- Push notifications!
Because Progressive Web Apps benefit from the same functionalities as native apps you have the ability to be able to send push notifications to your users. These can work great for engaging users, directing them to certain pieces of content or even reminding them to convert or finish their purchase.
- They can look and feel like apps.
People love using apps. They simplify the experience and make information easy to find and tasks easy to complete. So, having a web design that follows this same principle is naturally a bonus. The overall user experience will be fantastic, the mobile one even better.
- No downloads needed.
Whilst people do love using apps, they’ll avoid having to download or even visit the Google Play Store or Apple Store if they can avoid it. Great news for proponents of the Progressive Web App then as none of that is needed! PWAs allow users to install the website as an app on their homepage – no fuss. No App Stores means no approval process either which speeds up development time.
How do Progressive Web Apps Work With SEO?
Because we’re not talking about traditional websites it can be very easy to get mixed up with what will and won’t work for your search engine optimisation. Whether you’re using Progressive Web Apps to build your entire project or as one part of your website the first thing to understand is that using PWAs won’t carry SEO benefits just because you’re using PWAs. Don’t fret though, the other benefits of PWAs mean that the SEO impact can be significant – in a good way.
First and foremost, because Progressive Web Apps can be associated with a URL, i.e. they can act as a webpage, they are fully searchable by Google (other search engines are available!). They’ll be crawled by Google’s army of crawlers and ranked in the same manner as traditional sites. Where users of Progressive Web Apps will really see the benefit is in loading times. We have already seen how Uber has taken advantage of PWA technology to reduce loading times to under two seconds. Google will love your website for that and you can expect to see a resultant rise in the rankings as a result.
Just remember though that this doesn’t mean you can take your foot off of all the other SEO pedals. You still need to ensure your site is set up and structured correctly and that you’re taking care of business in other digital spaces like social media to increase your digital footprint.
Instead, PWAs will be used more and more to give users a more engaging experience online. The benefits are simply too good to ignore for web designers – the ability to work offline, an app-like experience including a shortcut on the home screen and all searchable and rankable by Google. There really is very little not to like. As the technology gains in popularity, it will also force those who have been rather hesitant on the uptake (ahem, Apple, ahem) to get on board.
If you think your business or website could benefit from Progressive Web App technology, then let’s talk.