Now it is an established fact that more than half of the world’s population possess smartphones. There was a time when very few people had internet in their home because computers were not very affordable to run the internet and smartphones were not present that time. In the last decade we have witnessed the dipping of smartphone prices and mobile data has also got cheaper. So many people has smartphones now and run internet on their smartphones only. In 2016, mobile traffic overtook desktop traffic by claiming 51.3% internet users as mobile device users. As a result of that we are seeing organizations working on to provide good services to their mobile users. So to cater to the needs of mobile users AMP & PWA was introduced in 2016. Let’s see what is AMP & PWA
What is AMP?
AMP was officially launched in 2016 as Accelerated Mobile Pages, a Google-led open source project. Since then it has evolved. Earlier the websites were not designed for mobile phones but after the rise in the number of smartphone users now businesses are realizing its importance. Now websites are designed keeping mobile version in mind. Currently, AMP is not just limited to websites. It has extended to build ads, emails and stories.
To build mobile friendly websites, the unrequired (inline) Java script is eliminated. In addition to that, CSS is limited to 50kb for inline use. And to give a CDN like functionality, Google captures the website content. AMP ads enhance ROI by getting better CTR.
What is PWA?
PWA denotes Progressive Web App. It is designed in such a way so as to provide user a mobile application like feel and experience by accessing its web page on a browser. In other words, you are getting, let’s say you are browsing a web page of a particular website but the feel, look and experience of it will make you feel like you are using the mobile application and not the browser. So you don’t need to download the mobile app because you are getting a mobile app like experience on a browser. It targets on providing mobile app like features
- Total app like user interface.
- Faster shift between pages.
- Ability to access offline content.
- Ability to send push notifications.
Let’s take an example of the most famous e-commerce giant Amazon. If you access Amazon’s website on a browser and then on the Amazon’s app you will see that they will look pretty much the same, the navigation and other features will also probably be the same. So, then if you are running low on storage try Amazon on browser. Additionally the PWA version consumes comparatively less data than a native app.
What is the difference between AMP & PWA
✤ Definition
- AMP- Designed in a way to provide faster and mobile friendly web experience on mobile phones.
- PWA- Web page that gives you app like feel and experience.
✤ Method of Development
- AMP- Unnecessary Java script is stripped off and CSS is restricted to 50kb to provide faster loading speed and seamless user experience.
- PWA- PWA is coded using Java script mostly. It is designed like a mobile app to provide a web app kind of experience and comes with functions like push notifications, app like navigation.
✤ Suggested for
- AMP- Mainly suggested for all publishers targeting mobile users.
- PWA- PWAs are highly suggested for and used by e-commerce websites and social media organizations.
✤ Advantages
- AMP- Enhanced loading speed of mobile friendly pages., beneficial for mobile SEO, Faster loading helps gather more traffic, Better ad views, Chances of getting listed on Google search top stories leads to a higher CTR.
- PWA- App like navigation and features, engaging, fast and reliable, Eliminate the necessity to design apps for different OS using different languages, site can be accessed offline too, good alternative to downloading an app that uses storage and data as well.
✤ Final Outcome
- AMP- Faster loading speed of the website with enhanced user experience.
- PWA- Web page giving mobile app like features and functions and provides an app like feel and user experience.
To sum up
To conclude I would say that realizing the importance of mobile phone optimized web pages is a great progress in the direction of an all-inclusive web services and user experience. Technology is constantly evolving and moving towards providing a reliable, secure and user friendly experience.
Related article: Top 9 examples of great mobile website
