PWA – What is a Progressive Web App?

A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a web application that follows a set of practices allowing our website to behave like a native application or a mobile app.

The main goal of PWAs is to provide a user experience close to that of a native app by utilizing APIs and enhancement strategies. It works on any device with a standard browser. Its strength is that it offers a fast experience even when the user is offline or on an unreliable network. Many web design companies are beginning to offer progressive web app solutions to their clients. But what are the real benefits?

Benefits for Users

For users, the advantages lie in speed. The page load time is greatly reduced. As mentioned earlier, it offers accessibility to the app offline. During the first visit to the app, the content is cached. Another advantage is ergonomics, as the PWA is naturally responsive and provides an interface designed exclusively for touch navigation. Its usage mimics that of apps. How? You can create a shortcut on the home screen of smartphones or tablets just like real apps. Access is therefore very easy, and the navigation on a large screen is the same as on native apps. Additionally, users can enable notifications on their smartphones. The added benefit is that it occupies very little space on the user’s smartphone since it is significantly lighter than native apps.

Benefits for Developers

The first advantage for developers is the availability of documentation that is easy to follow. Developers also have the option to bypass web stores entirely since the PWA is essentially a website. It only needs to be deployed on a web server. Because the PWA is not tied to app stores, it allows for much smoother updates compared to native apps.

Benefits for Businesses

Of course, the most appealing advantage for businesses is rapid development, which translates to lower costs. The development time for a PWA is much shorter than for a native app. As mentioned earlier, PWAs do not depend on web stores (App Store, Google Play Store, etc.) because PWAs are essentially websites accessible simply via a URL. This ease of access allows these apps to reach more people by requiring less commitment from the user (no installation needed), thus facilitating access to the website.

There are numerous benefits for users, developers, and businesses alike, so consider making your website an asset by adding the option for it to become a progressive web app.