Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, December 23, 2019
Responsive Website Versus Mobile App: A Comparison
“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all,” Michael Leboeuf.
If the global mobile internet usage figures are anything to go by then mobiles (along with tablets) will be the dominant platform to access the internet vis-a-vis desktops or laptops. A survey has revealed that mobiles have garnered a healthy share of 51.2% of the global online traffic in 2018 (Source: Statistica.) This growing mobile usage has stirred businesses to adopt a suitable mobile strategy to compete in the online landscape. However, the moot question before them is – whether to build a responsive website or a mobile application. Although both have their respective advantages, choosing one over the other would depend on a slew of factors. These include the target customers, business objectives, required features, and budget.
There are valid arguments on both sides of the divide. Mobile website enthusiasts are of the view that having a responsive website that is accessible on smartphones and tablets is more than enough to address the changing dynamics of online business. However, mobile app lovers counter that by stating the unique advantages of a mobile app that a responsive website simply cannot offer. Before digging deeper with the respective advantages, let us first understand what the two are all about.
Difference between a Mobile Website and a Mobile App
A mobile website is a collection of mutually linked HTML pages that can be accessed by a browser on the internet. It differs from a standard website in the way that it is displayed on a handheld device like a mobile or a tablet with a touchscreen interface. In fact, it is fast becoming the standard for building websites that are compatible with any type of device – desktops, laptops, notebooks, smartphones, and tablets. A mobile website provides similar features and functionalities of a standard website (designed to be viewed on a desktop) such as text, images and videos. In fact, professional website development company have long switched over to building responsive websites to meet the trend.
A mobile application, on the other hand, is a self contained program that can be downloaded on a smartphone instead of being run by a browser a la mobile website. Mobile applications can be downloaded from app stores that are specific to an operating system such as Apple, Android, Windows or Blackberry. In fact, there are a host of mobile app developing companies that builds attractive, functional, user friendly and secure apps covering every possible domain such as real estate, tourism, health, education, eCommerce, technology etc.
Which one is better – a mobile website or a mobile app?
This is slightly tricky to answer for each comes with its share of advantages. We leave it to your judgement based on your specific business objectives to choose one above the other. In fact, choosing both can give you the best of both worlds provided you have the requisite budget.
Advantages of a Mobile (responsive) Website
Greater audience reach: A responsive website can be accessed from a plethora of device platforms – mobiles, tablets, desktops and laptops. It can be easily accessed on a search engine as opposed to a mobile app, which is available in specific app stores only. This way a large number of users can easily access a responsive website.
Cost effective: Developing a mobile app is supposedly a much more complex exercise than a mobile website. This makes the latter a relatively cost effective proposition.
SEO friendly: Recently, Google has announced giving a higher search ranking to a responsive website as compared to a standard one. This helps to garner a greater brand visibility and web traffic for a mobile website.
On the flip side, a mobile website can have a few cons as well.
- Accessibility and user experience depend on the quality and speed of the internet network.
- The small screen of a mobile makes it difficult to fully navigate a website unless the usability and functionality are top notch.
Advantages of a Mobile App
Better branding opportunity: Users can have an altogether different experience in accessing information/products/services of a company when compared to its website. A company can utilize the personalized app to target users with better branding styles and tactics. If the company website falls short of user expectations, a mobile app can be the way to go. However, make sure the app provides a rich user interface and seamless functionalities. Also, the app should possess strong security measures to counter fraudulent activities.
Better medium of communication: Since a mobile app can be customized to suit the interest and preference of the user, a business can leverage it to offer personalized communication, recommendations and updates. A mobile app helps to identify the geographical location of a user, which can be used by the company to provide location specific info about special discounts, promotions, and deals through push notifications.
Offline access: Although an internet connection is preferable to run most of the functionalities that are present in a mobile app, the connection is not essential. In fact, by using a mobile app, a user can access business specific information offline as well.
Better UX: A mobile app can provide a better immersive and personalised user experience. It provides interactive ways through which a user can engage with the content. This is in sharp contrast to the similar looking interface of a mobile website. As a mobile app provides a better user engagement, it helps to improve the conversion rates.
Conclusion
Choosing a responsive website or a mobile app ultimately depends on your business objectives. If you are looking to target a large audience cutting across geographies then a responsive website is arguably a better option. On the other hand, if you want to provide a better user engagement and garner brand loyalty among your users then a mobile app is a better option. So, no matter which mobile strategy you choose, it is better to engage a professional web development agency or a mobile app development services or both to reap better rewards.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Why is minimalist web design important for your business?
Do you want to
create a website for your start-up? While you may pick a flashy web
design for the website, it might end up compromising on the customer
experience due to slow loading of the site thereby hampering the
conversion rate. The importance of having a minimalist web design is
often downplayed, for it is considered to be bland and not
stimulating enough for the user to pay a visit. However, according to
an observation made by Google, visual complexities can repel online
visitors instead of attracting them (Source: ai.google). Therefore, a
simple website with a robust interface can ensure higher
user engagement
and satisfaction. To incorporate minimalist features in your business
website, it is advised that you engage one of the experienced web design services.
With
professional help, you can get a comprehensible website that aligns
with your vision and business objectives.
Reasons
why a minimalist web design is in vogue
1.
Minimalist design is always classy-
The saying “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” explains
the significance of a minimalist design the best. Moreover, it is
also wrong to assume that sleek designs are outdated. Rather,
minimalist styles are constantly evolving to keep pace with the
current consumer market trends. Uncomplicated web design is always
visually-stirring and cognitive-friendly. By picking out this style,
more and more customers can feel encouraged to visit your website.
2.
