The short answer: For most businesses, build a mobile-friendly website first. It reaches everyone with a phone, needs no download, is found through Google and costs less to build and maintain than an app. Build an app when customers will use your service often, when you need features that only an app can offer, such as push notifications or deep use of the camera or GPS, or when you have already proven demand through your website. An app is a bigger commitment than it looks.
"Our competitor has an app. Do we need one too?" It is one of the questions business owners ask most often in 2016. Smartphones are everywhere, and the app stores are full of success stories, so an app feels like the natural next step.
But an app and a mobile website are different tools for different jobs, and building the wrong one first can cost a lot of money and time. This article explains the differences in plain words, shows how to decide, and gives a sensible plan for starting small.
What Is the Difference?
- A mobile website is a website that works well on a phone. Visitors open it in the phone's browser by tapping a link or searching on Google. Nothing needs to be installed. (If you want the basics, read Why Your Business Needs a Responsive Website in 2016.)
- A mobile app is a program that people download from an app store, such as Google Play for Android phones or the App Store for iPhones. It lives on the phone, has its own icon and can use the phone's features.
Mobile Website, Native App and Hybrid App Compared
| Mobile website | Native app | Hybrid app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A responsive website | An app written for one platform, such as Android or iPhone | An app built with web technology and wrapped for each platform |
| Who can use it | Anyone with a browser | Only people on that platform who install it | People on the platforms you publish for, after installing |
| How people find it | Google search, links and Facebook | App store search, and your own marketing | App store search, and your own marketing |
| Installation | None | Download and storage needed | Download and storage needed |
| Phone features (camera, GPS, notifications) | Some | Full access | Most, through plugins |
| Cost to build | Lower | Highest, because each platform is built separately | Medium |
| Updates | Instant for everyone | Users must update the app | Users must update the app |
| Works offline | Limited | Yes, if designed for it | Yes, if designed for it |
| Best for | Information, marketing, enquiries, simple shops | Daily-use tools, games, demanding features | Simple apps that must be on both platforms |
Hybrid apps are made with tools such as Apache Cordova (also known as PhoneGap) and Ionic, which let developers reuse web skills. Frameworks such as React Native and Xamarin are another route. Each has trade-offs, and you should ask a developer which fits your project.
Why Most Businesses Should Start With a Website
1. More people can reach it
A website works on any phone with a browser, whether it is Android, iPhone or something else. An app only reaches people who own the right type of phone and are willing to install it.
2. Installing an app is a big ask
Customers must find your app, trust it, download it, wait for it to install and give it space. On many phones, especially lower-priced ones, storage is limited, and mobile data costs money. Many people will simply not bother, particularly for a business they have never used before.
3. People find websites through Google
When someone searches for what you sell, Google shows websites. It does not show your app unless the person already knows to look for it in the store. A mobile-friendly website, as I explain in Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?, also gets a boost in Google's mobile results.
4. It is cheaper to build and easier to maintain
A responsive website is one project. A native app for Android and iPhone is two. Both platforms change their rules and their systems regularly, and you must keep the app working. App store developer accounts also have fees: Google Play charges a one-time registration fee, and Apple charges an annual fee for its developer programme, so check the current amounts.
5. You can update it instantly
If you change a price or fix a mistake on your website, every visitor sees it at once. With an app, each user must download the update.
When Does an App Make Sense?
An app is worth considering when:
- Customers will use it often, such as every day or every week. A banking, delivery tracking or ordering tool is a good example.
- You need phone features, such as the camera, GPS location, contacts or push notifications, that a website cannot use as well.
- It should work without a connection, or with a poor one.
- You want to build loyalty, with an icon on the home screen and messages you can send directly.
- The app is the product, such as a game or a specialised tool.
- You have already proven demand. Your website is busy, customers ask for an app, and you know what they would do with it.
When Is a Website Enough?
A website is usually enough when:
- Customers visit rarely, for example to check your services, prices, address or opening hours.
- The main goal is enquiries, bookings or orders.
- You want to be found by new customers through Google.
- You have a small budget and want to start soon.
For a restaurant, clinic, shop, school, consultancy or local service, a good mobile-friendly website with clear contact buttons does almost everything an app would do.
A Sensible Plan
- Build a good mobile-friendly website first. Make it fast and easy to use on a phone.
- Watch how customers use it. Look at Google Analytics, which pages they visit and what they ask you for.
- Ask customers what they would want from an app. Do not guess.
- Choose one or two core features. A small app that does one job well beats a large one that does everything badly.
- Pick the platform your customers use. Check which phones they own. In many markets, including Bangladesh, Android phones are more common than iPhones, so Android is often the first choice.
- Plan the marketing. An app does not sell itself. You will need to tell customers it exists and give them a reason to install it.
- Budget for upkeep. Plan for updates, fixes and support after launch.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Building an app because a competitor has one. Start with what your customers need.
- Building for every platform at once. Begin with the one that matters most.
- Putting everything in the first version. Launch with a small set of features and improve it.
- Forgetting the website. The website remains the place where most new customers find you.
- Underestimating the cost of maintenance. An app that is not updated gets worse, and users delete it.
- Making an app that is only a copy of your website. If it does not offer something extra, nobody will keep it.
A Quick Decision Checklist
- Do customers use my service every week or more often?
- Do I need the camera, GPS or push notifications?
- Does it need to work offline?
- Do I already have a good mobile-friendly website?
- Do I know what customers want from an app?
- Can I afford to build it and to maintain it for years?
- Do I have a plan to get people to install it?
If you answered no to most of these, build the website first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an app better than a website for my business?
Not automatically. It depends on how your customers behave. For most businesses, a mobile-friendly website is the better first investment. An app can come later if there is clear demand.
How much does an app cost?
There is no single price. The cost depends on the number of features, the platforms, the design, and whether it needs a server and an admin system. Ask for a written scope and a quote that includes the cost of maintenance, and compare it to a website that does the same job.
Do I need both an Android and an iPhone app?
Not at the beginning. Choose the platform most of your customers use. You can add the other one once the first version succeeds.
Can I turn my website into an app?
Some tools wrap a website inside an app, but the result is often disappointing and may not meet the app stores' standards. A good app is designed for the way people use phones. It is better to decide what the app should do and design it for that purpose.
Will having an app help me rank on Google?
No. Google's results for most searches show websites. An app can help you stay in touch with existing customers, but it will not replace a website for finding new ones.
What if I am not sure?
Start with the website, measure what happens and decide later. Waiting a few months with real data is better than spending money on a guess.
Not Sure Whether You Need an App?
If you are deciding between an app and a website, I can help you think it through and tell you honestly whether a website is enough. I design and develop websites for businesses, and I will explain every option in plain language. Send me a short message about your business and what you want customers to do.
