Progressive Web App (PWA) is a relatively new achievement in web development. With so many advantages, PWA can bring enormous benefits to businesses. And if you are planning to upgrade your sales website but still wondering how to convert a website to a progressive web app, follow this step-by-step guide.
Contents
What Is A PWA?
PWA is a web application that uses the latest web technology to provide users with a native application-like experience. This technology brings consistency between web and native apps and replaces both with a single instance.
Read More: What Is A Progressive Web App? – An Easy Explanation For Beginners
Why Should You Convert A Website To A Progressive Web App?
Improved Performance
The first and most obvious reason you should convert your website to a PWA is that it can significantly improve the performance of your site.
A regular website is reliant on a good internet connection in order to function properly. This can be problematic for users with poor connections, or who are trying to access your site in an area with limited or no coverage.
A PWA, on the other hand, can work offline or in low-quality network conditions thanks to its ability to cache data. This means that users will still be able to access your content, even if their connection is poor or non-existent.
In addition, PWAs load faster than traditional websites because they use less data. This is due to the fact that PWAs only load the necessary HTML, CSS, and JavaScript required to display the page, rather than loading an entire website every time a user visits.
This means that users are less likely to abandon your site due to slow loading times, and are more likely to stay engaged with your content.
Increased Engagement
Another reason to convert your website to a PWA is that it can help increase user engagement.
Push notifications allow you to send timely and relevant updates directly to users, even when they’re not actively using your app. This helps keep your content at the forefront of their minds and ensures that they don’t forget about your site.
In addition, the ability to work offline or in low-quality network conditions means that users are less likely to be interrupted by buffering or poor connection speeds when they’re trying to engage with your content.
This improves the user experience and encourages users to return to your site again and again.
Improved SEO
Finally, converting your website to a PWA can also improve your site’s SEO.
Google has stated that it is committed to supporting PWAs, and has even created a tool called Lighthouse that helps developers create them. In addition, Bing has also said that it indexes PWAs in the same way as it would any other website.
What this means is that, by creating a PWA, you’re giving your site a better chance of being seen by potential customers.
In addition, the improved performance and engagement that comes with PWAs can also lead to higher search rankings.
So, if you’re looking for ways to improve your site’s SEO, converting to a PWA is a great place to start.
There are many reasons why you should convert your website to a Progressive Web App. Some of these include improved performance, increased engagement, and improved SEO. All of these factors can help you reach more potential customers and keep them coming back to your site. If you want to improve your website, conversion to a PWA is a great place to start.
What Should You Do Before Initiating The Conversion To A Progressive Web App?
1. Clearly define requirements
Design
An excellent first impression is a key to the success of any website, so you clearly define what your design requirements are to make your company unique. Do you want to keep the original look or go for a new one?
If you need a new design, you have two options: using a ready-made PWA template or a custom design. Decide on a prospect before starting the transformation process.
Functionality
Besides a beautiful visual, you need to prepare a solid website with optimized, user-friendly features. Legacy features are often not reasonably reusable on a PWA like the design. So you need to think carefully about reaching the functional requirements, including extension, payment, shipping, etc.
2. Find a suitable PWA development company
Progressive Web Apps are a new technology that allows websites and applications to be designed in a similar way to native applications on smartphones and tablets.
PWA development is a complex process, and not all companies are able to provide great PWA development services. Therefore, you need to choose a reputable company with rich experience in PWA development if you want to create a great PWA. There are several things you need to consider when choosing the right company:
- Their PWA development team should be experienced and knowledgeable about the latest technologies and trends.
- They should have a good track record of creating successful Pwa projects, so you can be sure that your project will be delivered on time and within budget.
- Their team should also be responsive and available at all times, so you can always contact them if you have any questions or concerns.
Read More: Top 10 Progressive Web App Development Companies Worldwide
3. Sort the company list & contact to get quotes
After researching different PWA development companies, you may have a list of finalists. It’s now time to check out their quotes and work process.
Here are some tips for checking out PWA development companies:
- Ask for detailed quotes with specific details about the project, such as timelines, features, and specifications.
- Make sure that the company has a good track record of completing similar projects successfully.
- Inquire about the team’s experience with PWA development and how they plan to approach the project.
- Ask about the company’s pricing and delivery schedule.
4. Select the company that provides the best quotes and solutions
Now you need to decide which agency suits your requirements.
Compare the companies on your list regarding different factors, from price, work process, skills, etc., then rank their overall performance accordingly. It’s recommended to pick a provider with a good price, but they should be able to guarantee the quality of the final work.
Also, you need to consider PWA solutions (e.g.: using the plugin, theme, or custom development) suggested by the companies and figure out which meets your requirements and budget the most.
3 Steps To Convert A Website To A Progressive Web App For Developers
1. Prepare the website you want to convert
If you’re planning on upgrading your website to a Progressive Web App, you’ll need to make sure that it’s being served over HTTPS first. This is because PWAs rely on a number of features that only work over a secure connection, like Service Workers and the Web App Manifest.
Also, if your website is not responsive, you will need to make it responsive before you can upgrade it to a PWA. This is because PWAs rely on responsive design principles to function properly.
2. Create the Web App Manifest file
A Web App Manifest is a JSON file that provides information about a Progressive Web App (PWA). This file typically contains the app’s name, author, icon, version, and description. The manifest also lists all of the resources that the app needs in order to work properly.
