Mobile
Technology has changed our lives in the past few years. The incessant evolution
of mobile phones, regular release of latest mobile OS versions, availability of
different varieties of mobile apps and high-speed internet connections have
entirely transformed our lives to completely depend on mobile devices for all our
online activities.
Apart
from mobile devices, people have now started using smartphones, tablets and
other hand-held devices for connecting to the internet, from anywhere and
anytime they need. This revolution has made many companies to shift from
Desktop to Mobile strategy for their online businesses.
Moreover,
the shift from desktop to mobile devices also necessitates web designers and
developers to refocus their web designing process, to create websites that support
all hand-held devices.
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| Responsive Websites Vs Mobile Websites Vs Mobile Apps. |
The
web designers and developers follow various approaches to make mobile web
presence. They build a separate mobile website or mobile application for users
to view websites on their mobile phones. The latest approach followed for this purpose
is the Responsive Web Design.
To make a mobile presence, every business
needs to decide on which route to go down - Mobile Website or Mobile
Application? Mobile website or Responsive Website? Mobile application or Responsive Website?
Mobile Website:
A
mobile website is a website created significantly for small-screen devices.
Similar to a regular website, mobile websites can also be accessed through
various browsers. A mobile website generally consists of limited content and
hence it is light-weighted and faster when compared to regular websites. If a
browser is using mobile phone to view a website, then the website automatically
detects that the website has accessed on a mobile phone and then it redirects
the browser to a separate URL to view the mobile specific website.
Why do you need a separate mobile
website?
Even
though the invention of smartphones has changed the importance of mobile
websites, certain cases still exists where mobile websites make sense. Limiting
the view’s options to only what they require to perform on their mobile phone is
achieved effectively through a separate mobile website.
Mobile Applications:
Mobile
applications are the applications developed mainly for mobile device platforms
such as iPhone, Android, Google, etc. Usually, mobile applications have been
downloaded from app stores. There are a large number of mobile applications available
for various platforms. As there are many mobile phones available with various
operating systems, mobile applications are incredibly expensive to develop and
maintain.
When do you need to develop a mobile
application?
In
recent days, the things what you are able to accomplish using a standalone
mobile application can now be able to easily done with a website. But still the
necessity of using mobile applications for businesses is there around. Mobile
applications are great for storing a large amount of information such as video,
audio and catalogues. Even though the applications have a huge amount of
information, the users are not required to wait on loading information over a
slow 3G Internet connection. This is how the mobile applications greatly
enhance user’s experience.
Responsive Web Design:
Responsive Web Design is a latest approach to web design that allows you to create
responsive websites. A responsive website is a website that can adapt itself on
various screen-sizes regardless of the devices that you use it. Responsive
websites are usually optimized for viewing on mobile phones, tablets and
desktops. Hence, the Responsive Web
Design approach eliminates the need for developing separate website for every
mobile device platform. This approach is currently preferred by web designers
and developers as it covers a large number of users’ devices.
Mobile websites vs. Mobile
applications
Suppose,
your website is relating to marketing and it requires a wider customer reach, then
a mobile website is apt for your business. A mobile website provides greater
compatibility with different browsers and allows constant updating. However, if
your website needs interaction with users such as accessing personal data or
sharing user information, then a mobile application works better for your
business.
If
you want your website that has been easily shared and accessed, then mobile
application is the right option. People can easily find out your mobile website
by using any of their browsers. In case, your company involves in services like
reporting and calculations or game creation and promotion, then using mobile
application is the best solution.
Mobile
applications have the ability to work without the internet connection.
Conversely, mobile websites cannot work in such situation. Moreover, mobile
applications require very high development cost when compared to mobile
websites.
Mobile websites vs. Responsive Web
Design
If
you want to provide users a mobile experience that engrosses speedy decisions
and also selling and buying, then you need to have a separate mobile website.
However, if you want to constantly add something or update your website based
on new trends, then having a single responsive web design is the best option.
As
a responsive website is entirely composed of complicated codes and
technicalities, it requires a huge development cost. However, a mobile website
requires a very low development charges. When considering the optimization
process and SEO, responsive website takes up the priority than the mobile
websites.
Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile
Applications
When
thinking about the advantages of using responsive websites, first thing that
comes to our mind is the download activities that are not required for
responsive websites whereas the mobile applications require you to download
them from app stores. Also, a responsive website doesn’t require you to update
any information again and again. You just need to update the information on
your main website that makes your work done.
Responsive websites provides you the compatibility across various platforms. It enables the
content updates in the websites driven by Content Management Systems. The main
disadvantage of using a responsive website is that the responsive website
cannot be used without an internet connection while the mobile applications support
this situation. Comparing the development cost, both responsive websites and
mobile applications entail a strong budget.
Conclusion:
The
above three comparisons clearly showed that all the three approaches, to make
mobile presence, have both pros and cons. Based on the nature of your business,
you need to select the best approach that fits for your situation. Before
selecting any one of the three approaches, it is better to research well about
your business, audience and the technologies that you need for best results.
