Responsive Website Design
Should Your Business Opt For A Mobile App Or A Responsive Website Design?
Are you in a dilemma on whether to get a responsive website or just a mobile app for your online business? There are lots of factors that you should think about before deciding such as speed, cost, accessibility, advantages and much more.
What To Look Into Before Deciding On Mobile App Or Responsive Site?
The first thing that you have to check is if you want your site content to be accessible by mobile devices such as Tablets, Smartphone and Laptops. If so, what is most appropriate is a responsive website. If this is not required, then you can opt for a mobile app. Though many businesses are having a responsive site today, it is to be noted that a mobile app has particular advantages that cannot be obtained in a responsive website. One distinct feature is that the app can be accessed even if there is no internet connection. It can integrate with the phone and make use of phone-only features to bring in data or action into the app. For example, the app can use information from the phone to display location. The phone’s camera can be used to take pictures that can be uploaded to the app.
A responsive site requires that a user go to the browser to get access to its content. This can take a couple of seconds to do, which is absent in a mobile app. However, this disadvantage is offset by the fact that the site loads really fast and user is quickly taken to the desired page to read the content. Another advantage in a responsive site is that Google gives higher rankings to sites that have it than those that don’t, so it affects your sites PR a lot, which is very important for good online visibility, attracting quality traffic and generating sales.
Having a responsive site is most suitable if your business is small to medium scale and you really can’t spend that much time, effort and money in getting a mobile app. A responsive site enables you to catch customers while ‘on the go’ and catch people who are in need of the products or services that your brand is offering. The biggest advantage is that you will be able to get customers who are really in need for your products or services because most visitors arriving through their mobile devices are specifically seeking to do something. Hence, the intention to purchase is more so your sales figure will go up drastically. Another thing about mobile apps is that they have to undergo an approval process which is not present for a responsive site. Before you submit it to an app store it has to have the desired specifications. Often this pose a real problem for the app design which can in turn take time to change to get the required app launching approval.
Deciding whether to go in for a mobile app or responsive website also depends on your audience. if your audience consists of people want to search for products of services and will be shopping or entertaining themselves, what is required is a mobile app. On the other hand, if the audience is made up of people who want to read the latest news and information in your website, a responsive site will do.