How Progressive Web Apps Are Changing the Internet Scene – And You May Not Even Know It
Anything that has the word “progressive” tagged onto it has got to be a good thing when it comes to web design, right? Actually, it’s better than good, when it’s progressive web apps – or PWAs, as we geeks call them.

Why? PWAs are the turbo to your website engine. And with a majority of your web audience on the go nowadays, you need a web experience that’s fast (more than one that just keeps up), easy to understand and navigate, and engaging. A PWA can do all of this – plus, it will save you money.

How? That may require breaking down the actual DNA of a PWA. While there’s not an exact definition, a PWA is an app that actually lives on the Internet, rather than one that has to be downloaded from your app store onto your phone. So, when you’re using a PWA, you’re using an app that has been created with web technologies, while behaving with the convenience and speed of a mobile app. As other bloggers have been described it, if a PWA is done right, you shouldn’t even have to stop to think that you are using one.

Take, for instance, one of our real estate clients, RentABeach. We designed and combined an Angular search function with the Drupal software onto the website of this beach rental property company at rentabeach.com and improved search speeds by 2,000%! That’s faster than you can say, “Surf’s up!”

By developing the site in a way that can also be leveraged as an app, we were able to strengthen and streamline the search feature – the anchor for this site – for a large inventory of beach rentals available from Virginia Beach to the Brunswick Island beaches of southern North Carolina. With the PWA design in mind, it can serve as a solution for real estate searches, as well as catalog or inventory searches. And, in the end, you won’t be searching for more money in your marketing budget, because a PWA reduces technical debt and any maintenance costs.

If you think your website could stand the need for speed and mobility as a PWA, let's chat about how to make it happen.