Improved loading speed-
Have you decided on having a fancy website? Well, you might have to
reconsider your decision for obvious reasons. Studies have shown that
websites with unnecessary graphic elements, pictures, and gifs can
delay the loading time thereby ruining the user-experience. This is
where a minimalist design comes into the picture wherein you can
simplify the user interface by chucking out irrelevant elements that
do not benefit the users in any way.
-
Allows ease of navigation- What good is your website if it does not facilitate easy navigation for your customers? An organized site with minimal design allows users to search for relevant information thereby enjoying a positive user interaction. Since the stakes are high, it is advisable to apply the minimalist strategy to your business website by hiring top web development services. This will help your website to garner better traffic, user experience, and ROI.
4.
Boosts readability of the site-
Bright colour schemes and illustrious designs are certainly
eye-catching and trendy these days. However, should you want to lend
a professional touch to your online portfolio, a minimalist design
can do the right trick. Flat patterns, grid layouts, simple-formatted
typography, large picture backgrounds, and restricted features are
the typical elements of a minimal web design. Thus, websites free
from unwanted distractions can enable target users to read and
process information effectively.
5.
More SEO-friendly- Apart
from enhancing the user-experience, a minimalist website is
SEO-friendly as well. This is due to the fact that search engines can
crawl easily and uninterruptedly through the webpages. Needless to
say, convenient crawling enables the search engines’ bots to rank a
particular page higher for the users. Another fact to bear in mind is
that SEO-complaint pages are faster to load thereby lowering the
bounce rate.
Conclusion-
Today, when a factor as important as user experience can either make
or break the credibility of a website, one cannot take a chance while
opting for web design. In this connection, the minimalist web design
trend is highly sought after for credible reasons. Hence, should you
want to build a website with minimalist design features, then feel
free to contact a leading website
design company in India.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
How Can Explainer Videos Help To Build Brand Awareness
Video
marketing has become one of the most effective and popular tools to
promote one’s business. Explainer videos help create and enhance
user engagement since the visual media has a profound impact on
potential customers.
Corporates
too have realized the importance of explainer videos in promoting
their brand. These videos help potential customers to understand the
brand and the concepts and ideas that make the brand in a simple
manner. As customers view engaging corporate explainer videos to know
more about the brand, products and services, the conversion rates
show an increase as well.
What Are Explainer Videos?
The
objective of creating explainer videos is to offer answers to
questions that the customer may have about a brand, product or
service in an engaging manner. Also, the USP of the product/service
and how it can be differentiated from other competing
products/services in the market are highlighted by these videos.
The
best thing about such videos is that the content (read details about
the business objectives, brand, products and services) is presented
in a simple, understandable, unambiguous, and engaging
manner
that all customers are able to follow. Besides,
the videos are able to share key messages that the business wants to
convey.
-
Clarify the business objectives
-
Increase in conversion rates
-
Increase web traffic
-
Achieve higher search engine ranking
-
Easily sharable
-
Help your audience retain information
Each
of these points has been explained in the following sections.
Clarify
the Business Objectives
Sometimes
it is difficult to convey a message to the audience and there is
always a possibility that it can be misinterpreted. However,
explainer videos explain the objectives or features of your business
or brand in a simple and engaging way.
Furthermore,
customers can easily learn about the products or services offered by
the company through the video. Additionally, the video helps create a
better connection between the business and the customer.
Increase
in Conversion Rates
The
use of explainer videos can generate interest in the product and help
increase the conversion rate. These informative videos help new
businesses, in particular, to establish their brand and offer
visibility to their product(s) or service(s).
Also,
it is easier for businesses to keep a track of the number of
potential customers who have viewed the video. Based on customer
responses, these videos can be altered to add new details or
features. These, in turn, can help to make the product even more
attractive to potential customers.
Increase
Web Traffic
These
days, the best way to increase traffic to a website is by creating a
“viral” content. Interestingly, a viral content can generate a
lot of views within a relatively short span of time as opposed to
other forms of advertising. Even
statistics state that the buying decisions of 90% of online shoppers
are influenced by explainer videos. Thus, a viral video can make a
greater impact on customers by inducing them towards conversions.
However,
it is easier said than done since there are no hard and fast rules on
what type of content shall go viral. Some brands have been able to
make the most of this trend since their videos went viral with
millions of views.
Achieve
Higher Search Engine Ranking
Static
websites don’t get as much traffic when compared to the ones
that have some form of a multimedia content. For
such static websites, incorporating explainer videos can help to
make their content even more appealing and
at the same time,
boost their search engine rankings as well. This
is where corporates can gain by engaging professional explainer video services
thanks to the latter’s expertise in promoting the brand through
exquisite animations.
When
a static website includes an explainer video,
customers who didn’t find the content interesting earlier will be
more inclined to watch it. This
can increase the view rate and most importantly, the conversion rate
of the products/services shown on the website. Explainer videos can
be an excellent way to organically boost traffic, which in turn gets
reflected in the search engine rankings of the website.
Easily
Shareable
The
best part about these videos is that they are not restricted to a
website alone but can be shared on multiple platforms as well.
YouTube and Vimeo are useful platforms
that corporates can leverage
to their advantage by using keywords to garner
a greater interest.
It
is an added bonus that these videos can be shared by using text web
links to increase their probability in reaching a wider audience.
Help
your Audience Retain Information
The
biggest advantage that businesses can gain by creating explainer
videos is in getting a word-of-mouth publicity. Thus,
the videos
are
a great way to create brand awareness without trying too hard or
spending a lot of money on traditional forms of advertising.
Conclusion
Explainer
videos have become popular for they help to boost the prospects of a
business by raising the brand awareness. If you want to reach your
target audience with your brand, products and services effectively,
it is time you got in touch with experienced website design company.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Friday, June 7, 2019
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Friday, March 1, 2019
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