Mobile website or mobile app? How about both?

1. Consider your business

Certain industries lend themselves more easily to mobile applications than others; restaurant chains, for example, might benefit from a loyalty point scheme focused application, unlike a B2B firm selling bespoke services perhaps.

Also important is how a business' intends to market itself and its products. Consider a business selling electrical goods exclusively through Amazon; it is unlikely they would gain much from having a mobile application because Amazon already offers one. However, a responsive business website that gives customers an opportunity to research the company prior or after buying could be beneficial.

2. Assess the budget

The development of a mobile application is undoubtedly going to cost more than a mobile-ready website. So right out of the gate, if your business is on a tight budget an application presents a possible financial risk or could simply out of your business' price range.

All good modern websites (including those built here at Devetecho) will be responsive, meaning they look great and offer similar or the same functionality on multiple devices including mobile phones. A website is likely to be much cheaper, too, so your business is getting a cross-platform presence for less.

Should a business have the budget for an app, though, they can definitely be worth the financial outlay. An application gives you a presence on a user's device that is easier to access and more permanent while enabling push notifications and enabling specific functionality unattainable through a browser.

3. Define the software objectives

The final question to consider is, "What do I need it to do?" If the answer to that question involves geo-location, offline services or user data (i.e. are you anticipating a need for logging in?) then the solution is likely to be a mobile application. On the other hand, if your requirements are to provide a platform for customers to easily view business information or contact your business and don't want to regularly maintain the software then a website is more than sufficient.

As a result of apps and websites offering different advantages and disadvantages, it might not be a surprise that in many cases the 'right' answer is to have both!