I use Quora a lot. You can find me on Quora almost every night. And one of the questions I’m asked time and time again is: What to Choose between Mobile Apps vs Websites? And I don’t have a straight answer for that.
Is it Really About Mobile Apps VS Websites?
Since my early days in online consulting, I’ve tried to work and provide support on all aspects of a website, be it SEO, content, social media, or just plain and simple Internet marketing. While others claim to be experts in SEO, or social media, and the like, I like to think of my services as a one-stop shop for all your digital marketing needs.
And thinking on those terms has led me to believe that it’s not exactly about mobile apps VS websites. It’s about choosing the right strategy to promote your brand online.
Mobile Apps Vs Websites
I don’t want to get into mobile app vs mobile website statistics. That’s something you can find all across the Internet. What I want to concentrate on is what to choose when it comes to your brand. Let’s talk about these one at a time.
A mobile app is an app on your mobile or tablet that you can use for information, education, and entertainment purposes. It’s something that you downloaded from specific stores, like the App Store for iPhone or iPad apps, Google PlayStore for Android apps, and so on. Moreover, apps are created by app developers who are really proficient in mobile app development. Last I checked, there are no free programs yet to develop mobile apps without any coding background.
On the other hand, websites are nowadays most definitely developed in responsive style. This means the website you see on a desktop is more or less the same you see when viewed on a tablet or smartphone. You don’t have to download anything to view a website, just open it on an Internet browser. And there are many programs available where you can build a website without knowing or understanding anything about coding.
What Should You Choose
In my understanding, there are 3 scenarios you belong to:
Scenario 1: Mobile App
If you think about it, a mobile app literally lives in your phone or tablet. All you need to do is click on it, plus if you’ve turned on your notifications, you get regular updates from the app too.
So in this scenario, you have to keep things dynamic. Your app has to be more than a tool to contact you, and showcase your portfolio. Maybe you can shoot over your latest blog posts to your app, once they are published. That’s a sure fire way to hold your user’s attention.
Brands that publish a lot of content in a day can fare well with apps. Most recently, I worked with a publishing house that curates a lot of industry news. So a mobile app is perfect for that brand.
Scenario 2: Website
If you don’t have content updates on a regular basis, a website should be your priority. You can put your information on your website, optimise it for search engines, and be active online to increase traffic.
As long as the information is updated and correct, there’s no problem with keeping a static website. Just make sure you update some content on a monthly or quarterly basis. Otherwise search engines will give more priority to the other websites which have more recent content updates.
In this scenario, it will be a complete waste of money and resources to invest in a mobile app. A mobile app should be a lively and intriguing object in your phone.
Most brands opt for a website only because they are okay with just showcasing their products and/or services online. If you are selling online, or plan to sell online, you can think about getting an app created for your brand.
Scenario 3: Mobile App and Website
This is a scenario where you have regular content updates, and the quality of your content is definitely good, if not excellent. Showcase your content on your website to increase your traffic, the organic way. And grab your user’s attention with notifications via the app.
In this scenario, you don’t want to wait for a user to visit your website. With an app, you can notify the user to read your content, LIKE your page, or even visit your website, whatever you would like to do.
Brands which are selling online directly to the consumer have mobile apps AND website to bolster their brand marketing.
In Conclusion
This post is all about choosing the right tool for your digital marketing efforts. How you want to boost your business online is how you decide what to choose between mobile app vs website. I believe that as long as you are adding new content, a mobile app AND a website will work to your advantage, and of course, it also depends on your budget.
What factors have you considered when you had to choose between mobile app and website? Share with me in the comments below.
Read my other articles on Digital Marketing and Web Design.