As mobile smart phones continue to increase in popularity, so does the demand for mobile apps. It seems like every business should hurry to get a new mobile app created. You might be wrong.
The low-down on both mobile apps, and mobile websites
Let’s first define what mobile apps are. These are small applications that can be downloaded and installed on your feature or smart phone. An app will run on your handset locally and may or not be able to access services on a web browser to update and refresh the content. A mobile website is simply a smaller version than a normal website and optimized for the smaller display space that’s common with smart phones or feature phones. You can access mobile websites using the browser Mobile Apps built into your handset.
Which one should I pick for my company?
Mobile apps are cool. They are also easy to access and download thanks to Google Android App Stores and the Apple iPhone. It is necessary to develop an app that works on each major mobile operating system. There are currently about 4 to 5 versions.
A well-designed mobile website can be viewed on almost any mobile device that has internet access. However, they can’t do nearly as much as an app because they rely solely on web technologies. Also, they don’t have the access to the native features of an app, such as the camera, GPS module and address book. There is always a catch.
Your business will determine the best choice. We don’t have the answers, but we can provide some guidance before you spend your marketing budget. Before you make a decision, ignore the hype. Audience. Budget.
Is it really necessary for me to have a smartphone app or mobile website?
Before you get started, it is worth creating a list of reasons to build a mobile website or app for your company. Think about what you’d like your product do and how it would help you achieve them.
Are you trying to find a way to bring in new revenue? Are you looking at new ways to market your business? Are you aiming at other businesses and consumers? How do customers access existing products and/or services? Will your product be interactive? How often will your content be updated? What type content will you display on your site? Is your product fun or unique? Is it possible to access the internet all the time?
I could go on. But ultimately, it’s not about whether or not you need a web app. It’s not about which one is better for your business. However, we can give you some guidelines.
Your web developers can help you build a website, whether you are just starting to build one or not. This may mean that you will need to spend more but it will cost less than starting from scratch.
You may consider a mobile web site if you have an existing website that is fairly static. When visitors arrive at your website via mobile adclicks, they will have a positive impression of you business. They will see easily readable information designed for their mobile phones.
It makes more sense to develop a mobile app if your product has a high level of interactiveness, is used for entertainment, is a standalone revenue generator or marketing tool, or is designed to allow users to frequently access large video and media files, then it is likely to make more sense to go with the mobile apps route.
Who is the target audience for my website or mobile app?
We refer to audience in two different ways when we speak about audience. One is the target market of your business, and the other is the set of people that can access mobile apps.
First, consider your existing customer base. How do they interact with your business via your website, LinkedIn, Facebook, pages, and RSS feeds? Smartphones will become more popular, so a mobile application or website will be a great platform to continue building customer relationships and expanding your reach to an increasingly mobile audience.
It’s a good idea for your main objective to expand your reach and visibility in the mobile world to begin by taking advantage of current technologies. If people go to Facebook on mobile and click on a link on your Fanpage, it is very likely that they will leave your page and go to another site. It is best to make sure that links to your social media pages load quickly, display relevant info, and look good on mobile.
The greatest benefit of a mobile website lies in its ability to reach a wide audience. Mobile sites that are properly optimized should be able to display on all smart phones and feature phones that are web-enabled. It’s a different story when you get into the world of apps. Apps can only be used on smart phones. Therefore, you will have to target the phone or platform your application is running on as well as the percentage of people using that platform.
Our main recommendation is that, before you embark on an app journey, assess the potential size of your business audience. Determine how many people are using the 5 major smartphone operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry OS Symbian, Nokia, Symbian, Windows and Symbian. This will help you determine the optimal number of apps you can develop.
How much should I budget on a mobile website or app?
Answer: How much string can you make? There is no single answer. It will all come down to what you wish to achieve, what your website or app should be able do, and finally who you have to do it. It would be unfair not to provide guide prices. However, we can state that any price you give should be based on actuality.
WordPress or a similar content management system may allow you to use free or low cost plugins to make your site mobile-friendly. If your main site was built using more recent technologies, such as xhtml and CSS, optimizing it for mobile shouldn’t prove difficult or expensive, provided it has a lot of static content. It may be tempting to copy each page, even if the website contains more dynamic content. Keep your site’s pages limited to those that will be easily viewed on smaller mobile devices.
The cost of a mobile app can vary widely depending on its complexity and the number to which it is being developed. Although you can create basic apps on the internet for free, there will be a limited number of templates available that allow only minor modifications. Some sites might charge for hosting content. This is something you should be aware of.