Progressive web apps (PWA) or progressive web application It is a solution based on the traditional web that we all know, although it incorporates some peculiarities that make it resemble a native app for mobile phones and tablets.
Each project is independent and the level of adaptation of the website to the app format is progressive, so we may visit a website with a PWA almost identical to an app or perhaps it is a website with some advances.
Essentially, this means that The web app works well in older browsers, but may use newer technologies to improve the experience if the user is using a supported browser.
How do PWAs work?
Not all web applications can be called Progressive web apps. Real PWAs consist of a HTTPS protocol encrypted, one or more service workers, a manifest file, and a fast loading time due to its core architecture. Let's see what each of them consists of:
HTTPS protocol
Any web application must be a secure site and navigate over a secure network. This makes a website a trusted place and allows users to make secure transactions without hesitation.
Service workers
Service workers are scripts that control how a web browser handles requests networking and asset caching. With the help of the service workers, web developers create reliable and fast web pages that can also work offline.
El Service Workers It is really important since allows us to optimize user retention. To date, this functionality was only available in native applications, but it has become one of the most important features to improve user return to our app. However, with the increase in notifications in all apps, this functionality or feature is increasingly hidden.
Manifest file
The manifest file is a JSON file. Its main function is control how an application appears to end users. Additionally, it ensures the visibility of PWAs by describing the app name, launch URL, icons, and any additional information to change from website to app format.
This is what the JSON file usually includes:
- Name: Name of the application that will appear in the user's mobile menu.
- Description: Indicate the description of our mobile application
- icons: Create different icons, with different resolutions, so that they look good on all devices.
- Start url: Start URL when we open the application
- Display: In this case, we can choose several configurations (standalone, fullscreen, minimal-ui, among others)
- Orientation: When we talk about orientation we mean whether we want the web application to be used in portrait mode or landscape mode.
- Theme_color – The color to use for the app's top bar.
- background_color- Color for the screen before the application fully loads.
Optimal charging time
Because it is implemented smartly and seamlessly, the main feature and big advantage of the PWA among the others is its loading time.
Advantages of a Progressive web app
Of course, there are several types of apps besides PWAs implemented today: native apps, single-page apps, and hybrids. However, the type of app that suits your particular business should be chosen based on the needs, requirements, and key features that an app will offer to your customer. For these reasons, let's discuss the benefits of progressive web apps. One of the advantages of PWA are:
1. As a native application
Nowadays, there are users who prefer mobile applications to web browser applications and vice versa. It all depends on the comfort of use and personal preferences. However, it is expected that the number of users of the application amounts to 1.033,3 million of users by 2024. Therefore, PWAs look good and feel like mobile apps with website-like performance. For this reason, Bing, Google and other search engines index PWA pages and find them in no time.
2. Quick and easy to install
PWAs are installed directly from the web browser on any device. With this feature, user abandonment of a web application is significantly lower, with a clearly improved advantage in user experience.
3. Improved performance
The speed of execution of a progressive web app It improves due to the fact that this application can run efficiently, operate like a website, cache and serve text, images and other content. This type of software improves not only the page loading speed but also the user experience, improves retention rates and promotes customer loyalty.
4. They operate offline
When the network connection is unstable, these types of applications continue to work like clockwork, but in offline mode. Due to service workers PWA features and information are saved and cached.
In sectors such as ecommerce, becomes a very useful tool, since in the case of Internet failures, it still allows you to see the information that users previously accessed and, if the information is new, they will be redirected to a personalized offline page. In this way, consumers will not abandon the catalog and this will enhance customer retention.
5. User loyalty
Those of us who work in audience development are concerned with the fulfillment of two goals: The attracting new users and Loyalty of those we already have, retaining them for as long as possible in our environment.
Achieving this loyalty is not a simple task because it depends on many factors such as the content be what is expected by the audience, that the experience with the website is satisfactory, that there is a brand recognition or to create one necesidad recurring visit.
One of the strategies carried out to gain recurring visits is sending push notifications that remind the user that our website or app is there and that they have new or interesting content that they should know about.
Fortunately, the Progressive Web Apps They also allow the sending of notifications to mobile phones as if it were an app.
6. Safer
As mentioned above, PWAs use HTTPS to manage and maintain the security of data stored on them, eliminating the risks of security breaches, spying, content manipulation, and other illegal activities.
7. Elimination of development cost
The Progressive Web Apps It becomes a good investment when it comes to working on different devices and adjusting to screen sizes. By being so convenient and cross-platform, a PWA reduces developers' implementation time and customer costs.
Most important elements of the DOM of a Progressive Web App
Progressive Web Apps are made up of two main parts, the App-Shell, which refers to the structure of the page and the content, which may vary between the different pages of our application.
Depending on the technology that has been used to develop the page, the content can be sent from the server in HTML code format or through a JSON script, however, when using JSON we must be careful, since this technique It can cause indexing problems if implemented poorly. This detail is important to take into account, especially when it comes to SEO.
In short, user loyalty through pushes, direct access, UX and loading speed are the great advantages of progressive web appss, which will help you keep your website gaining relevance. Thousands of businesses around the world have identified these advances and are already working with them to achieve the greatest number of sales possible in this highly competitive market.
