Overview

This article will help you get a basic understanding of the Progressive Web App (PWA) technology as well as its benefits.

 Our Twisted G Smoke PWA Testimonial Video

Introduction

What is PWA?

One of the biggest emerging mobile technologies in the last several years has been Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). PWAs are an all-new user experience built into the most modern websites for the mobile-focused future. A Web App is a web-based app that users can access via their phone's browser. Web Apps are optimized for mobile devices, so they perform far better than full front-end sites. They're a great option for mobilizing existing websites and don't require any downloading.

• A Web App is not the same as a responsive website.
• A responsive website is a website that automatically changes to fit the device where the user is reading on.
• A Web App is a real app but simply does not "live" on the phone.
• Where responsive websites came before, PWA's provide fast, reliable, and engaging experiences blurring the line between native apps and the web.
• At Busca Apps, we're always looking to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to Mobile advancements, so Busca Apps’ PWA’s provides all of the following features:
  1. Push notifications.
  2. Improved speeds.
  3. Home screen installs support.
  4. Offline caching.
  5. Performance improvements and more.

The benefits of PWAs

• PWAs are immediately updated.
• PWAs take up less space on the user's devices.
• Progressive Web Apps will work in areas of low connectivity and certain characteristics will be cached for accessibility offline. However, similar to native applications, the internet is necessary for dynamic content.
• No developer account is required to publish the PWA
• PWAs maximize the capabilities of your app. The PWA-specific improvements work on almost every browser. We have also secured the commitment from all browsers to include support.
• PWAs are fully indexable, which means they can be discovered using web search engines. This feature improves your app's search-ability on the web.
• Other benefits include increased performance on poor data connections and immediate software updates

How can users access my PWA

• One option is to redirect your business's website to your PWA. Upon publishing your PWA app, you will receive an email containing a redirect script, which you need to add to the header of the front-end site's home page. When users visit your website, they can easily bookmark the page and save it on their device's home screen.
• PWAs are even more accessible than a native app, without the hassle of the app store! You can also convert the PWA link to a scan-able QR code, which you can send via email or add as a hyperlink.

Why PWAs are better than a native app

• PWAs are a step forward from the native mobile app. They have all the benefits of a downloadable app, without the friction that comes with it.
• PWAs can be built faster at a lower cost. The price that you can sell PWAs will be determined by the value you can drive for your business rather than the cost it takes to create them. For example, PWAs can be used to increase customer loyalty and engagement, bring in new customers via easy discoverability, and make sales through the app. The end price should be the same as the value it gives.
• The only difference is that PWAs do not appear in the App Store. You could arguably say that these drive a higher return on investment because the reduced friction allows for a wider audience of people to adopt them.
• While they diverge from the traditional app store, PWA's are actually more user-friendly, and easier to launch and adopt.
• Progressive Mobile Apps give the user the same experience as iOS and Android mobile apps without the added friction, download, headache, and costs.
• One of the biggest benefits is increased discoverability. While apps can be easily lost in hustle and bustle of the iTunes app store, PWA apps can be found via web search engines.
• PWA's are linkable/shareable
• PWA’s have low data requirements
• PWA’s improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• PWAs do not require updates.