Progressive Web Apps have emerged as one of the essential web development choices among businesses. These are easy to launch and maintain that work as an excellent alternative to native apps due to their cost-efficiency. PWAs offer many advantages, including fast loading speed, enhanced user experience, ease of use, etc.
Users can install a PWA using a web browser on their home screen and launch it just like a native app. It is a website with the look and feel of a native app. That is why PWA is a rapidly evolving technology that has taken the mobile experience to a whole new level.
There are many companies that are offering PWA development services, and It makes the task of selecting the right Progressive Web App development company very complicated. You need to make a good choice to choose the right company for developing your progressive web app.
Therefore, this blog highlights the key points to consider while selecting the right PWA partner for your project. The points can help you choose the ideal partner for building a PWA.
Understand What is PWA
PWA is a web application that loads like a website in a web browser. The plus point of a PWA is that they offer an enhanced mobile experience with their app-like functionalities, such as a distinct app shell, the ability to work offline, push notifications, and so on.
Because of its app-like functionality, a PWA looks and feels like a native mobile/desktop application. These PWAs work as a bridge between the web and desktop/mobile to provide superior user experiences on their desktops/mobile devices.
Features of PWAs
It has been elucidated that a PWA is like a native application, though it offers lesser functionalities than a native app. But in usability, it outperforms a native application. Some of the significant features of PWAs are listed below:
Responsiveness: These can work on any device, such as a mobile, laptop, or desktop.
App-like Experience: They are not like a native mobile application but offer precisely the same user experience as a native application in terms of navigation and interactions.
Install ability: These can be installed on any mobile device without any complex installation procedure.
Discoverability: One of the plus points of PWAs is that they are search engine friendly, which means they can be discovered, explored, and opened on any browser.
Push notifications: Just like a native application, it uses push notifications to keep users interested and motivated to use a PWA.
Pros of PWAs
- Feels Like a Native Application
- Enhanced User Experience
- Effective in Sending Push Notifications
- Efficient Security
Technical Components of PWA
A PWA can be created by deploying the following technical components. Such as:
1. HTTPS Layer
Security is the major component to consider in any web app or website. A Progressive Web App is highly secured as they operate with an HTTPS connection.
2. Web App Manifest
A web app manifest is one of the essential building blocks of a PWA that include several key components of a PWA. It is a JSON file containing all the information about the PWA, such as description, scope, app name, launch URL, app configuration data, and so on.
3. Service Worker
A Service Worker is another vital component while developing a PWA and can be considered the backbone of a Progressive Web App. This component gives a PWA the look and feel of a native application. When a PWA loads, it downloads and caches certain content on the device and stores it locally. It is a JavaScript file placed in the roots of a PWA. It plays the role of a middleman between the host and the browser.
A service worker downloads and caches the view and the background content whenever a user lands on a PWA. The result will be that the site will load so fast. Also, the service worker provides fast-loading speed, offline access, push notifications, background synchronization, and so on can be done. The life span of a service worker is in three stages: registration, installation, and activation.
Key points to Consider while Selecting the Right PWA Partner
When looking for a development partner, you should look for several points that play a significant role in the success of your project. To help you make the right choice we have gathered some key points to consider. Check the following points while choosing the right Progressive Web Application partner for your business.
1. Identify your Needs
It is the foremost step in the process of company selection. You must know your needs before hiring a developer or a company. The clear you are in what you want, the better the results. So, start by identifying what you want; even if you know the service type you want, there are still some pointers to be kept in your mind:
- Features you want
- Probable Budget
- Deadlines of the Project
So, you must consider these basic yet essential pointers in terms of selecting the company. It will help you perform the task effectively and helps the hired developer develop an output based on the inputs.
Besides these, you should also focus on which type of service partner you want, whether hiring an in-house developer or outsourcing your work. Depending on your project, you should take action accordingly.
2. Choose Between an in-house team or a development company.
Well, it’s all up to the size of your project and the type of team you want for your project. You can choose between a development company or an in-house team, depending on the differences.
(a) Hiring Time
When hiring an in-house team, the average time for recruitment should be more than a month. Plus, you must bear all the expenses of the recruitment time of the in-house team. On the other hand, the time to hire a development company is less than the in-house team; it takes around 10 to 14 days.
The plus point of hiring a development company is that you do not have to bear any other operating expenses. You should only pay for your requirements and engagement model type.
(b) Flexibility in Work
The level of flexibility is less in an in-house team. It is hard to get when and how you want to develop with an in-house team. But developers are available on demand when you decide to outsource your work. Also, they can work on the project, and it becomes easier to handle the project with them.
