What is a Progressive Web App and Why You Need One?

What is a Progressive Web App and Why You Need One?

First, lets just say there no precise definition for a PWA, as its more of a concept than the actual technology. That said, the concept is pretty simple its a browser-based web application created using the latest web technologies to deliver a native app like experience to users on any device or channel mobile,desktop or of course the web.This concept isn't new, but something that has been in the works for years, progressively getting better as the web evolves into an even more powerful platform.

The best practices that are used to build PWAs make it possible to run these browser based web applications anywhere and have officially grown in popularity to give native mobile apps a run for their money. Why? Because as web technology has become more capable, it’s now possible to build once, run everywhere, and get the same level of performance across devices without having to code apps natively for each device. For example, PWAs can support offline or low-bandwidth operation using service workers can easily integrate with device features, like notifications, and are also able to be pinned to a user’s home screen to function as a real application instead of just a website.

This concept is especially intriguing to brands, large and small, who are looking for fast, inexpensive ways to tackle the idea of digital transformation. For the past several years, being “mobile first” has been a priority for organizations, but with a growing set of devices and new channels emerging frequently, it can be difficult to keep up with building natively for each of these outlets. That’s why major companies have invested in PWAs, seeing an increase in brand discoverability, engagement, usability, and so much more.

Now that you understand a little more about progressive web apps, let's see the benefits of the PWAs.

Responsive: PWAs can fit any type of form factor desktop, tablet, mobile, and any new technologies to come responding quickly to user interactions, such as scrolling or animation, seamlessly.

Fast: Progressive web apps are lighter apps, allowing them to load quickly while still providing the quality and functionality needed, no matter the network speed or connection. Need an example? Test out www.chennaihost.com versus its native app to see which loads faster on your device.

Affordable: Because PWAs work on any channel or device with native-like functionality, building a PWA can reduce overhead for businesses by allowing them to write one experience and deploy it anywhere. This allows companies to spend less than they would if they had to write for and support multiple codebases for each device, which can be resource, budget, and time intensive.

Discoverable: Users that become aware of your PWA can easily search and discover it via any search engine.

Fresh: PWAs help you avoid app store hassles, allowing you to easily deploy quick changes and updates directly to your app without having to navigate approvals.

Installable: Popup notifications on certain websites, as well as new device functionality, makes it possible to install PWAs with one click. Additionally, PWAs are lighter weight than native apps, taking up little space on devices.

SEO-friendly: Because PWAs are websites, every piece of content within the app is indexed and impacts your SEO. With the majority of searches being conducted on mobile devices, a PWA can more heavily impact your SEO optimization than a native app.

Engaging: With access to device functionality like push notifications, PWAs can now directly engage the user, when previously this was a native app only feature.

Reliable: No matter the device, network connection, or memory size, PWAs can flex to work across several circumstances to still provide good user experience, including offline support.

Secure: PWAs are served using HTTPS to ensure that the app and its content is always secure.

Shareable: Unlike apps on the app store, which don’t have easily shareable links, PWAs will always have a link associated, making them easy to market and share across channels with a simple link.

Native like: Because of the app shell model, PWAs now look and feel like an app on any device with native like interactions and navigation.

Developer friendly:  To build a PWA, developers only need to master the most popular languages HTML,CSS,and Javascript. Given that web developers are the most common type of developer, companies and individuals alike can leverage existing skills to build highly performant apps that run on any device, without the need for learning a device-specific language, like Objective C for iOS or Java for Android.

With the number of benefits above, it’s difficult to find a sound argument against PWAs as they have provided a necessary bridge for the gap between the reach of the web and the accessibility of mobile, creating the best of both worlds.

so knowing the benefits of the PWAs you must have got a basic idea, now most of the major companies are migrating into PWAs it's cost efficient and though we can have an appearance like a native app with a lot of benefits. if you need of a PWAs for your website contact us @www.srkitsolutions.com