We all use different mobile devices to browse the Internet, look for the required information, buy products and services online, and do a lot of things. As per the latest data, the use of mobile for net surfing has crossed the desktop use for the same purpose. Realizing the rapidly growing use of different mobile devices for Internet surfing, business owners and entrepreneurs have started to focus on the business coming from small screens.
Some mobile users visit websites directly using web browsers. Some others use mobile apps for the same purpose. This makes it difficult for companies to decide whether they should opt for a responsive web design or Mobile apps.
It is seen that well-to-do business organizations and companies opt for both a responsive site and a native mobile app to promote the business. But, companies with restricted budgets fail to do that. So, in this article, we will analyze both a responsive design and mobile apps from different angles and try to find out which one is better for entrepreneurs. So, let's get started.
1. Basic Introduction:
Responsive Web Design
Responsive website templates involve techniques that are used for creating modern websites which adapt to different mobile devices and small screens. It eliminates the old idea of maintaining two separate sites – a desktop version and a mobile version. A responsive website automatically changes itself according to the device used by visitors and offer the best results to them. It is done by using HTML and CSS in a new way.
Mobile Apps
In technical terms, a mobile app is a program which is supposed to be downloaded and used by mobile phone users. Just download your favorite app from the app store, install it on your mobile device (such as iOS, Android, Windows Phones, etc.) and start using it. These days, the use of mobile apps has increased a lot.
2. User Engagement With Your Brand
Responsive Web Design
A responsive website helps you to get more visitors from search engines, social media websites, referrals, etc. But, there is no guarantee that visitors that landed on your site once will become a repeat visitor because of the changing SEO ranking of your website in the SERPs of different search engines.
Mobile Apps
Compared to responsive websites, mobile apps encourage visitors to stay connected with your brand for an extended period. One who downloads a mobile app on his/her phone tends to use it regularly for getting the latest information about a brand. A well-built mobile app can also help you tackle the bounce rate problem efficiently compared to a responsive site.
3. Loading time
Responsive Web Design
Modern-day Internet users are very impatient while browsing the web. They want websites or their web pages to load quickly on computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. Despite using the responsive design, there are several factors that make your website slow. Search engines and visitors both dislike slow sites. So, you start facing loss in the web-based business because of the slow loading speed of your site. You should take several steps to make your site faster and rock in the web-based business easily.
Mobile Apps
If created well, mobile apps are faster. They load on mobile devices within a few seconds and allow visitors to access the desired stuff quickly. This makes them happy, and they are encouraged to use apps repeatedly to visit the desired websites.
4. Communication Between The Website Owner And Audience
Responsive Web Design
On responsive websites, customer communication is still one-sided in most of the cases. Visitors land on the site, act and go away. There is no guarantee that the customer will come again and engage in dialogue. The same holds true for website owners.
Mobile Apps
On mobile apps, the communication between website owners and customers is two-sided and takes place often without any obstacle. The customer gets notifications about their communication on the app, and they can continue the communication with the website owner/admin as per their needs or preference.
5. Needs:
Responsive Web Design
Go for a responsive design if you want your website to be visited once or sporadically. It will help you to achieve your business goals easily and quickly.
Mobile Apps
If you run a service based website and want your customers to use it on a regular basis, then go for a mobile app. It will help you reach out millions of potential customers quickly and generate enough business opportunities.
6. Content Presentation
Responsive Web Design
Content is king on the WWW. A website which is regularly updated with SEO optimized, informative and meaningful content can help its owner to fetch more business opportunities. Always keep in mind that when you resort to a responsive design, content is completely ignored because web designers have to change the website elements so that it can fit into a small screen size.
Mobile Apps
The use of mobile apps allows website owners to present their content which is specially designed to be consumed by the app users.
7. SEO
Responsive website design
Google, the world's leading search engine, prefers responsive websites while displaying results against the entered keywords; it becomes mandatory for all entrepreneurs to have responsive web design. It helps them to increase the visibility of their websites and seek more business opportunities easily.
Mobile apps
Google and other search engines do not index mobile apps because they do not live on WWW. So, to increase traffic to your app, you need to take some careful steps.
SEO audit by TemplateMonster Service Center
Do you need your website be visible to your target audience in search engines and you don't know where to start? SEO audit is the first step to creating an online marketing strategy that really works. You will get the analysis and guidelines on how to implement the given recommendations on your website.
Outcome
As the use of mobile devices is increasing for internet browsing, entrepreneurs can’t afford to lose the massive volume of business flowing through small screens. Ideally, a joint approach of creating a responsive website and a mobile app will help entrepreneurs to do more business in the digital landscape.
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