Catégorie : Application mobile

In the era of mobile first, the PWA is gradually taking hold and is of interest to more and more people. Does this web application optimised for smartphones help with SEO?

Natural referencing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) defines the methods used to optimize a website and increase its visibility on search engines.

Being well referenced means that your website appears among the first results of a web search made by a user.

The display of search results depends on two elements.

• Indexing is when robots gather information from the website and save it in a database.
• The algorithms that then use this information, and through a specific calculation, return the sites in order of relevance to the search performed.

The objective is then, by playing on the various levers favouring referencing (content, site structure, metadata, etc.) to try to appear as high as possible in the browser searches.

SEO is in fact the main channel for acquiring visitors to a website. To find out more, we invite you to read our previous article.

Google favours mobile first

In recent years, search engine searches have increasingly been conducted on mobile devices, which are becoming the main channel for accessing the internet.

Following this trend, Google now favours mobile websites in terms of referencing. This new turn of events follows the launch of a new technology by Google: AMP. The Accelerate Mobile Page (AMP) consists in improving the loading time of pages on smartphones.

Today, everything seems to be moving towards a constant improvement of the user experience of mobile versions of websites.

The PWA: an SEO friendly application?

A Progressive Web App is a website that functions in the same way as a traditional application. This implies one very important element: the PWA is a search engine friendly application.

Indeed, its content is directly accessible by the indexing robots, which offers them significant visibility. On the contrary, a classic mobile application is not natively perceptible by these robots, and remains in the background on search engines.

However, to maximise the natural referencing of a PWA, it must be thought and developed as a website and not as an application. It is necessary to take into account the different elements that can favour SEO:

• Each page must be indexable

• Use of real URLs

• Well-configured HTML structure

• Maximising the UX

• Proposal of qualitative content

• Use of keywords and links

As the PWA is optimised for mobiles, it will naturally be promoted by Google. In addition, this new type of application offers advantages in terms of better visibility, such as a significant improvement in the user experience, the security of the application via HTTPS, or the increase in the speed of page loading.

Mobile website, native mobile application, Progressive Web App (PWA), you may be wondering about the different possible interfaces to offer the most pleasant and adapted experience to users on mobile.

More and more companies are opting for the PWA, an application that we presented in a previous article . How does this differ from the classic mobile applications we have been used to for several years?

Comparison of the two types of application

• The Progressive Web App needs to be developed only once in order to adapt to different operating systems (iOS and Android). It is therefore less expensive and takes less time to develop . In comparison, a native application requires the development of several interfaces to fit each operating system.

• Access to the Progressive Web App is directly via the website, without the need to go through the app stores. In contrast, native applications are dependent on the app stores. They must be validated before they can be added to the download platforms.

• PWA content is accessed directly through the web. It does not need to be downloaded, so it is faster and more direct to use. A native application, on the other hand, must be installed and its content fully downloaded to be used

• The PWA is updated in real time, automatically. On the other hand, the modification or improvement of a native application must necessarily go through the store and be installed.

• The PWA uses very little storage space compared to a native application. Indeed, the content is accessed directly via the web browser.

• Since PWAs are accessed by search engines, they benefit from natural SEO . Their reputation comes from the structure, content or keywords. Google, through its algorithm, also highlights this type of application. On the contrary, native applications are mainly accessed through the stores. Thus their reputation depends on the ASO, i.e. their reputation on the platform (number of downloads, services offered, description, reviews).

• A native application works best. Its development is specially adapted to each operating system, allowing it to use all the functionalities of the smartphone. The PWA is an optimised website in the form of an application. This means that some features can sometimes be reduced.

• Just like a native app, it is possible to create user engagement through the PWA through access to certain features. However, iOS restricts some of these. This is the case with push notifications, which are not compatible with Apple devices. Overall, the PWA remains less powerful on iOS than on Android for the moment.

While the native application and the Progressive Web App may seem similar, the PWA is ideal if you want a mobile application that mirrors your website. Less expensive and quicker to implement, the PWA will increase customer engagement, among other things.

Halfway between the native mobile application and the mobile website, the PWA, or Progressive Web App, seems to be an interesting compromise, combining the best of both interfaces.

Indeed, if mobile-first is an increasingly common mode of website development, it is because the use of the smartphone has become the first reflex when searching the internet. Optimising your websites for a pleasant experience from a smartphone is becoming a key element.

We suggest you discover the Progressive Web App and its main advantages.

What is the PWA?

Initiated by Google, the PWA is a website that functions in the same way as a mobile application.

While offering the same functionality and experience as a regular app, it can be installed directly on the home screen of your smartphone from the website. There is no need to go through the Apple Store or Play Store.

To install a PWA, you have two options depending on your phone:

• On Android, a pop-up window allows you to install the PWA with a single click. The PWA can also be added via the browser options.

• On iOS, the pop-up window informs you of the existence of a PWA, but its installation can only be done through the browser options.

What are the benefits of PWA?

There are many reasons to opt for a Progressive Web App, both for brands and the user.

• Benefits for site owners

As a company, there are many reasons to use PWA.

1. optimised referencing 

Don't worry, the PWA will not prevent you from being referenced, on the contrary! They are present on browsers, which contributes to natural referencing, and can even improve it. Indeed, as the originator of this technology, Google encourages this type of application. It is not impossible that the search engine's algorithm favours their use.

2. A more direct link with customers 

One of the most significant interests remains the access to push notifications. Indeed, what better way to keep in touch with your customers and build loyalty than to send them information directly to their screen without them having to open your site?

Moreover, thanks to its emancipation from browsers and by increasing the speed of loading, the chances of reusing the PWA are greater than for a website. This is an element that can significantly increase the conversion rate. Some studies tend to prove a threefold increase of this conversion rate.

3. Simplicity and reduction of development costs

The development of such an application is simplified thanks to its freedom from operating systems: the PWA does not require the development of several different interfaces.

The use of the latest technologies and APIs has made it possible to install applications directly from the website. This makes the development and management of the PWA simpler and less expensive.

• The PWA, a solution to improve the UX

The benefits of this type of application are numerous for the user, significantly improving the UX and UI.

1. A responsive and efficient application

The PWA works on different operating systems and adapts to the size and shape of the screens. It is also faster than a website on mobile.

2. Total immersion

Optimised for touch screens, the PWA is displayed in full screen on the mobile: the URL and navigation options are no longer displayed. This allows the user to be fully immersed in the page.

Website users can then enjoy a more pleasant experience.

2. Independence from blinds

It is a full web application that allows immediate use: the installation does not require any loading time and the updates are done automatically and in real time.

3. A memory gain

As users are always looking for extra storage space, the Progressive Web App offers an interesting advantage, as it takes up very little space in the phone's memory.

4. Offline access

By saving information through the browser cache, the PWA can be accessed during low connection times and even when your smartphone is off-line. It is then possible to access a certain amount of information offline. It is also possible to save information for later offline consultation.

5. The illusion of a native application :

Using the website as an application gives access to different functions of the phone: geolocation, access to the camera, microphone or voice recognition. Access to these functions coupled with a full screen display gives the impression of a classic mobile application, thus providing a pleasant experience.

In brief

The Progressive Web App therefore brings many benefits, mainly aimed at improving the experience of regular website users, without forcing them to download a native application.

This new technology offers the benefits of a classic mobile application as well as those of a website, while eliminating some of their drawbacks! As the use of traditional applications is quite low (one person would use less than 10 applications per day), the PWA appears as a relevant alternative.

To find out more about our PWA offer, visit our dedicated website!