8 Jul 2024
  
Updated on July 10th, 2024

SEO And Discoverability: How Progressive Web Apps Improve Your Online Presence In Australia  

Shaun Bell

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SEO And Discoverability: How Progressive Web Apps Improve Your Online Presence In Australia

The world of technology keeps evolving with time, giving birth to different inventions that are supposed to make life easier for people and provide opportunities for app development companies and entrepreneurs to make big bucks. As customer’s demands keep changing with time, it has become essential for brands to keep up with the recent technological trends and changes if they wish to continue being in the market. 

The expectations of customers regarding their favourite brand keep changing over time with the latest updates and trends, thus making it necessary for brands to revaluate their promises and products to ensure they continue to deliver what they promised to their clients. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a blessing for brands as they were able to expand their business and make their presence known online among their customers. 

After the pandemic, individuals started to value mobile app experiences more than ever, leading to brands valuing the overall user experience in hopes of maintaining a loyal customer base. Imagine you are a brand working hard to make yourself known to your target audience but continue to fail.  

What will be your next step? Firstly, you need to understand the role of SEO for your brand, as, without it, your brand will fail to place among the top search results when individuals search for anything related to you. With every brand trying to be a step ahead of you, you will need to offer something unique to users for them to choose your brand over others offering similar services. 

The competition between app development companies has significantly increased, with people’s demand for better user experience. Unfortunately for brands, some users believe that poor mobile app experiences stop them from recommending the brand to their loved ones, thus affecting the brand’s growth and reputation in the market. A reputable mobile app development company is required to help you turn your webpage into a brilliant web app.  

Growth Of Progressive Web Apps –  

With technology evolving daily, it has become crucial for brands to adapt to the latest market trends to stay relevant, leading to SEO becoming a game changer for brands wanting to increase their online visibility.  

Mobile apps have dominated the market since the start of the pandemic when people had to stay in the comfort of their homes for protection, but they still needed to continue their daily chores. Web app innovations set them up to become the dominant market by providing native-like user experiences both now and in future to users. 

Another technology that is creating waves in the mobile app development industry is progressive web apps that beautifully blend the functionality and user experience of a native application combined with online accessibility and reach. A mobile app development company helps budding entrepreneurs to turn their dream app into a reality.  

According to Google Stats, the brands using progressive web apps have increased user engagement by 50% with a decrease in their load times, leading to customer satisfaction. If you are looking to improve your brand’s online presence, then you should look into progressive web apps and search engine optimization for your brand.  

What Is Progressive Web Apps And Search Engine Optimization? 

Before discussing the benefits of search engine optimization and progressive web apps, we need to understand what progressive web apps are and how they differ from traditional apps. For curious souls, progressive web apps are revolutionary web applications that give consumers an experience similar to an app using contemporary web features, seamless operation and the user-friendly interface of a native app combined with the convenience and widespread accessibility of online platforms.  

These applications utilize web technologies like WebAssembly, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to ensure compatibility across various devices, including mobile phones and computers, as long as they have a browser that meets standard requirements. The best part about web apps is that it doesn’t require separate bundling or distribution as it is a type of website, thus giving an advantage to app developers. 

These web apps offer similar benefits to traditional web apps in terms of discoverability and easy deployment, user experience, offline functionalities and push notifications. Even though this technology was expected to be the next big thing, it failed to gain the expected traction, making it another one of the failed technologies.   

Prime Features Of Progressive Web Apps – 

As Google has defined before, progressive web apps are created by keeping an array of fixed criteria in mind –  

1. Progressive –  

As the name of the app suggests, it should be progressive, meaning it should be able to work for any user, regardless of the device or browser they are using, thus adapting and providing a consistent experience on different platforms.  

2. Responsive –  

A progressive web app needs to be one-size-fits-all, meaning it should be designed to fit any screen size and orientation without any trouble to provide a seamless experience to users across mobile devices and desktops.  

3. Connectivityindependence

Unlike traditional web applications, a key characteristic of PWAs is that they are network-independent, meaning they are usable whether users are offline or on a spotty network; users can use them to consume content they have previously viewed. At a basic level, this is due to Service Workers and APIs revisiting and caching page requests and responses. 

4. App-Like Interactions

A progressive web app needs to give the same feel as a native app with additional benefits like smooth transitions and gestures to keep the users engaged and have them returning to the app. 

