With the expansion of internet services and the boost in E-commerce, digital marketing is the way to go for increasing your revenue streams. More and more consumers are turning to online sites or mobile apps for product information and purchasing.

In the age of start-ups, online marketing and brand promotion can be a cost-effective way for launching new businesses and firms. The accessibility and consumer-friendly quality of your website can go a long way in establishing your presence and gaining a wide range of customers. So, now the question arises; Websites or Mobile Apps: which is the right way to go?

The suitability of either option depends on the nature of your business and various other considerations like budget, the type of products and services offered, the type of notifications and promotion required and finally the extent of the customer base that you want to reach out to.

Deciding Factors

Budget: Mobile apps cost more to build, usually a budget of more than 10 thousand US Dollars, while a simple website can be designed for a much smaller amount.

Requirements: If you need location-based or navigational elements then apps are the better option. Additionally, if you need to deliver quick or real-time information, updates and notifications, then again, apps are the way to go.

Ability to function across a wide a range of devices: Hybrid apps can be developed for a wide range of devices using iOS, Android and Windows.

Competition: If getting a mobile app will make your business stand out concerning competition, then again apps are the way to go. The best option in this scenario would be to get both a website and an app to expand your reach.

Advantages of Apps

• With the constant expansion of the internet and smartphone usage, apps represent a convenient platform for users to search and compare products and services.
• In the case of apps, geofencing can be used for marketing based on the location of your customers.
• Apps make it easy to send out notifications of the latest products and offers.
• Apps can be used to send customised invitations and offers to expand your customer base.

Advantages of Websites

• A website can help you reach out to a wide consumer base, especially if you are a newly launched business.
• A website can be an important step in the process of brand-building, potential clients or customers have to be impressed by the content on your website. The website needs to contain all the information about your company and why you are a better choice than your competitors.
• An interactive forum on your website can go a long way in building loyal customers. Customers will feel gratified if their requests and complaints are dealt with in a swift and courteous manner.
• Not all internet users have a smartphone, but most of them will have a computer or access to one nearby. A website will enable you to reach out to a large number of people.

The Best of Both Worlds

In the end, getting both a website and an app will be of great help in establishing and expanding your business. You will be able to combine the features and advantages of both these platforms and reap the benefits. In other words, you will be able to eat your cake and have it too.

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When technology has been progressing in leaps and bounds, the above-posed question in the title is bound to surface for most digital marketing agencies. And it does take more than an insight to determine the validity and extent of such concerns.

Being on Top of the Game:

One thing cannot be denied, the presence of digital marketing agencies in the virtual world have been increasing on a continuous basis, making the existing competition between them tougher.

Thus, to make a mark concerning ingenious web solutions like a responsive website or a user-friendly app, for example, web designing and development companies are going to great lengths to have their clients make the most out of the digital world.

The Question of Choosing Wisely:

Yes, it is always about choosing the best possible platform for the client for a web designing and development agency. The platform which can be from an extremely appealing mobile app to that of a very informative website happens to trigger some decisive factors. These can be;

• The expected budget. Mobile apps tend to be built at a much higher cost than the very basic and simplest form of available websites.
• Aiming for the target audience. Websites have a definitive edge over most apps by being available to a greater number of users.
• Users or clients that have the requirement of knowing the location of their end user customers along with the provision of navigation can aim for app development.
• Apps are also suitable for the real-time deliverance of information.
• Compatibility is another requirement that should also be of consideration. Mobile apps are nowadays readily made for application platforms like Androids.

Money is Not a Constraint:

What if we have a situation where the client is willing to spend a good amount of money for effective digital presence? It is there that follows the feasibility of both app and website development.

A client can very well vouch to develop an informative website with the right content as well as delightful mobile apps suited to every available platform of handheld devices. With the existence of such a ground, a company can be largely successful by being accessible to all.

The Rising cost of Mobile Apps:

You might be wondering as a reader of this piece as to why mobile based apps tend to be much costlier than the good old websites? The answer mostly lies in the fancy features of the app which can be understood going by its intended use.

