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Mobile Website vs. Mobile App: What is the Best Choice For Your Business in 2019

By James Tredwell on September 13, 2019

We must thank the world of technology and evolution as we are living in a world where 80% of internet traffic is owned by mobiles. Mobiles have become an essential part of our technological environment.

It has become mandatory for all businesses to include mobiles as an important part of their business and marketing as mobiles have become a business tool that offer several benefits.

Therefore, many businesses have to face a scene quite parallel to “The road not taken” by Robert Frost, which focuses on the choice between the mobile application and mobile website.

Mobile website and mobile applications both have pros and cons. Considering the B2B world, it is thought that a mobile website is more than sufficient to fulfill business requirements.

It opens new opportunities for purposes of marketing as the message can be pushed by notifications as a business desires. We can a clear advantage of the application in the frequency of usage, considering both time and numbers.

Mobile Websites

We must first understand the definition of a mobile website. A mobile website is basically a normal website which provides enhanced experience on mobile devices.

We don’t bear any separate expense for a mobile website. It is no longer a bonus in today’s world of technology. An enhanced web presence is provided by most technological platforms and content management systems which are responsive to the device from which is it accessed.

 Advantages of a Mobile Website

One of the most favorite advantages of a mobile website for many businesses is that it does not lead to any separate cost to be developed. Thus, the only cost required is for the development of an excellent website. There are other advantages as well in addition to this advantage.

There would be no problem for a properly developed website to fit comfortably into major operating systems, Android and iOS. It can settle itself comfortably with Google Chrome and Safari as well.

For the mobile website application that you have developed, there is no need for you to regularly push for any updates. Once the mobile website gets loaded, any change at the server level is going to take effect.

Rapid availability is another huge advantage of a mobile website. With a fast internet connection,  users can access the website whenever they desire unlike applications and the business does not have to be concerned about the application uninstalls.

Disadvantages of a Mobile Website

A mobile website has disadvantages with advantages as well. As much as we enjoy instant access to a mobile website, the moment a website is closed the access is lost.

The closing of the browser closes user’s access to the website as well as your access to the user. There is no possibility of understanding and calculating the behavior of a user once the person has lost access to the website.

These reasons might get us in favor or against mobile websites but we must not jump to conclusions.

Mobile Applications

Mobile applications have traveled a long way to gain importance. We have witnessed mobile application becoming an essential business of a few companies. For example, Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds game.

When we view the world of mobile applications for business after putting on our marketing goggles, building a mobile application might seem a great idea but it is a separate cost altogether. This might not appeal to a lot of businesses but it has massive benefits.

 Advantages of Mobile Applications

Designing the UI / UX is the biggest factor contributing to the cost of building a mobile application. However, this cost immediately returns to the business. UI / UX server not only makes it user-friendly but also restricts the user from quitting the product.

Mobile applications generally lead mobile websites in speed. The user does not have to wait too long while the vital elements of the app interface are loaded.

Availability of some basic features is also possible even when the device is offline. One advantage that mobile applications provide is pushing notifications. It is similar to having the authority to have access to your user whenever you want.

We have to make ourselves understand that the world of mobile applications is more like an ecosystem. Here many applications can communicate with one another to produce a business strategy which can be helpful ahead.

We are aware of how Google fit tags along many fitness-related applications which gather data about the calories and the steps taken.

Disadvantages of Mobile Applications

One of the biggest disadvantages of mobile applications would be the cost of development. Each platform requires a different mobile application and thus the disadvantage digs deeper.

We further need to choose the platforms for which we require to build the application. And this needs a separate cost.

It would be a great idea of developing an application and testing it with only one platform just as Instagram and Prisma as they worked only for the iOS ecosystem.

This plan, however, failed on the Android side. Development costs must be a concern for you when you talk about users of Windows Phone and Blackberries.

The mobile application has the value of the asset for the business and it needs to be installed. It requires a separated cost for the promotion and marketing of the app. Some businesses would be interested to keep their users connected without worrying about the involved cost while other businesses might be a little tight.

Final Words

We cannot present any clear verdict in relation to these two platforms as they both are continually evolving in competition.

However, it can be concluded that it all depends upon the nature of the business and the value calculation provided by the application in relation to the cost that was involved in its development. A mobile website is like a live-in relationship having to guarantee the length of the partnership.

On the other hand, an application is similar to married life having freedom of communication, sense of commitment and sense of security at both ends.

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