5. Discoverable

Another thing that an app requires to be called a progressive web app is that it should be identified as an app and be discoverable by different search engines to increase the app’s visibility and generate organic traffic. 

6. Re-engageable

Engagement is the prime concern of app developers while developing an app, and a progressive web app is no different than a native app as it needs to be able to send push notifications and other re-engagement features to keep the users interested in the app to a long term.   

7. Installable – 

 Similar to native apps, a progressive web app needs to be installable on users home screens and allow them to launch the app with a tap without any complexities, but while traditional web apps can be bookmarked and added to the browser’s app drawer, PWAs can be installed on the device, meaning the user can access that app via an app icon in a way that feels more integrated with the rest of the user experience. When users want to access the application, they do so by clicking the shortcut on the Home Screen rather than typing in a URL.   

8. Linkable – 

 Unlike native mobile apps, web applications don’t require any formal setup or installation, and they load up with a URL that you and your users can easily invoke. This URL also makes it super easy to get users to do what you want them since you are just a URL away from linking directly to the specific page you want a user to view while anchoring the text you want them to scroll to.  

9. Secure –  

Unlike native apps, users don’t need to worry about their data protection, as progressive web apps are served through HTTPS, which is a transfer protocol that uses encryptions to protect sensitive data during transfer between the app and the user. 

Benefits Of Progressive Web Apps- 

Over time, even though progressive web apps failed to gain the expected traction amongst users, it has emerged as a transformative technology that combines the best features of mobile apps and the web to provide users with an overall remarkable experience. There are an array of benefits of using progressive web apps over native apps, and we will discuss some of them – 

1. Improved User Experience – 

A unique and better user experience is the driving force for any technology or app to become a hit among users, and progressive web apps are no exception to this rule. The prime reason for the technology to do half as well as native apps is the seamless experience it provides to users. As a result, PWAs behave more like native apps. Users do not have to download and install a unique native app; they navigate to a website with all the benefits of a fast load time, smooth transition, responsive UI and a consistent experience across platforms and devices.  

2. Increased Engagement- 

Another parameter for an app or technology to be successful is the engagement it provides users meaning, how engaged it can keep the users without them moving on to the next best thing. A progressive web app with essential features like push notifications can keep users engaged in the app even when they are not actively using the app. This feature helps progressive web apps foster the loyalty of a user and increase the chances for the user to repeat his visits to the app. Progressive web apps manage to keep users engaged and interested in the web app’s content or services by staying connected to users through unique, relevant and timely notifications. 

3. High Conversion Rates – 

It is pivotal to advertise to the right audience for your app to take the cake and be the priority of users over other available apps with similar features in the market. A progressive web app ensures the advertisements are done to the target audience, thus increasing the chance of people using the app. 

Studies have proved that enhanced user experience and faster loading times result in more successful transactions. By allowing businesses to offer a frictionless experience, PWAs help companies retain customers, thus also increasing conversion rates. Providing an engaging user experience without interruptions enables PWAs to convert incoming traffic into customers or active users on the site effectively. 

4. Broader Reach 

Reach is one of the most pivotal factors affecting how an app or technology does in the market, and with progressive web apps being accessible from any browser, it is easy to share them via links to friends and family. It has made it possible for PWA users to open them without downloading the application from an app store— thereby broadening the spectrum of potential audiences. The absence of necessity for app store downloads, as a hindrance, ensures that more people can use PWAs and thus reach more audiences. A mobile app development company helps budding entrepreneurs to build an app that helps their app reach a broader audience.  

5. Cost And Time Efficiency – 

Doesn’t it feel great when you can pinch pennies and still provide an experience worth remembering for your users ensuring they keep returning to your page? Building a single PWA instead of separate apps for different platforms (e.g., iOS and Android) can result in cost and time savings. Maintenance and updates can also be streamlined, as changes made to the PWA will reflect across all platforms.  

This reduces the need for separate development and maintenance teams for different platforms, saving resources and improving efficiency. When you develop one PWA for both iOS and Android instead of creating separate applications for two platforms, you save time and money. In addition to that, the process of maintaining and updating PWAs can be simplified because modifications done to the single PWA will automatically be visible on both platforms.  

