthwhile investment, as it will provide tremendous performance benefits over using the mobile web. The fact that apps can interface with a device’s features and be accessed without an internet connection makes them excellent choices for companies seeking greater engagement with their mobile users.
Which Should Your Organization Choose?
Understanding what your customers are looking for from your mobile platform is a great way to help decide whether a mobile app or a mobile website is better for your business. If you have an audience that is simply trying to connect with your business and find information about your service, the accessibility, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness of mobile websites makes them much better choices than native apps. If your audience is trying to search for your products or services and shop or entertain themselves, a mobile app is almost certainly the way to go. However, it’s important to remember that the two options are not mutually exclusive. Many successful organizations have both a mobile-friendly public website for their general web presence and a downloadable native app to accommodate more specific requirements.
Ultimately, choosing between a mobile app and a mobile website comes down to what your business is trying to achieve with its mobile presence. Understanding the strengths of both mobile websites and mobile apps in terms of how they relate to your digital transformation goals will allow you to implement a mobile strategy that best suits your organization’s needs.
Need help deciding which mobile platform is right for your business?
At S9 Digital, everything we do is mobile first. Our mobile and app development teams create tailor-made design packages that reflect your vision and business objectives. To enhance your online presence, contact the experts at S9 Digital today and set up your FREE consultation!
