Does Your Business Need a Website or a Web App?

Doing business in the digital world means having a presence on the internet. This is done by creating a website or web app, and building it with either their own team or in partnership with a web application development company.

Now these two terms – website and web app – may sound similar, but they are different in many ways. A business or organization will always need a website, but maybe not always a web app. How is this so?

A website is a digital place where “visitors” can check out your business or organization’s information, like a beautiful gallery. Web apps, on the other hand, are interactive landing pages where users can provide and receive information and more, like a store or office.

From these two differences, how can organizations assess if they truly need a web app, or should they opt for a website instead? Here are three questions to ponder:

For What Purpose will the Web Presence be?

The organization’s purpose for a web presence is, of course, the most important factor in determining what they need. A website is best for companies or individuals who wish to make a great view and experience of their brand but prefer to interact separately.

Some examples are blogs, product brands, and influencer pages that want visitors to view their content, but lead them to interact on another page or a separate web or mobile app.

Web apps are best for creating fully online environments, such as digital storefronts where visitors can also order or buy products, book services, or create accounts for further use.

Financial and educational institutions, government agencies, digital consumer shops, and promotional projects are some good examples of who might need interaction-rich web applications.

Web applications can also be used for setting up productivity suites for online work environments.

How can a Web App Benefit the Organization?

As mentioned above, web applications can do much more than a website can. Web apps might be more costly to build, but with strategic planning and execution of the project, they can benefit the business or organization more.

Web apps can be used to create interfaces between employees and the company, between companies, and even between products. You can form your own team or hire an agency providing web app development services to create a portal where employees and management can interact and do part or all of their work. It is a helpful tool for organizations adopting telecommuting as their virtual office setup.

For example, digital news agencies can create a web platform for their exclusive use, allowing them to securely send work files and communicate through a virtual office. This platform can be an extension of their website (e.g. through an employee portal), or a standalone, browser- or app-based portal with exclusive access.

Who will create it?

Larger corporations and organizations usually have their in-house team of developers who can make their websites or web apps. SMBs, on the other hand, mostly partner with IT outsourcing providers especially those who do not frequently create or need to use web apps.

Conclusion

Having a stellar idea for your organization’s web presence is one thing, but building it is another. Websites are a basic need in today’s digital marketing world, and taking them a step further with web apps can improve your game, should you need extended functionalities. Helping people figure out what they need is the goal of Frontline, a web app development, and IT outsourcing services company. Here at Frontline, we can build web apps or mobile apps to your specifications. You can reach out to us at https://www.frontline.com.sg/contact/ for inquiries.