When you’re trying to create a mobile presence for your business, you have two options- building a mobile website or a native application. But the question arises; which one of them is best suited for your business. In this blog, I’d like to explore the performance differences between both, while discussing them individually. We will also see what to keep in mind while making a website or a native app.

Mobile websites

These are websites, rendered for smartphones. These websites can be easily found and accessed from your mobile device via various browser applications. Firstly, these websites are easy to load as they are specifically designed that way. They represent a product or company by providing information. These can be customised to guide users, and to publish various updates easily. Mobile websites are like modern visiting cards; the better one is made, the more chances there are of your company attracting user attention. These websites have a broader reach. With mobile websites users have instant access via various devices for eg. iPhone, Blackberry, android and the compatibility issues are almost none. Also, the content from a website can be easily shared by publishers and between users. Making and upgrading a website is cheaper and easier than making a native app.. Websites are ideal for business trying to spread awareness about their products or company. Also, if you have developed mobile application for your service, you can promote it via your website to get more traffic. But, As the complexity of services and customer interaction grows, websites tend to get heavier and start showing glitches like increased loading time. The interface may not be ideal for many mobile users in websites for carrying out transactions. Also, if you have a service that requires users to visit your page, it can dissuade them from coming as it is much easier and simpler to open up an app for that. For eg. Booking a ride with Uber, you directly open up your app to book a cab in seconds. Doing that via websites would take you longer, and the experience is not the same as it would be with an app.

Native Apps

Native apps are made keeping in mind a specific complex purpose which cannot be accomplished with a just a website. These apps are made keeping in mind the preferences and likes of the target audience. Even the simplest native app is more complex than any website. You can directly download and install these apps on your mobile devices with the help of Internet. There is no need of additional softwares like browsers. Apps are made for various mobile platforms such as iOS, Blackberry, and Android. These devices can get content directly from the Internet or in some cases the content can be downloaded for offline use. After Mobile App development, these apps can be found on their respective stores i.e. Apple store for Apple devices, Android Market for android devices and Blackberry app world for blackberry devices. These applications usually have better graphics and provide a much better user experience.

But it doesn’t mean that if you have an app your business will automatically start growing. You should first establish that there is, infact, a userbase that you can benefit with your app. Otherwise, going for a native app can just turn out to be a waste of your money.

COMPARISON

It is a question of what your goals are. If you want to market and advertise your services, websites make much more sense than apps. But, after you’ve established a good user base, making an application is ideal. Webpages are to establish and maintain a presence for any business. Through these webpages you can interact with your customers and inform them about news, events or updates. You can manage and share content easily. But if you have a specific task to accomplish, you should get an app.

For eg. Imagine You have a travel agency. If you want to advertise and promote your services, you use your website presence to publish blogs and articles. You can Post regular updates on special packages.
Along with that, you can build an app that can help users in booking tickets and different packages easily.

CONCLUSION

The website has purposes different than an app. But statistically, users spend 70% of their time on applications. So, if you really feel that your business can use an application for mobile users, it is the better option between a mobile website and a native app. If you can, you should figure out a way to use them both strategically to drive your business.