The success of any small business is increasingly dependent on its online presence and user engagement. As technology has evolved, a relatively recent innovation known as a progressive web application (PWA) has emerged. PWAs may offer an enticing solution for small business owners looking to elevate their digital marketing platforms.
What are progressive web apps?
Progressive web applications blend the best of both web and native mobile applications (apps). They combine the reach and accessibility of a website with the seamless, app-like experience users expect.
Unlike traditional websites, PWAs leverage modern web technologies to deliver faster load times, offline functionality, push notifications, and an immersive user interface — qualities typically associated with native apps.
Note: A native app is an application that is developed for one particular mobile operating system, such as iOS or Android. Native apps are usually downloadable via app stores like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Main features of progressive web apps
01. Offline accessibility
Imagine your customers accessing your business website even when they’re offline or dealing with sporadic internet connectivity. PWAs make this possible by caching (storing for retrieval later) essential online resources like web pages and images. This lets users browse content, make purchases, or interact with your services regardless of their network status.
02. Responsiveness across devices
Whether your customers are using a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, PWAs adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes and device capabilities, ensuring a consistent and engaging experience.
03. Fast loading speeds
Speed matters. PWAs leverage service workers (see below) to cache content and reduce page loading times significantly. This swift loading enhances user satisfaction and boosts engagement.
04. Push notifications
PWAs can engage your customers proactively by sending push notifications (see below), just like a native app. You can inform them about new products, promotions, or important updates — driving traffic and encouraging repeat visits.
05. Installability
With progressive web apps, your customers can add your website to their home screens, enabling easy access with just a tap (see below). There’s no reason to visit an app store for a download.
06. Discoverability
PWAs can be crawled and indexed by search engines, enhancing discoverability and potentially attracting more visitors.
How PWAs can benefit small businesses
For small business owners seeking growth and customer engagement, a PWA can offer several advantages over a regular website:
Enhanced user experience: Faster load times, offline capabilities, and engaging functionality can elevate the user experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction and retention.
Cost-effective: Compared to developing separate native apps for different platforms, investing in a progressive web app reduces development costs while reaching a broader audience across devices.
Improved conversions: Whether it’s completing purchases, signing up for services, or interacting with your content, a fast, smooth, and user-friendly interface will translate into higher conversion rates.
Expanded reach and access: By being easily discoverable and accessible across various devices and networks, PWAs open doors to reaching a wider audience — including those with limited internet connectivity.
Implementing a PWA for your small business
Creating a progressive web application for your business website involves adopting modern web development practices:
Consultation and planning: Consider hiring a web development professional who specializes in PWA development. Discuss your business goals, user needs, and desired functionalities.
Development and design: Utilize frameworks and tools compatible with PWA development to ensure a consistent user experience across devices. Focus on responsive design, optimizing performance, and implementing push notification capabilities.
Testing and deployment: Thoroughly test your progressive web app on a variety of internet devices and network conditions to guarantee functionality and performance. Once validated, deploy your PWA online.
Promotion and user engagement: Encourage users to add your PWA to their home screens. Leverage push notifications when appropriate to keep them engaged and informed about your offerings.
How much do progressive web apps costs?
The big question. We looked around online and costs varied widely for the development of a custom PWA. Some price ranges we found:
- $10,000 – $25,000
- $10,000 – $100,000
- $15,000 – $120,000
- $15,000 – $150,000
- $40,000 – $50,000
To clarify, these prices aren’t for off-the-shelf applications. This is all custom software built to solve a specific problem. Unfortunately, these prices are typically out of the range for a small to midsize business.
So, what if you don’t need any custom programming? Suppose you have a simple website and just want to make your content available offline. Is that doable? Yeah, it is. Just don’t expect too much.
We’ve actually implemented PWAs on the WordPress platform using a popular free plugin, and our total fee for installation, configuration, and testing was less than $1,500. And although the functionality is pretty basic, it works well.
Note: We haven’t yet tried the paid version of this plugin (base price: $99/year) so we don’t know how it performs compared to the free version.
Despite the fact that prices are decreasing — and acceptance is increasing — we’ve still got mixed emotions about small businesses investing in progressive web applications.
On the one hand, they’re not terribly difficult to build and launch, and we think they’ve got a strong future.
On the other hand, they’re still hard to explain. Especially their use offline — A lot of functionality that seems buggy or broken is actually normal operation. Also, interacting with PWAs can be inconsistent across device manufacturers.
Summary
By providing a user-centric, app-like experience — while maintaining the reach and accessibility of a website — progressive web applications offer a compelling solution for engaging customers, driving conversions, and fostering business growth.
Remember, while the concept of PWAs might seem complex, their implementation can significantly elevate your business without the hefty investment typically associated with native app development.
But, as noted above, we’ve still got some reservations about progressive web applications. For many small businesses they’re still a solution looking for a problem.
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