Progressive Web Apps are the kind of Web Applications created around a Website or Blog. These Web Apps residing on the Home Screen of the user lets them interact with it just like someone interacts with native applications. Progressive Web Apps provide a new way to reach and communicate with your users more closely.
The web apps that you are going to create will be there on the Home Screen of the user. They work similarly to how an Android or IOS applications work and behave. Due to the popularity among Website Owners for providing experience from a Mobile Website just like a tradition working application. Progressive Web Apps are finding their place to settle in technological advancements.
Before Creating a Progress Web App for your WordPress website you need to learn their Features and Benefits.
Benefits of Building Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps are highly featured enabled and the way they can be used makes them preferable. I am listing some of the major features that a Web app comes with.
1. Negligible Development Cost
There is actually no need for you to be writing lines of codes to implement them. There are plugins and websites available that can be used to build Progressive Web Apps easily in no more than 5 Minutes.
This makes them better than the mobile applications that require both money and team support.
2. Built Around Your Websites
One of the best thing about web apps is that they are built around the content of our website. This way we can easily update the content of both the app and the website at once. This also reduces the need for us to find developers that can build and update the Mobile Applications.
Whenever we will add new functionality or update an old one. It will also be updated in the web app without any editing or working.
3. Can Be Expanded
There is actually no limit for expanding the web app. More and more browsers have started supporting them which increased their popularity. This way the app could be updated with more complex features and functionalities.
This provides a new and enhanced way for the web owners for providing the content to the end-users.
4. Closer to Your Users
The Web App will be residing on the users Home Screen. This way we are one step closer to your users and their behaviour towards the website. Don’t you find it amazing that our website will be always at the reach of the end-users?
It is found that Progressive Web Apps have helped in increasing user engagement up to much extent. Most Importantly It’s obvious for the user to work with an application rather than your website.
5. Less Network Dependency
Service Workers coded in JavaScript are used to code back-end of these apps. It enables the web app to be loaded faster. Even if you face a lag in the current network availability the web app will be loaded from the cache that has been loaded in the previous runs.
The main functionality of the application is cached and therefore helps to get them working even in low network conditions. Less network dependency enhances the user experience and the way how your users interact.
Some other main important benefits of PWA are:
- Fast
- Secure
- Cross-Platform Usage
- Easy to Handle
- Increases User Engagement
We have just looked on some of the major benefits of using Web Applications and now will be looking at the ways how they could be built.
Building Progressive Web Apps With Coding
I am not that much into coding and therefore leaving this topic for others to explain. The tutorials have been already provided by Google for creating Web Apps and you can find them here: Progressive Web Apps Tutorial
The development part requires only the beginner level of coding skills. So you don’t need to worry about the process of developing and using the Web App Development tutorials.
Building Progressive Web Apps Without Coding – WordPress
There are many online platforms that allow you to build these apps without actually coding. I will be telling you about the Plugin Super PWA through which your WordPress website can be converted into a Web Application Easily.
Please Note: One main condition about PWA is that it requires your website to be HTTPS and not HTTP. This is the only condition that needs to be fulfilled before you can use the plugin.
After getting the SSL certificate for your website and moving to HTTPS you can just follow the given steps:
Step 1: Visit your WordPress admin panel and move to the Plugins tab.
Step 2: Click on the Add New button and search for SuperPWA plugin.
Step 3: Install it And Activate the plugin. Your PWA should be ready to work with the default settings on activation.
Step 4: You can customize the setting from the sidebar in your WordPress Admin Panel.
Now whenever someone will open your website from a PWA supported device and browser. It will ask to save it to the Home screen. The app will then be installed on the user device and your website can be accessed by them anytime without depending on the network availability.
You can also set an Offline page which will be shown to the user during no internet connectivity.
This was all about Progressive Web Apps and how you can actually build one for your Website or Blog. I hope you liked the article, you can show me that by sharing and commenting on the article. 🙂