For most small businesses, the answer is clear: put the mobile website ahead of an app. Google says it uses the mobile version of your site to rank pages. Apple's rules say an app has to go beyond a repackaged website. Fix the website first, then build an app when the need is clear.
Why the mobile website comes first
Someone told you that you need an app. Before you spend money on one, look at how customers find you. Google Search Central says, "Google uses the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking. This is called mobile-first indexing."
Your mobile site shapes where you show up in search, so it's the base. Get it right, and you help every customer who searches for what you sell.
What Apple expects from an app
An app can't be a copy of your website in a wrapper. Apple's App Store Review Guidelines spell this out. Section 4.2 says, "Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website." Section 4.2.2 says apps should not primarily be marketing materials, web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links.
So an app has to do something more. Review is usually quick. Apple says on average 90% of App Store submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. Speed helps, but you still have to pass, and an app that only mirrors your site can get turned down.
When an app earns its cost
An app makes sense when people come back often and need things a website can't give. Offline use is one example, and push notifications that reach a customer's lock screen are another. Device hardware like the camera or GPS can also make a native app worth the investment.
If your customers use you once a year, an app is a hard sell, while if they use you weekly and want features tied to their phone, the cost starts to make sense. Our team looks at how often people return and what they need, and only then suggests building one.
Three options side by side
A mobile website, a progressive web app, and a native app cost and behave differently. A progressive web app is a website that acts more like an app. web.dev says an installed progressive web app has an icon on the home screen, app launcher, or start menu, like a native app.
| Criteria | Mobile website | Progressive web app | Native app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lowest of the three | Low to medium, built on the site | Highest, built for each platform |
| Store fees | None | None to publish on the web | Apple Developer Program is $99 a year; Google Play charges a US$25 one-time fee |
| What it can do | Standard web features | Home screen icon, offline in some cases, push on supported devices | Full offline use, push notifications, deep device hardware access |
| How people find it | Search and links | Search, links, and an installed icon | App stores and links |
How to decide what to build
Work through these steps in order. Each one helps you rule an option in or out.
- Check your mobile site. Is it fast and easy to use on a phone? If not, fix that first.
- Count how often customers come back. Daily or weekly points toward an app. Once in a while points to the website.
- List what you need. Do you need offline use, push notifications, or the camera and GPS? Write it down.
- Compare that list to a website, because if a mobile site can cover it, you may not need an app at all.
- Try a progressive web app next. It adds a home screen icon and skips store fees.
- Choose a native app when your list calls for deep device features and store presence. Then plan for the $99 yearly Apple fee and the US$25 Google Play fee.
Follow these steps and you spend money where it helps most. Get the base right. Add an app once the case is clear.
Ready to talk it through? See our mobile app service.
