Why and When do you Need a Website?

Having a good website also instantly boosts your credibility as a legitimate business. So here are a few validating reasons for which you need a website.

First of all, websites are vital to showcase your services, indicate skills, or provide information. They will help your business have a better position in the market.

Secondly, websites will save you time. There are many reliable website builders which will help you to have your online business in a few minutes. So, you will not spend much money on building your products. It will also save you time which you can invest in brainstorming other ideas for your business.

Last but not the least, websites will increase customer engagement. Every company experiences customer turnover. A well-optimized website can help your business rank well for a variety of search terms. In this way, it will attract a steady stream of new customers.

Differences between Web Apps and Websites

There are many differences between web apps and websites starting from the building process to the many purposes they are used for. In this section, let’s dive deeper into how significantly different these digital platforms are and their functional pros and cons in different use cases.

1. Interactivity.

A website provides textual content which users can view, read. But this will not affect the site’s functional units. While a web application is designed for interaction with the end-user. The user can manipulate the data by either filling out forms or providing the required data to interact with the app. For example, Airbnb is a web app that allows the user to register, log in, purchase products, do transactions, messages, etc. But Animalz is a website that only provides information on content marketing.

2. Usage.

A web application allows performing a lot of actions. It helps to create accounts, add friends, shop, chat, book hotels, edit photos, buy tickets, translate, etc.

A website has limited usage, like showing price lists, contact details, company data, pictures of the offered products. Basic examples are landing pages, portfolios, blogs, etc.

3. Level of difficulty

A website will only display collected data and information on a specific page as searched by the user.

In a web application, the features are more complex as the user needs to manipulate the data. That is, the web app requirements are more complicated which makes the web app a little more difficult.

4. Authentication

Authentication is not obligatory for informational websites. On many websites, the user doesn’t need to register to read the data. So validations and authorizations are skipped on websites.

When using web apps, the user needs to fill in personal data, as they need authentication. Authentications also solve security issues. In this way, the web app becomes a more reliable and interactive tool for personal information.

5. Development

You can make websites with a few clicks. For that reason, you just need to use website builders and make it in a few seconds. Or you can have coding done for your websites. But it will take a longer time, resources and will cost you more money.

Yet, web apps are more complex tools as the application lifecycle requires sprints and prechecking activities. Implemented changes don’t go live immediately as it is obligatory to check all related data. It is done to be sure you don’t affect users’ data.

There are also no-code web apps. No-code web apps are the perfect example of SaaS companies. They help citizen developers build their desired web apps. No-code has come around a long way, starting from WordPress in 2003 to more recent no-code web apps like Softr, Bildr, Webflow. All of them ensure that web apps are made in high quality, taking into account user interaction and data manipulation.

No-code web apps will also help you out in the difficult process of building well-functioning and beautiful web apps/websites. They ensure you build your digital products with almost no effort and in less amount of time. Softr, for example, has many integrations, ready-to-use templates, and blocks to allow you to create your own client portals, online community software s, web apps, and websites directly from your Airtable data. To better understand what to do with the no-code tool, check out Softr docs to find everything you need to get started

Conclusion

Now you know the when the why and the how of working with web apps and websites. Their differences are also important to know when considering the type of digital product you want to build. If you are still in dilemma, check out our templates, use cases for ideas and inspiration. Keep in mind the business goals, products, or services you offer to make the right choice.