17:13 23.07.2020

Got Room for Business Improvement? Web-apps to the Rescue!

4 min read

Everyone and their grandmother insist your business needs a website, and you’re finally looking into it. Stop before you make a mistake and lose profit! A web application might be a much better option for your company and as much of an online presence booster as a website. Let’s unpack the differences between the two and identify the best approach for your business needs.

The Crucial Differences Between Website and Web Apps

At first glance, sites and apps look much the same once they load in the browser. Both rely on a user interface and operate in a familiar way. It might take you a moment to tell the difference, so let’s go over the crucial ones.

Business Value

Websites can serve multiple functions, including:

· Building brand recognition
· Offering goods and services
· Collecting clients’ and prospects’ contact information
· Communicating with customers via blog posts or live chat messages

Therefore, a site is perfect for retail businesses, consulting agencies, portfolios. Think of a website as a virtual storefront or an online business card.

On the other hand, web apps add a new layer to customer interaction and help generate a revenue stream regardless of the physical or digital products or services you sell. Monetization strategies vary and include anything from one-time fees to subscription plans and even white labels.

Customer Experience

Wikipedia is a website, as well as the virtual edition of The New York Times. We are so used to navigating the web; there’s no question where to look for a menu bar or a homepage button. Your clients can access the site from any device, mobile or desktop, as long as you’ve implemented responsive design to make the mobile experience less painful. However, online stores are rarely comfortable to use on smaller screens, and most businesses end up giving up on mobile traffic or creating native apps in the end.

Web apps require user input to generate the desired output. For instance, YouTube lets users upload and edit videos or hold live broadcasts. You can add videos to playlists, like, and comment. Without user interactions and input, it would be a streaming service; instead, it’s the most popular video app. Zoom, Skype, Google Docs are all web app examples used by millions of people daily.

Apps take some getting used to, as their controls aren’t always obvious or intuitive. Moreover, web apps can work via a browser on mobile devices, but most users prefer native or progressive apps, and the latter are an increasingly popular choice among business owners.

Development Technicalities

While seemingly complex, most sites rely on a limited number of technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You can create a simple website using a free online builder or hire an outsourcing IT vendor to do the job for you. Check out Analysis by Paul Belogour to learn more about the benefits of professional full-cycle development instead of ready-made and DIY solutions.

Web apps rely heavily on the back end to deliver solutions to users’ problems; therefore, they require deeper technical knowledge. Most apps use the same web technologies as sites, coupled with PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, Django, among other languages, frameworks, and libraries. Instead of wasting months trying to DIY an app, it’s much easier to employ a professional team and Harness Paul Belogour’s IT and Business Know-How.

A web app might seem redundant if your company has a website, but it can add incredible value to your offers, even if you don’t monetize the app directly. Apps solve problems, and that’s what most people are looking for. Help them achieve this goal, and they will turn from app users into paying customers!

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