What is PWA?

It was around 2015 that progressive web apps came into existence. Progressive websites are basically websites with a few key additions. PWA will make a website look and feel like a native mobile app. It is an amalgamation of all the best features of websites and native apps. These apps can make the online experience smoother and easier.

If you key in a website URL in a mobile browser and the link opens like a mobile app without asking you to download an app, it is actually a progressive website app in action. Twitter is an example of a great progressive web app.

Reasons to Build a Progressive Web App

There are enormous advantages to building a PWA. Let’s go through some of the major ones.

1. Connectivity and faster page load

Many users will abandon a website that takes more than a few seconds to load. Speed is very crucial for your business. With pre-caching, PWAs load fast even with poor connectivity on mobile devices. By keeping all the minimum things and eliminating the rest, PWA gives much faster response than a native app. The better the page load, the more time the user will spend on the page.

2. Reduces data needs

Caching reduces the data transfer needs of the app. Fewer API requests will reduce the need for server capacity and bandwidth to support the application. So your customers will need to use less of their mobile plan. Also, PWAs take less storage space, so users are more likely to download them.

3. Keeps updating on use

The more times the web app is used the experience gets better for the user as PWA keeps updating itself.

4. Better for SEO

Search engines view PWAs as websites and fully index them. PWAs is just a website, so users can share their links. That combined with an optimized backlinking strategy can boost SEO rankings considerably.

5. Easily discoverable

Search engines can easily find your content due to service workers. As PWAs aren’t downloaded via app stores, there is less friction for users to install the app. There is no need for you to build and submit for review to market separate apps for iOS and Android etc. It is easier for the users to also install a PWA.

6. Reduces development costs

PWAs use standard web technologies like CSS, Java, HTML. These can be easily done by front-end developers. Also, it is much cheaper to upgrade your existing website with PWA features than creating a native app from scratch. Any updates you make are instant without needing a review from google or apple.

7. Responsive website and cross-platform availability

PWAs are designed to work on whichever devices users have from tablets, desktops, or phones. Since PWAs are built on the idea of progressive enhancements, they focus first on core content and features. More advanced features are available if the user’s browser and internet connection meet the necessary conditions.

8. Can send push notifications and alerts

PWAs can send push notifications once the users allow them. Notifications can be sent at any time, even if the web browser isn’t open. These can help improve customer engagement, generate repeat traffic and drive sales.

9. Credential management API

It is difficult to remember a lot of passwords. No one also has the time to sign up on a site, fill in all the details, wait for authentication, and so on. To avoid all these, users can now be auto-sign in every time the user opens the web app. Once you sign up on a website and save the credentials, it automatically opens your account when you open the website on any other device.

This is possible since the credential management API saves the credential API and automatically authenticates and allows you to sign up on different devices without typing.

10. Simplify web payments processing

With native apps, eCommerce stores are limited in choosing a payment provider but with a PWA you can take advantage of the APIs which are available under the open Web Payments standard. This simplifies the payment process for the customers and allows you to choose a payment service of your choice.

11. Website security

PWAs communicate over HTTPS by having an SSL certificate installed on their server. The SSL certificate creates a secure and encrypted connection between the app and the server. This ensures security and keeps the user information safe and secure.

SDI can play a vital role and build a PWA for your eCommerce store. Our team is quite well versed and has created numerous apps for varied businesses all of which have been quite successful in the market. We would like to help your business by developing a progressive app that is a winner.

Contact us today to help your business achieve its full potential. Call us at +1.408.621.8481 or email us at team@sdi.la