Progressive Web Applications — New Era of Mobile App Development

Mobile application development has been inundated and overwhelmed with the importance of Progressive web application development. Companies are increasingly oriented towards progressive web applications and the reason for this changeover is there is a much visible increase in the conversion rates contributing to their business.

What is a Progressive Web application?

Progressive applications are hybrid applications that possess the characteristics of a smart native app but are loaded with a browser. A disruptive technology of sorts, it is a cross-germination of the best of both websites as well as mobile apps. It is treated like any other website by Google rendering it highly indexable. Progressive web applications can also be opened on handheld devices and will have all the benefits that a native app will provide. The best part is that, unlike a native app, it doesn’t need to be installed.

Why use Progressive Web applications?

Webmasters can let the content be made available in a variety of ways. One way is to make the website sharp enough so that responsive web design can be implemented. If this is how the webmaster goes about it, it means that irrespective of the device, the content will be visible easily and the display will be as good as an app. But some webmasters prefer to use native apps to provide information. But apps have a different program application and need to be installed on your device to access it. Native apps are also closed systems and cannot be traced with search engine operations.

Progressive apps can help users to:

• Get their hold on any content on the device
• Experience high-definition user experience
• Will enable websites to load quickly
• Even in weak connection scenarios, web content should be accessible

How do Progressive Web applications work?

The foundation of the progressive web application development is done by service workers who defined JavaScript files. They automatically conduct caching in the background and can also work offline. Delays in calling a different page also get eliminated with progressive web applications. When the progressive web application is built with the functionality of the service worker it enables the app to work offline. The needs and tasks of service workers are already pre-defined as a script and kept separately. This enables the proper configuration of the programming elements. So the PWA can load the content before the URL link is been clicked on.

If the progressive web application has to work, it requires an application shell that ensures that the mobile view is adjusted according to the browser’s device type. The application shall also ensure the design, appeal, and look of the app are like a native application. For dynamic loading of the content, application shells are used.

After discussing the top two components it is also important to see the third most crucial component namely the web app manifest. The JSON file is saved on the server which helps the user save progressive web application after it has been called. It need not be installed as a whole but the skeleton is saved in the form of an app shell. It also aids the user to save the app icon on the home screen so that it is easily visible and also ensures that the looks and functionalities are intact.

PWAs and the future of mobile application development

After our understanding of the in and out of progressive web applications, the future of mobile application development also seems bright.

Native benefits of PWAs can be enjoyed

By now we know that progressive web applications are a fine blend of native and web pages. The best part is that they are accessible both offline and online. It enables the use of cached data depending on the user’s browsing history. Those businesses that have elaborate catalogs to display as a part of their strategy usually suffer from large waiting times. As a consequence, sometimes the users abandon the app as the catalog needs reloading every time you want to see it. But with progressive web application user need not load the catalog which automatically increases user retention.

Economically beneficial

Progressive web applications work way cheaper compared to a web page or a native app. Since it works on a multi-platform it automatically translates into reduced costs.

Ease of Installation

Installation is a smooth process because there is less human involvement in its installation, unlike the native applications. To install them the user is not directed towards any app store because they automatically get downloaded onto a mobile device. You can also explore the different progressive web applications from their directory like Outweb.io and PWA rocks.

Progressive web applications have URLs like a regular website. They are capable of easy linking and are indexable. Companies who thrust a lot of importance on Search Engine optimization also will stand to benefit as these techniques are applicable even on Progressive web applications. Search engines have access to the data of the user based on their behavior of the application. This will help mobile development companies to explore analytics which will help them craft strategies for sure.

They also seem like a regular website and are capable of easy linking and indexing. Nowadays a lot is about how your web page is ranking and whether it can garner user retention. That’s why SEO is an important part of digital marketing driving user traffic to your web page. Mobile development companies also can install features of analytics that will help organizations to derive benefits from analyzing customer behavior on your app.

The development of progressive web applications also required following some provisions for best practices which when followed will enable the progressive web application to rank high. Some of the most common best practices are :

• Content is crawlable
• The URL structure is exclusive
• Web design is scalable
• Canonical tags are picked out separately

Push Notifications

These are small messages that appear on your mobile devices after the progressive web application has been installed on our home screens. They look like a regular message and will contain updates about the app. They are a very handy feature for progressive web applications.

A progressive web application is looked upon as a major disruptive technology looking to change the way web apps are created and interpreted. Many companies are furthering their investment in it to ensure they do not miss out on the benefits of its features. Apart from reducing the loading time, they also have proven to be the driving force for increased user engagement and conversions.