The Importance Of SEO And Discoverability- 

What Is A SEO –  

Imagine you work hard to get to the right audience to increase user engagement and generate revenue from the same but keep failing due to unforeseeable circumstances. This is where SEO comes in, with its magical ability to reach the right and a broader spectrum of the target audience to help webpages and apps do better with the audience. SEO is the process of optimizing a website by improving the content quality and quantity to increase its visibility when users search for a product or service related to your business. The better the visibility of your webpage or app, the better the chances of you garnering users’ attention and generating revenue. 

Importance Of SE0 – 

Increased Traffic – 

Wouldn’t it be great if you no longer needed to pay to generate traffic for your webpage or app, and people still found your page organically without trouble? The viewers who discover your website through a search engine are considered organic traffic, and to effectively direct this traffic to your website, it is crucial to optimize it. The objective is for Google to acknowledge that your website provides the most pertinent responses to inquiries. 

Every second, more than 63,000 searches are conducted on Google, presenting a valuable opportunity for your business to vie for visibility in those search results. Enhancing your SEO is crucial to make it visible to the target audience, and the best approach is to concentrate on keywords relevant to your brand and the content you aim to deliver to your target audience. 

1. Cost- Effective – 

Wouldn’t you love it if your website could gather the target audience’s attention without paying to generate traffic for your site? When expanding your online presence, SEO is a highly cost-effective form of inbound marketing. Unlike sending unsolicited emails that end up in spam folders of users or ads, SEO strategically positions your website in front of individuals actively seeking your product or service. An android app development company or iPhone app development company can help you create tailored, high-performing web app by incorporating latest technologies. 

2. Trust And Credibility – 

Trust of the target audience is the key to a successful website or a web app, and SEO helps you build the same without issues by optimizing the quality of your content using keywords and other techniques. Even with SEO, it will take time for your brand to gain users’ trust, requiring you to have the patience of a saint and remain consistent with your efforts. Interaction, however, requires time, but it should be okay with a broader part of the market and better places in the search engine results. 

How Progressive Web Apps Help In Enhancing SEO? 

One major advantage of PWAs is their ability to load quickly, even on sluggish networks. The speed of a website is a key ranking factor, and search engines prefer sites that offer speedy and efficient user experiences. PWAs use service workers to cache content, lowering load times and giving a more seamless browsing experience. Now, that we know what PWA is and its key benefits, let us discuss how they enhance the SEO to improve the visibility of your webpage or website-  

1. Faster Load Time – 

Users don’t like websites or web apps that take time to load and will move on to a webpage with a better load time, leaving you with a loss of potential customers and a chance to generate revenue. Page speed is a pivotal aspect for search engines, therefore a faster load time leads to more user engagement and better ranking on search engines, allowing brands to boost their visibility. Progressive web apps are designed with app or page performance in mind, so they help contribute to a faster load time for them by leveraging service workers, lazy loading and caching techniques. 

2. Mobile First Indexing  - 

Google’s mobile-first search index rules entail that websites indexed for mobile will be considered, as the primary version. As mentioned earlier, PWAs are mobile-first, mainly because of the design, which incorporates the mobile-first indexing by Google. When it comes to mobile users, a PWA can be well-designed and provide a smooth experience affecting your ranks. 

3. Increased User Engagement – 

User engagement plays a vital role in getting your web pages or app ranked on the search engine and increasing their visibility, which helps you reach the target audience and get loyal customers. Progressive web apps with brilliant features like push notifications help brands increase their visibility by assisting them engage their customers through alerts, reminders and quirky messages. A higher retention rate and user engagement signal to search engines that a website is precious, valuable, and relevant, thus helping you boost your brand ranking. A brilliant mobile app development company is necessary for you to build a progressive web app with brilliant features that will help you reach your goal faster.  

    

4. Lower Bounce Rate – 

Bounce rate is the percentage of users who visited your site but then navigated away from it after viewing a single page, thus impacting the site’s visibility and ranking. A higher bounce rate negatively impacts SEO, but progressive web apps are safe, as they offer a smooth, fast and seamless user experience. It increases the chance of users staying on your webpage and interacting with the content, thus reducing the bounce rates and increasing the visibility.  

5. Enhanced Security – 

The security of a website or web page takes priority over others when a user decides to visit a website. Security happens when sites are in the best position within search engines’ rankings. PWAs must be provided over HTTPS, which implies that the data exchanged between the user and the app is secure. This particular component of security can have an impact on your SEO rating. 

