The world of PWAs: definition and SEO benefits

Through our SEO Agency Optimize 360

PWA ( progressive web app )

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The constant evolution of the web is opening up new opportunities to improve the way we do business.user experience and natural referencing of websites.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are one of the most popular new developments.

So what is a PWA and how can it benefit your business? website ?

Find out more about the definition, benefits and impact on SEO.

What is a PWA?

The Progressive Web Apps or simply PWAs, are web applications that combine the functionality of a traditional website with the features of a mobile application.

They offer an optimised user experience in terms of navigation, interaction and performance.

Among other things, PWAs make it possible to access certain functions offline and receive push notifications even when the browser is closed.

The main characteristics of PWAs :

• • Fast : a PWA loads quickly even on slow connections, thanks to the caching of essential resources and the use of Service Workers.
  • Responsives : they automatically adapt to the screen size of each device, to deliver the best possible user experience.
  • Accessible offline : Once visited, a PWA can be used even without an internet connection thanks to data caching, which is particularly useful for content sites and mobile applications.
  • Notifiable : Push notifications are a powerful way of engaging users and bringing them back to your site or application. PWAs allow you to receive these notifications even when the browser is closed.
  • Can be installed : Unlike native applications, PWAs can be instantly installed on the phone's home screen, without going through the application stores (App Store, Google Play, etc.).
  • Interactive : PWAs support camera, geolocation, microphone and other sensor functionality to deliver a rich, immersive user experience.

Why opt for a PWA?

Creating a PWA offers a number of advantages for website designers and their users. Here are some of the main benefits:

Improving the user experience

PWAs offer fast, fluid browsing adapted to different devices, ensuring optimum comfort for visitors. What's more, PWAs allow users to benefit from offline use and push notifications, all attractive features for web users who often browse on mobile devices.

Reduced development and maintenance costs

Unlike a native application, a PWA does not require specific development for each platform (iOS, Android, etc.). This saves considerable time and money. Updates are also easier to deploy, as they simply need to be applied to the website so that they can be accessed immediately via the application.

Lower drop-out rate

Thanks to their loading speed and their advanced features, PWAs engage users more fully, reducing their propensity to abandon your website or application. Support for push notifications is also a valuable asset for maintaining contact with your visitors and encouraging them to return regularly.

What impact will PWAs have on SEO?

By integrating PWA technologies, you can significantly improve the performance and accessibility of your website. These two factors are essential for good natural referencing in search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo.

Encouraging mobile referencing

For several years now, Google has been adopting a "Mobile-First Index "This means that it is now the mobile version of sites that is used to assess their quality and relevance.

In this context, opting for a PWA is a wise choice to meet the requirements of the ranking algorithms. Thanks to their speed and multi-platform compatibility, PWAs are particularly well suited to the mobile referencing.

Improve loading speed

Website performance is a key criterion for SEO. The faster a site loads, the more likely it is to rank well in search results.

PWAs have been designed precisely with the aim of delivering a fast, high-performance user experience, by caching essential resources and making intelligent use of Service Workers.

They help to optimise the loading speed of your site and therefore its positioning in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

Keeping the user engaged

PWAs facilitate visitor engagement by offering a fluid and intuitive experience, as well as supporting push notifications.

This is a major asset in reducing the number of bounce rate and improve average time spent on the sitetwo important indicators for search engines.

The latter consider that an Internet user who stays on a site for a long time is likely to find interesting and relevant information. This improves the site's position in the organic rankings.

In short, integrating Progressive Web Apps technologies is a strategic choice for any site wishing to optimise its user experience and natural referencing.

Fast, responsive, accessible offline and notifiable, PWAs offer considerable advantages that can only benefit your website and its visibility.