In a world with smartphones readily available to most people at all hours of the day, the amount of applications to help users better connect and interact with businesses has grown drastically. However, not every business needs an app. Currently, there are so many apps available to smartphone users, it can be overwhelming to determine which apps are necessary and helpful, and therefore people are suffering from something called “app fatigue.” In addition to the oversaturation of the app market, building an app usually requires more time and financial resources than a website, so it is important to determine whether or not your business would benefit from an app before actually building one. For some businesses, a well-functioning mobile website may actually work out better than an application for user experience. 

What function would the app serve?

Would the app serve as an easier way for users to complete e-commerce? Would the app allow users to reach out to customer support more quickly and conveniently than a traditional website or Google Business listing? Would it allow users to access your content in a way that is more user-friendly than a well-optimized mobile website? Is your product or service used frequently enough to require recurring reordering or customer support from your users? If you answered no to most of these questions, chances are your business would not benefit from a mobile application. Think about the apps that you use on a daily or weekly basis. These applications are usually from businesses we make repeat purchases to, businesses that put out new content on a recurring basis, or services we use that require occasional troubleshooting or customer support. If an application is not often opened for one of these reasons, it is likely that the app will be deleted from a user’s device to make more space for applications that serve more routine functions, photos, music, or software updates.

Smartphones are Still a Great Place to Meet Your Audience without an App

52.3 million people in the United States access the internet via only mobile devices. In addition to just mobile browsing, more and more purchases and other goal conversions are being completed via mobile browsers and applications. While applications are not right for all businesses, it is still important to meet your users’ needs in your mobile website experience, which in most cases has a broader reach than mobile applications. Mobile websites are easier for users to access than applications, as you can navigate to these sites directly from a smartphone browser without having to download anything to your device. Mobile websites also allow businesses to utilize SEO to potentially increase site traffic, while applications require more steps and usually more financial resources to submit to different app marketplaces for keyword indexing. 

With technology paving the way for new and exciting ways for businesses to connect with consumers, it is important to understand where your business fits. While it can seem exciting, making technology just to keep up with other businesses or just to join in on the latest trend is not always the best thing for your business. Not every business needs an application, a Twitter, a YouTube, a LinkedIn, or a space in the Metaverse. While all of these things are amazing ways to connect with your audience and build better relationships, it is crucial not to overdo it as you can overwhelm users and end up hurting those relationships instead. 

Not sure if your business would benefit from an app or an optimized mobile website? Give us a call and schedule a free consultation with one of our digital marketing professionals and we can help determine the best way to help your business get found, visible, and paid.