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Mobile website or mobile app? Differences worth waiting for? (19 posts)

Topic tags: mobile apps, mobile websites, notifications, paradigm shift, PUSH, sms

Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
Mobile website or mobile app? Differences worth waiting for?
OK, on this one I am soooooooooo not the expert here, just learning quickly as I can, so forgive my ignorance. After attending many webinars about the mobile wave, it sounds like putting any money into mobile websites will be overshadowed by how people are actually using mobile technology and that mobile apps for businesses would be the better forward-thinking way to spend their time and money, at least to last them through the next 5-6 years.
I know this sounds like apples and oranges, but is it really? Can someone explain the difference and uses of the two a bit better, as maybe I’m missing something here.But when SMS messaging came out, I was thinking woo-hoo, how cool, but the cost was prohibitive for most and mobile apps with PUSH notifications are quickly running right over them with their cost effectiveness.
So mobile website or mobile apps… room for both… different or the same… another paradigm shift? … or am I just missing the big picture … or making too much of their differences?
Thanks, yall!
Robin Carlisle
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Martyn McDermott – Creative Director said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin my money is on mobile websites, as the barriers to entry are a lot lower and the cost of production significantly lower also. The browser technology on mobile devices now has massively reduced the gap between websites and apps in terms of what is achievable in delivering your information in ever increasingly creative ways. Apps are fantastic but cost sooo much to develop and you have to develop multiple flavours for different technologies, iPhone, Android etc.. Whereas a mobile site will be a single technology that works across all devices (in theory ..)
@hmmarketing | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@hmmarketing Thanks, Martyn. That was my understanding about the costly entry barrier to apps, until today. Now I understand that all that has changed. That cross platform apps will now be much cheaper to build and approve and distribute virally… both the app and PUSH notification messages… making mobile websites seem like an interim project at this point.
If what I heard was true today, I think mobile websites may go the way of SMS messaging… too costly an interim fix, but not a longterm solution.
If the price of entry of creating and distributing apps has reached that critical cost-affordability point, where would that leave mobile websites at this point?
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Martyn McDermott – Creative Director said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin - Game changing stuff! any chance you could point me towards the webinar or website you read today?
@hmmarketing | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@hmmarketing Be glad to… but I’ll have to go hunt it down. Actually, that would be a good thing as you can tell if it’s just hype or fiction or, lol, if I just don’t know what the heckledoodles I’m talking about. If I saw the vid on one of my private member sites, I’ll have to figure out how to let you see. I’m thinking it was a guest webinar through Occupy MainStreet… maybe. I’m thinking it was John Mills and Jonathan Green who did the webinar, but not sure. Let me go check.
Robin
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Martyn McDermott – Creative Director said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin dont worry too much if you cant find it. If its to hand, it would be amazing to hear their perspective. I’m in the same boat as you and am just collating information and opinions at the moment.
@hmmarketing | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
One big thing about it though… I watched them create a beautiful mobile app for a restaurant, with every menu and price included on it, in ONLY 17 minutes flat!!! No kidding. This is easy peasy and a 10 year old could do this. There is NOT talking to some designer and developer who takes forever and must make incessant changes for one platform or the other. Nope, 17 minutes and you are done! A few weeks to go through Google’s approval process and a few more weeks to get through Apple’s approval process, but that is it. They’ve turned the tide for building apps. At least that’s what I saw. And these apps do everything a website does, except it sits right in someone’s phone, instead of merely being accessible via the web. Truly innovative and more targeted for local businesses, at least that’s the way it appears to me.
Robin
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
So glad Martyn responded, as that made me go dig up more research… and I found this link in the Warrior Forum where this has apparently been an ongoing topic of interest and concern. The guy who did the webinar I saw yesterday works for the man who did NOT get rave reviews among participants in that forum.
http://www.warriorforum.com/internet-marketing-product-reviews-ratings/492433-gomobile-solutions.html
However, there are a lot of great links to the the actual company whose product is being resold under a white label by the people who did the webinar I saw. With a HUGE price difference. Also, others suggest free and other lower cost app builders, as well as have varying opinions about whether only certain kinds of businesses benefit from apps as opposed to mobile websites. So this discussion is very well worth the read.