(c) Project’s Responsibility and Risk
In terms of choosing an in-house team, you solely own the risk and responsibility of the project. Being a business not always possible to focus on the in-house team every time, as there are various other projects. Hiring a development company helps you avoid the risk and responsibility of the project. In terms of choosing an in-house team, you solely own the risk and responsibility of the project. The company you hire will be responsible for completing your project on time.
3. Have an Eye on the Portfolio of a Company
It is a crucial step to be taken before finalizing a company. A company’s portfolio is a great way to determine what type of work a company has completed. You can look out for their portfolio on their website. It will help you to know whether the company can offer the required service with the expected results.
Moreover, you will always want to choose a company with proven experience in developing an effective Progressive Web App for your business. It is a crucial factor to consider, as there are no better ways to analyse the company’s experience.
4. Decide Between Onshore vs Offshore Development Company
It’s the 21st century, an era of globalization, and you are not bound to choose the company under your geographical boundaries. Many competent options are available worldwide and with much lower costs than in your country.
On a global level, the larger talent pool contributes to the gross lower rates, as the competition is much more in the industry to overcome. For instance, hiring a developer from the USA, Europe, and Australia is more expensive than in Africa and Asia. Also, you will see larger talent pools with prerequisite requirements and expertise.
Choosing an offshore company or a developer enables you to choose highly skilled professionals that are available at affordable prices in the market.
(a) Onshore Company
It is a company located in the same country where you reside. You can choose them as they are easily available in your location and can collaborate more conveniently. However, the costs can be higher than the expected budget.
Pros: You can collaborate more conveniently, make easier in-person visits, and so on.
Cons: Higher cost of development.
(b) Offshore Development
It means outsourcing your work beyond geographical boundaries to companies or developers located overseas. You can choose an offshore company to get quality work at lower prices.
Pros: Cost-effective, Large Talent Pool, and so on.
Cons: The language barrier and it does not support in-person visits more conveniently.
5. Reviews
The company’s reputation plays a vital role in deciding whether you want to collaborate with the company or not soon. A good reputation can make you confident about the company’s services so that you can rely on them for better results.
Reviews are one of the best ways to check a company’s reputation. These reviews can shed light on the reputation of a company. The trustworthiness of the company is based on the metrics of satisfied reviews. Positive reviews can help you decide whether a company is suitable for you or not.
Luckily, review platforms such as Clutch and Good Firms offer genuine information about a company. Once you have found a new firm, you can check out its ratings and reviews on these platforms.
Also, these are helpful in analyzing the experience of the company’s previous clients. You can also understand their service quality, how they treat their clients, and the level of expertise they possess.
6. Adoption of the best PWA practices
By utilizing up to date PWA practices, it is possible for a company to develop high-quality output. It is only possible if your chosen company follows the latest development practices that update time-to-time.
The significant benefit of this is that you get a high-quality PWA and a secure and effective one.
7. Strong Work Experience
Selecting a PWA company with good experience in the domain can help you develop a robust progressive web application. They should be well-versed in the latest PWA development frameworks and testing tools.
They know what technology works precisely for your project and what does not. Their developers can develop stable PWAs that function seamlessly on every device.
8. Are they Proficient in Key Frameworks?
There are many PWA development frameworks that are best suited for PWA development including AngularJS, ReactJS, and Vue.js. These technologies help a development company to build engaging, fast-loading, and reliable PWA development solutions.
For your business to develop a robust PWA, you need a company that is proficient in these frameworks. To work with these frameworks effectively, they must have hands-on experience.
9. Their Development Approach
You can choose a PWA development company that works on the agile methodology. It would be good if you asked about the project methodology, they would adopt in the development phase of a PWA. Various other ways are beneficial for your business.
Firstly, agile methodologies allow the developers to implement new functionalities and make the necessary adjustments.
Secondly, the development process becomes transparent for both parties.
Lastly, an agile development method will allow you to set an order of priority for features and allocate resources accordingly.
Conclusion
We hope the tips and points illustrated in this blog will help you select the right development partner for your project.
Make sure your chosen company has a proven record of developing top-notch PWAs. By successfully evaluating all the essential factors before selecting the right partner for your project, you can develop a robust PWA for your business. The hired Progressive Web App development partner can help you build an output that is loaded with the prerequisite features such as enhanced loading speed, install ability, security, and offline mode. You can improve your chances of reaching your customers by integrating these technologies.
