Trying to make a decision between utilizing the power of a dedicated mobile app versus using a mobile website can be very difficult. Many business owners struggle with this decision and it’s no wonder, as both mediums present distinct advantages and disadvantages.
In this last few years mobile apps have taken off and are continuing to take up more and more of consumers’ precious time. However, in the same breath consumers are more likely to buy from mobile websites than they are mobile apps. So, once again the goals of your business will help to direct the decision you can make.
The best investment would be to get your feet in both realms. However, if you don’t have the funding this option will be unlikely. Lucky for you, we’ve taken the liberty to break down the pros and cons of each platform, so you can decide which mobile platform best suits your business’s needs.
The Deciding Differences Of A Mobile App
Mobile apps are dedicated smartphone applications that serve a very specific need. If you have a smartphone, it’s almost guaranteed you have pages of these apps installed already.
Mobile apps have very similar functions to mobile websites, however they give business owners the unique advantage of having guaranteed real estate on a user’s device. This can help business owners establish a presence on the user’s device, as opposed to the more fleeting nature of a mobile website.
Even though a user won’t obviously always be on their mobile device using the app, you can still remain in their frame of mind through push notifications, which can inform you about their preferences and help to improve the user’s life.
As a whole, dedicated mobile apps enable a smoother interaction with the user and can encourage greater brand and business familiarity through repeated use.
However, mobile apps can be much more expensive and take much more time to develop and launch. Mobile apps require much more research and even an entirely new marketing plan, as launching a successful app is very different to launching an app with little or no splash in the marketplace.
Another big decision to consider is having multiple iterations of your app across multiple operating systems. Right now, the largest app environments are for OS X and Android. So, you’ll want to consider developing apps across these two operating systems, as well as any others that might come to the surface. Taking note of your analytics data can help decide which operating system you will use for your initial launch. You can always start on one OS and expand to others as your app grows.
As mobile apps require more in-depth development you’ll also need to factor in continued maintenance and app upgrades, which can also be costly and time consuming.
If you can address a very specific need with your audience a mobile app is the recommended course of action, but if you you’re looking for a more broad solution then you may want to look elsewhere.
What Can A Mobile Website Do For Me?
The main benefit of a mobile website has to do with making regular websites more accessible on mobile devices. If you have a website that isn’t geared towards mobile devices there’s a good chance it’s going to display poorly on the unique screen size of a mobile device.
If you have a ton of traffic coming through the mobile web and your website isn’t optimized properly, then you’re most likely missing out on potential conversions. Mobile websites have similar features to a regular website, but they are optimized for smaller screen sizes, and allow for a better user experience across the device.
Essentially, mobile websites allow for more freedom and accessibility, as your mobile website will be easily read across any mobile device.
Mobile websites are also broken down into dedicated mobile websites and responsive websites. Dedicated mobile websites are separate iterations of your regular website and contain a separate design and set of code. The more common option is having a responsive website which adjusts itself automatically to the screen size it’s presented upon.
Some unique app-like elements can also run through a mobile website, which can be cheaper and easier to test. For example, you can play mobile casino games at Euro Palace just as you would within a dedicated gaming app.
Overall, mobile websites can be a cheaper alternative and can provide a similar experience to most mobile apps.
Understanding Your Core Needs
None of this matters if you don’t take the time to really nail down your core needs for addressing the mobile aspect of your market in the first place. A lot of people simply assume that mobile is the way to go, because that’s the direction the market is heading.
Or, they might see their peers building a dedicated mobile app and start to think that’s what they want to do as well. The worst way to make a decision about your mobile app or mobile website is under pressure. Instead, it should come from a deep understanding of your customers’ needs and how you can better serve them across the mobile platform.
For starters, you’ll want to actually make sure that your customers use their phones, and that you’ll be able to reach them on their mobile devices. You can do this with simple analytics tracking. When combing through your data keep an eye out for how your current website users or your new visitors access your website.
This can give you crucial data as to what operating system to focus on for app development, and if you even need to place any effort in the mobile spectrum to begin with. Even though mobile is surely the future there are some niches that cater to older demographics that are better off waiting for their market to adopt mobile devices, as opposed to being too far ahead of the curve.
If they’re using their phones to access your site, or you see an untapped need to be filled with your mobile app idea then by all means start moving forward.
In the end, when making the decision you’ll need to take note of your business goals, your analytics data, and your customer’s needs. By then the answer should be clear.
Written by Gareth Monet.