No to Websites:

It is this standpoint that most business organisations should be observing if they are to have a complex representation of data such as financial reports. It would be a nightmare if, in place of a dedicated mobile app, a website is accessed through mobile devices for viewing such data.

Easy Updating Procedure:

When it comes to informative websites, they are much more suitable to be updated on a timely basis than apps. This is the same reason why hybrid apps exist that are web based as websites undergo frequent updating procedure.

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If you are an entrepreneur looking to make a mark in your chosen domain, making your presence felt in the digital world is the sine qua non for success.  This essential condition leads to an inevitable dilemma – What should you Build- An App or A Website?

Mobile websites are websites which are designed to be accessed via smartphones and are hence adaptable to smaller screens and the touch screen interface. Apps are downloaded and installed on your mobile device rather than being accessed through the browser. The App may access data using the Internet or may download the content so that it may be used offline.

Mobile websites and apps look deceptively similar, and it’s difficult to predict the outcome of this war of technologies. However, you must answer these following questions to understand which side of the war you must ally with.

Do You Want To Widen Your Audience?

If you want to expand your user base, then a mobile website will be of better help to you than a mobile application. This is because a mobile website is accessible to anyone with a mobile browser across a range of devices such as iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc. as well as search engines and can be easily shared amongst users. Apps, on the other hand, have to be downloaded and installed from the device specific app portals such as Apple’s iStore, Android Market or Blackberry App World so that they are compatible with the user’s operating system. This can act as a significant barrier to the initial engagement of the user and the subsequent conversion.

How Interactive Is Your Idea?

If your idea or product is such that the user has to use it more than five times a day, then it’s a good idea to develop a mobile application versus a mobile website. This is apparent for products like games, email, social media, notes, reminders and so on- they are utilised via an app because they provide a user experience through interactivity and personalisation. Also, via the app, they are faster and easier to access.

Do You Need To Use The Native Features Of The Phone?

While responsive mobile web browsers are becoming savvier when accessing the mobile specific features such as the SMS, GPS and so on, an app is a step ahead in making use of your smartphone’s camera, sensors and most importantly, processing power.

Does Your User Need Your Product Offline?

Mobile websites cannot be accessed without the internet as they source their data on a real time basis and while apps have the ability to store the user data locally on the mobile phone.  Forests, Caves, Basements, and Trains, etc. are places where one very often does not have access to the internet -which points towards the need to have complementary location-dependent apps such as Google Maps which allows one to download the map and use it with navigation offline! If your solution is such, that the users may require to use it under offline conditions, a mobile app is what you should be looking at.

How Complex Is Your Product?

If your product involves complicated calculations and reports, a dedicated app is a prudent choice to make.  The scrolling, editing, reviewing, calculations and recalculations will be nightmarish using the mobile websites and easier using the optimised user interface of a native app.

How Often Will You Be Updating Your Product?

A mobile website affords more flexibility in updating content when compared to a mobile application.  If the mobile website has to be edited or upgraded, the changes can be easily incorporated and published. In the case of a mobile application, the process is much more tedious since the updates have to be pushed to the users who have to download and install them. Besides, different versions of the apps on different platforms have to be upgraded separately.

What Is Your Budget?

With a veritable app rush, many entrepreneurs and businesses rush into developing an app. An app may seem to be the snazziest new way to connect to your users, but you should invest in one only after calculating your returns realistically because the development cost of an app is sizable and such expense is pointless if you can achieve your target using a mobile website. Also, multiple versions of the application have to be developed for compatibility with multiple platforms if the application has to be present on the App Stores of all the devices.

Development of a mobile website is considerably more efficient in terms of time and money when compared to the development of an application. Moreover, after the initial investment and launch, support and maintenance are much more expensive and time consuming for a mobile application when compared to a mobile website.

The app versus website dilemma will intensify as organisations seek to establish a mobile presence in a more and more smartphone friendly audience.  In this dynamic scenario, it is simply a question of tradeoffs, and at the end of the day, it is about choosing what is right for your business.

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