Deep dive into Progressive Web Apps

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are web applications that utilize modern web capabilities to deliver an app-like user experience. Besides that, they have several advantages to power up your web applications to reach more users, optimize conversion rates, and more. For most businesses (for example, e-commerce), it is crucial to implement PWA support or at least know about the existence of PWAs to fine-tune your web applications in a later stage to take the most out of your business.

If you want to see some statistics about businesses using PWA, there is a great resource showing the success of the businesses here.

Key Benefits of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

1. Cost-Effective Development
2. Native App-Like Experience
3. Improved SEO
4. Push Notifications
5. Independence from App Stores
6. Offline Functionality
7. Performance

These benefits are some of the important key benefits, which I will cover up each point in this article. However, we should not leave out the other benefits of PWAs: Discoverability, Automatic Updates, Minimal Disk Space Usage.

Cost-Effective Development

Implementing a PWA isn’t difficult; we are not splitting atoms or anything like that. By using web frameworks like Angular, it is very easy to integrate it into your existing web applications. By using just one command, your web application turns into a PWA. (This will be covered in another blog post.)

Also, depending on your business needs, PWA can be considered as a replacement for mobile apps. Therefore, you don’t need a dedicated Android team and iOS team.

Using PWA as a mobile app replacement would reduce a lot of costs. For example:

• Development Costs: Building a single PWA is generally cheaper than developing separate native apps for iOS and Android.
• Maintenance Costs: Maintaining one codebase is more cost-effective than managing multiple codebases for different platforms.
• App Store Fees: PWAs bypass app stores, saving on fees associated with app submissions and in-app purchases.
• Update Costs: With PWAs, updates are immediate and don’t require app store approval processes, reducing the cost and time associated with rolling out updates.
• Infrastructure Costs: PWAs often require less server infrastructure because they can leverage browser caching and service workers to handle requests more efficiently.
• Marketing Costs: With a single PWA, you can streamline your marketing efforts, targeting users on all devices with one campaign instead of multiple ones for different app platforms.
• Customer Support Costs: Supporting one application reduces the complexity and cost of customer service and technical support.

Native App-Like Experience

Creating a native app-like experience is one of the standout benefits of a Progressive Web App. It feels just like using a traditional app you’d download from the app store, but without the hassle. Once a user adds it to their home screen, a PWA runs full-screen, giving a seamless, immersive experience. The smooth transitions, quick loading times, and intuitive interfaces are all there. Plus, with functionalities like offline access and push notifications, users enjoy the same rich interactions they’ve come to expect from native apps. It’s like getting the best of both worlds – all the perks of a mobile app without the need for separate iOS and Android development teams.

Improved SEO

Having a PWA can significantly boost your website's SEO. Since PWAs are essentially web applications, they are indexed by search engines just like any other website. This means your content is more discoverable, and you can reach a larger audience. Google's mobile-first indexing also favors PWAs because of their fast loading times and mobile-friendly design. As a result, your site’s ranking improves, driving more organic traffic to your business.

Push Notifications

Push notifications are a game-changer for user engagement. With a PWA, you can send timely updates and reminders directly to your users' devices, even when the app is closed. This keeps your audience connected and engaged with your content. Whether it's a sale, new content, or a friendly reminder, push notifications help you stay at the forefront of your users' minds, driving repeat visits and higher conversion rates.

Independence from App Stores

By using a PWA, you free yourself from the constraints of app stores. There’s no need to go through the lengthy and often cumbersome approval processes of the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can deploy updates instantly without waiting for approval, ensuring your users always have the latest features and improvements. This flexibility allows you to move faster and adapt to changes more efficiently.

Offline Functionality

PWAs offer robust offline functionality, which is a huge advantage. Even when users don’t have an internet connection, they can still interact with your app. This is achieved through caching techniques that store essential resources and data locally. Whether it’s browsing content, accessing previously viewed pages, or using specific features, your app remains functional and keeps users engaged, no matter their connectivity situation.

Performance

Performance is a critical aspect where PWAs truly shine. They are designed to load quickly, even on slow networks. By leveraging modern web technologies like service workers and caching, PWAs ensure a fast, smooth, and responsive experience. This leads to higher user satisfaction and retention rates. Fast-loading apps also reduce bounce rates and improve overall user experience, making your business more competitive in the digital landscape.

Limitations of PWA´s

Ok, we have praised PWA for now. Of course, the limitations and disadvantages should not be ignored. We must divide these issues into the following. If PWA is to serve as a mobile app replacement, then the table below should be used as an evaluation. The table provides the distinction between Mobile Apps and Progressive Web Apps:

This table provides a clear distinction between Mobile Apps (Native Apps) and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) across various important aspects.

And below is the table highlighting the limitations and disadvantages of PWAs:

Conclusions

I hope the article has given you a clear vision about the technology, key benefits, and limitations.

Making optimal decisions in the software business is important and saves time and money.