Steps to Upgrade Your Website to a Progressive Web App 

There are an array of steps that you need to follow to convert your website into a progressive web app- 

1. Audit Your Current Site – 

The first step in transforming a website into a web app is to evaluate your present website using tools such as Google Lighthouse to access its data, which includes site performance, accessibility, and SEO 

2. Implement HTTPS-  

Once you are done assessing your website, the next step towards converting your website into a web app is ensuring your network is served over HTTPS for security purposes, as this transfer protocol uses encryption to provide data security to users. 

3. Create A Web App Manifest– 

Well, now that you are done taking care of the security measures for your web app, you need to create a web manifest, a JSON file that contains metadata, like name, icon, etc., about your app to get you a step closer to converting your website into a web app.  

4. Register A Service Worker – 

The next thing you need to do is write and register a service worker script to cache assets and manage the network requests for your web app to help you get your web app a higher rank on the search engine.  

5. Test Offline Functionality- 

A webpage needs to function offline for it to be called a progressive web app; therefore, you need to ensure that your webpage functions offline without any trouble by testing it multiple times. An iPhone app development company is the perfect choice for your app due to the higher standards they hold for apps. 

6. Optimize Speed – 

As we already know, speed plays a pivotal part in keeping the user engaged with your webpage; therefore, the next step you need is to use techniques like minification, lazy load, etc., to optimize the speed of your web app.   

7. Monitor Performance – 

The only thing that remains for you to do before converting your webpage into a web app is to monitor the performance of your web app continuously without fail and keep optimizing it when required.  

Technical Aspects Of Progressive Web Apps And SEO 

1. Service Workers And Caching – 

Service workers form the backbone of progressive web apps, enabling background operations like caching and push notifications. They would allow apps to pre-cache critical resources, thereby reducing delays during content loading and enhancing user experience.  

2. Manifest For Web App – 

Manifest is a file that details your app analyses in a habit that will admit it expected proved to consumers by browsers by permissive consumers to increase your liberal netting app on their home screen, making it more approachable and charming. It also allows users to add your progressive web app to their home screen, making it more accessible and engaging.  

3. Structured Data– 

The use of organized dossier makes it smooth for web crawlers to understand your site content, which improves the habit of news bestowed in search results. This ranges from rich snippets and breadcrumbs to any other advanced listing features that can increase the appeal and click-through rates of your progressive web apps.    

4. Responsive Design – 

Your progressive web app must be responsive, as Google algorithms prefer mobile-friendly sites, and a responsive design guarantees uniformity in the use of your app across all devices, thereby ensuring a great user experience for individuals visiting your webpage.    

Future Trends And Considerations – 

1. Voice Search Optimization- 

The emergence of voice-controlled aides like Alexa and Google Assistant has elevated the significance of tailoring your progressive web app to voice pursuit. This requires attention to natural language comprehension and elongating phrase keywords so your material can be discovered easily through vocal investigation.  

2. AI and Machine Learning- 

AI and machine learning combined and integrated into your progressive web apps can create wonders in personalization, thus enhancing the overall experience of users. Customised content recommendations, chatbots, and analytics are some of the ways AI may help you improve your progressive web application.  

Conclusion –  

Progressive web apps are a brilliant way to go if you want to increase your brand visibility. They combine the strengths of web and mobile apps offering users a quick and interactive experience directly from a browser without the hassle of downloads. These apps include features such as push notifications and can be easily accessible through search engines, facilitating user engagement across devices. 

The fusion of performance, usability and cost effectiveness, in Progressive Web Apps can greatly elevate user satisfaction and business results. By harnessing the advantages of PWAs companies can develop engaging web applications that cater to the changing preferences of today’s consumers. 

7 Pillars, a leading mobile app development company believes in taking a client-centric approach while designing solutions for your web apps to ensure the latest technologies get incorporated into it while ensuring the end product aligns with client’s vision. 

Our team at 7 Pillars, a leading mobile app development company in Australia, is expert in using SEO optimization to help our clients develop a progressive web app from their existing webpages to help them reach a broader audience.  

Investing in a PWA can lead to easier access, engagement, and online discovery, ultimately leading to success and growth for your brand. If you are an entrepreneur looking to develop your app, then you need not look any further, contact us today at 7 Pillars.   

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