BTW, Martyn, I noticed your name, but not your moniker before… Other than Carlisle Communications, I’m also HMMarketing (HomeMaker Marketing as in “home-page maker” marketing) and HmmVideo… too funny.
Robin Carlisle
@hmmarketing
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Jules Webb said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin @hmmarketing
I’m not sure if you understand what the differences are between an app and mobile website. Here is an article that I think will help you evaluate the benefits of mobile website vs. an app
http://hswsolutions.com/services/mobile-web-development/mobile-website-vs-apps/
@juleswebb | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@juleswebb Jules… my ever techy hero, tee hee. Thanks.
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Jules Webb said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin
You are very kind, I am a techy geeky girl, but hardly a hero…. well maybe to my two pups, but then dogs see the their people through rose colored glasses—so lucky for us “people”
@juleswebb | # | Top
Kristi Hines said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin Cost is going to be a big issue when it comes to mobile apps (unless you happen to be a developer). I know that some websites lose business because I’m at a store, ready to buy something, but I want to do a quick price scan on the net first. If I see it’s cheaper online, I might wait to go home and buy it. If I see only one other site is selling it, but get to the website and can’t load it because it’s flash or something, then the store I’m in gets the sale. So I would say start with a good mobile site, then, if you have the funds, go for the app.
@kristi-hines | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
1 year, 2 months ago:
Here’s what I’m talking about… at least this is the orginal app builder, as I had seen a webinar presented by a white label reseller selling this at exorbitant prices. They’ve made this stupid simple and the price is very affordable. (No affiliate link, just info).
http://www.biznessapps.com/index.html
Jules, I’d be especially interested to hear your opinion of this app builder.
@kristi-hines @juleswebb @hmmarketing
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Jules Webb said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@atlantarobin
I took a look at http://www.biznessapps.com and they look like a great tool.
I think before you start jumping to one conclusion or another you need to ask yourself a couple of basic questions.
1. What is your goal? What is it that you are trying to accomplish?
2. So you want an app, well what do you want that app to do? Apps fill needs, what need are you planning on filling? And how are you planning on marketing it….I’m guessing a website and social media like facebook, twitter, google+ would play a big part in this.
Though I don’t yet know what your goals are, my assumption is that what you really need is website that’s mobile friendly. @kristi-hines is right, website first app later if needed or can make money selling it.
I’ll be away from my computer tomorrow, but I’d be happy to continue this conversation over the weekend.
@juleswebb | # | Top
Martyn McDermott – Creative Director said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@juleswebb I may be a newbie here but Im ‘pretty sure’ I understand the difference between an app and a website!!! the clues are in the names!!
@hmmarketing | # | Top
Jules Webb said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@hmmarketing - my apologies if you felt slighted. I was speaking to Robin and thew in your handle as an afterthought since you had be contributing to the conversation. I meant no disrespect or ill-will.
@juleswebb | # | Top
Martyn McDermott – Creative Director said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@juleswebb no worries, I was just starting to get worried that I had missed something
@hmmarketing | # | Top
Jules Webb said
1 year, 2 months ago:
@hmmarketing glad you spoke up, it’s a good lesson for me to pay more attention to how my communication comes across to multiple readers.
@juleswebb | # | Top
Vincent Edwards said
1 year, 2 months ago:
I personally think for small businesses, that a mobile website is the way to go. I mean, if you create a native app, whos going to download that, so they can see your business? (not many). So, its going to be very important to take the next step and create a mobile version of your website… (Im building an app to do this) ha, because last time I checked, the stats say that approx 50% of website views are through mobile… and many websites are not viewable on small screens…. and there will always be small screens (i,e mobile phones).
@vincentedwards | # | Top