REASONS WHY APPS ARE BETTER THAN WEBSITES (Apps Over Websites; Why?): The market of mobile apps is thriving wantonly, quelling the need for mobile users to spend more time on time-consuming websites. The conception of applications, heretofore, drove demand for them up, spiraling into an ample amount of apps introduced to the market quickly. Research shows that 500 apps were recorded to have been introduced to Apple App Store in 2008.
Ten years later, Tim Cook disclosed that 20 million iOS developers were registered, catering to 500 million weekly visitors in App Store alone. Simform, in one of its studies, totaled app usage in 2019; this report showed that 204 billion apps were downloaded, leaving us stunned at the whooping difference recorded in just ten years. According to eMarketer, as of 2019, an average person spends 90% on their mobile phones in apps than on websites. This finding proves that the rate at which mobile users get engrossed in the website has depleted considerably, focusing more attention on apps.
Clearly, users have grown to prefer apps over websites, and businesses have taken up a trend of developing apps along with websites, or forsaking sites, as the case may be. Why apps over websites?
Let’s divulge some of the reasons;
1. Personalization Acumen
An application incorporates personalized experiences and features needed by users to give them some sense of ownership and control over the app, whereas websites hardly have such features. Users get to set up their preferences and customize certain content on apps. Communication and content are tailored based on users’ interests, habits, location, age, gender, behavior, patterns, etc., with exceptional instinctive user experience (UX).
Through the set preferences and customizations, businesses can trail and observe user engagement and behavior, using it to propose custom updates and recommendations specifically for them.
2. Security Detail and Management
Security systems ensuring the highest level of protection possible often exist and are easily integrated by apps. Safety precautions/notifications for user content and personal details are put in place to shield confidential details from intrusion and being taken advantage of and to alert the user when such occurs—features such as data protection and management. App locks aid protection from intruders, giving users greater control over apps.
3. Convenient Usability and Accessibility
Where websites have to be assessed through browsers, with a series of unending webpages that have to be navigated via hyperlinks, an app is installed on a user’s mobile device, easily accessible on the devices menu screen and with just as little as a click one can effortlessly gain entry to contents/information, avoiding the complexity of websites. Taking a closer look at apps, different functions are created on a page and, as easy as a tap, get you to what is contained, whereas websites go through a long loading process. Furthermore, with personal details, customized settings, and usage history, just by the click of a button on your home screen, it takes you directly to what you need. By choosing to remain signed in, there’s, therefore, no need to go through the hectic task of logging in manually whenever you want to access the content.
4. User-friendly
Websites are confusing and relatively complex; navigating them often feels like treading a maze. An app, however, integrates simple layouts, naturally understandable structures, visuals, and even tutorials for first-time users.
5. Acceleration and Speed
Ever noticed the pace at which an app loads in comparison to how fast a website does? An app performs actions faster than a website can. Why? Websites use javascript codes, which are much slower than the framework apps use to perform their functions. The commands are interpreted in splits of seconds and carried out swiftly, where websites go under the guide of hyperlinks. Data retrieval, thus, happens at high acceleration in apps as opposed to websites.
6. Autonomous and Self-contained Domain
It is a known fact that websites take you through different pages after a whole lot of loading, and after that is done, your control over the last content is somewhat lost, having been linked somewhere else. The time spent waiting for a page to load can be averted by an app, which has all you need to be placed in the confines of that app. Very well, you might have to click to access the contents, but unlike websites, they open as you tap and return just as fast, without the tiresome system of loading.
7. One-off Access Online and Offline
Apps are installed and located on a user’s mobile device, smart and readily available and accessible for the possessor’s use. Websites, on the other hand, have to be accessed through a webserver/browser; a very cumbersome time-wasting system and internet connectivity are always required to perform their functions. That’s mostly not the case for apps, however, as they can still offer basic content to users even when in offline mode.
8. Extra Mobile Device Features
Apps make it easier to integrate utility features of mobile devices such as cameras, GPS, phone calls, contacts, compasses, etc., to make the user experience more fun and engaging. They lessen the exertions users have to go through and shorten the time used to perform a task, herewith boosting effectiveness. For instance, in sending a resume for an interview, an app can give you fast-track access to your documents on your device where the file is stored. Websites are limited in bringing multimedia to users.
9. Better Communication, Interaction, and Engagement
These utility staples allow for ease of interaction with users in a less meddling manner. There is an increased scope for interactive experiences, running within an interfacing environment, allowing users the ease to become immersed in the experience. These experiences create more ways for users to become a part of the apps’ content by interacting with the components of these contents. Habits are built with time as users continue to engage and associate with tasks on these apps, making such activities a part of them. Also, businesses have ease in sending notifications, using either push-in or in-app notification strategies.
10. Maintaining a Brand Presence
Once an app is installed on a user’s mobile device, there is a near-continuous reminder that such a business exists every time the user gets to see it. People spend a substantial amount of time on their mobile devices and can easily get to encounter applications on them. The icon of apps serves as a miniature advertisement of the brand or business they represent, helping to influence users’ perception of the brand subconsciously. As a website, a business can be easily forgotten since the only access to the site is a browser. Meaning, that no recollection of the website leads to no recollection of the brand.
11. Boost Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Potential
In-app content is not overlooked by Google or search engines in general. In fact, when optimized, your in-app content can rank higher than that of a website. App indexing allows search engines to catalog your app content through deep links. Also, as an app’s users grow, the app garners an advantage and gets boosted for SEO by optimizing the app title, keyword, category, description, etc. Along with these dynamic success metrics; velocity, download volume, ratings/reviews, volume/quality, etc., an app can rank high on search engines.
12. Financial Productivity
Apps are great avenues to steer up finances for businesses. Downloads may take little, but subscription packs are the financial pools. Some businesses make apps run for free, but they input specific functions that can only be unlocked when paid for. When users enjoy using the apps and get to a point when they need that function, they have no other choice but to pay for them. Apps can also make money from running adverts, campaigns, promotional videos, etc.
Conclusion
In conclusion, apps have proved more effective and efficient in retaining and engaging users in content in a way websites can not. Websites are gradually lagging behind, as research, over time, has demonstrated. Yet, businesses have to consider certain business needs and scenarios specific to them when considering what avenue to use as a business tool. Choices should be made depending on the business/marketing strategy/goals to be met and the business’s brand positioning.
Platforms like social media/network, ticketing, order placement, carpooling, virtual markets, etc. that require access to features like images, texts, videos; Interactive games, tools for tracking daily and real-time progress, reminders, data management, report building, banking operations, and so on have a better chance on apps than websites. However, the fact remains that as information-based technologies keep evolving, apps will get increasingly influential, and although websites cannot be completely erased, apps will override their significance as time goes on.
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