The differences between mobile site and mobile application

The use of the internet through mobile devices is becoming more frequent and as technology grows per minute, new tools will appear that we can adapt to our business. A company that does not have a site adapted to all devices will have difficulty between their competition.

Before making any decisions, we must define our business strategy and long-term goals for the implementation of online tools.

What type of users do we want to reach? What kind of functionalities do we want to offer?

This will depend on the end use you want to give your site. Whether it is for the user to manage a single user and perform custom actions or an informative platform with a design adapted to mobile devices. A mobile site is an adaptation and reduction of website design that is accessed through internet browsers. While a mobile application is a custom development, made to fulfill custom functions enabled in stores (app store or google play) to be downloaded to the device.

But, which is better for my company? We will name the differentiating elements to consider under a new mobile development.

• Budget The budget will be a decisive element in the determination to adapt the design of our website or a mobile application development. As is generally known, a custom or native development will require more resources than developing a mobile site. The more functionality and customization a mobile development requires, the longer the work hours.

• Access Access to a mobile site is via a browser, along with a URL. Anyone with internet can easily access from their cell phone. The disadvantage is that it will depend 100% on a good internet connection and signal in general. On the other hand, to access a mobile application it will require a single download from the store (app store or google play) and then click the icon of the application available anytime and anywhere. A mobile application does not depend entirely on an internet connection.

• Final use We must define the final use that as a company we want our users to handle this new mobile development. If you want to send notifications, provide exclusive information and a unique user access to manage the services of the company, you can develop a mobile application for constant and direct use. If you just want to show general information about the company or simply adapt the design of your website to mobile devices could develop a basic or informative mobile site without complex features.

• Updates On the updates side, if the company makes changes to the design or functionalities of a mobile site automatically, the users will notice once they re-enters the site. Meanwhile, for a mobile application to be updated, it is necessary for the user to authorize the updates of all their applications.

• Features Custom functionalities define the optimal use of a customer-focused tool. The advantage of a mobile application on a mobile site in functionalities is the reach, within a mobile application can be integrated functions of GPS, camera, microphone, access to images of the phone that a mobile site can not count. If you have a mobile application to view account statements and payment branches you can give your customer the possibility of next to your GPS easily find the correct route to pay therr bill and send pictures about comments to the customer service agents as direct communication.

It is important to be clear with the difference of both tools to meet the expectations of our customers. Together with these previously named elements, we can define the short-term or long-term strategies as a company, if for the moment the company has a site without many functionalities, it will be possible to develop a temporary mobile site while the corporate plan is to provide an excellent user experience traffic and retention of new customers may consider the development of a mobile application.