When a web browser first connects to a network, it will scan the manifest file and download any necessary resources. Once these resources are cached locally, the browser can continue to use the PWA even when there is no network connection available.
You have to create this file to convert a website to a progressive web app.
- Create the Manifest file:
The manifest file must be placed at the root of your website and is commonly named manifest.json.
Here are important Manifest properties: short_name, name, icons, id , start_url, background_color, display, display_override, scope, theme_color, shortcuts, description, and screenshots.
- Add it to your PWA:
Once you create the Manifest file, add a <link> tag to your PWA pages:
<link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json">
If you open the Manifest tab in the Application section of Chrome DevTools (Inspect), you should see your Manifest file’s contents. If not, make sure that your Manifest file is correctly linked from your pages. The Manifest tab will also tell you if there are any errors in your file.
After your Manifest file is set up correctly, your PWA can be added to the device’s home screen.
3. Create the Service Workers
Service Workers are specialized JavaScript assets acting as a bridge between your browser and server. They aim to improve reliability by providing offline access along with a boost in page performance.
To be particular, Service Workers can be used to cache resources and files so that they are available even if the user is offline. This is especially important for mobile users, who may not always have a reliable connection. Service Workers can also help speed up page loading times by caching resources ahead of time, and managing push notifications of your PWA.
To convert a website to a Progressive Web App, adding Service Workers is indispensable.
- Register a Service Worker
When you register a Service Worker for your PWA, you are telling the browser that you want this worker to take control of network requests for your pages. This is intentional because the Service Worker needs to be in control of your pages before it can start handling network requests. Once the Service Worker is registered and in control, it can start intercepting network requests and providing offline capabilities for your PWA.
- Verify whether the Service Worker is registered or not in web browsers:
You need to make sure that the Service Worker is registered.
In Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge: Inspect > Application > Service Worker > Check to see if the status includes “activated” or not.
In Safari: Develop > Service Workers > Make sure that an entry with the current origin appears in submenu. It will open up a window where you can see Service Workers’ context via inspector.
What Should You Do After Converting Your Site To A Progressive Web App?
1. Testing
Testing is an important part of any software development process. It allows you to identify and fix errors before they cause major problems, and it helps ensure that the PWA functions as intended.
There are a variety of different types of testing that you can do to ensure the quality of your web application. Some common types of testing include unit testing, regression testing, performance testing, user experience (UX) testing, and cross-browser testing.
Unit Testing is the most basic type of testing and it involves checking that each individual unit in your code works as intended. This includes checking for errors, missing dependencies, and other issues.
Regression Testing is designed to check whether changes made to your code cause any unintended behavior or errors. This is especially important if you’re planning on releasing your PWA to the public or submitting it for review. By running regression tests after every change you make, you can quickly find any problems that might have been introduced by those changes.
Performance Testing checks how well your PWA performs under various conditions. This can help you determine whether it’s able to meet all the demands that users may put on it, as well as identifying any bottlenecks or areas where improvements can be made.
User Experience (UX) testing is used to assess how users feel when using the PWA. By surveying people who have
Testing is essential for ensuring that your PWAs meet all your requirements. Involve yourself in this step – if there are any errors or issues that need fixing, let them know immediately!
2. Educate users & release PWA
Yes, it’s important to spend time educating your users about the upcoming PWA. By providing information about the PWA, you can help them get used to it quickly when you switch to the new site. This will make the transition smoother for both you and them, and they’ll be more likely to appreciate all the features that the PWA offers.
You can easily record how-to videos, write guides, and even invite potential clients to have a trial experience with your new PWA. This gives you the opportunity to get feedback and improve your product quickly and efficiently.
To start recording, simply enter the video capture mode on your PWA and start recording. You can then use the editing tools to customize the video exactly how you want it to look and sound. You can also add graphics and audio clips to make the video more engaging for your audience. When you’re done, just upload it to YouTube or another platform for people to see.
This is an excellent way to convey information about your new PWA in a clear and concise way, as well as build trust and credibility with potential customers. By providing valuable content like this, you will not only attract new customers but also keep current ones happy too!
Consequently, if all goes well, you can release your PWA.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much does it cost to convert a website to PWA?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the cost of converting a website to PWA will vary depending on the size, complexity, and specificity of the project. However, on average, a PWA conversion will cost between $1,000 and $30,000.
The main reasons for this range are largely dependent on the level of expertise and experience that your conversion specialist has. The higher the level of expertise and experience that they have, the more complex and specific the project will be, which will in turn result in a higher price tag. Other factors that can affect the cost of a PWA conversion include the amount of legacy code that needs to be replaced or rewritten, as well as whether or not there are any special features or functionality that need to be added to the new website.
Ultimately, it’s important to do your research before hiring a conversion specialist so that you know exactly what you’re getting into. And if you’re still unsure about whether or not a PWA conversion is right for your business, then feel free to speak with one of our team members who can help you get started.
2. How to make the process of converting a website to a PWA easier?
To make the process to convert a website to a progressive web app more manageable, choose a legit web development company. You can contact Tigren to enjoy an affordable PWA development service.
We have had many successful projects with nearly ten years of experience in web development and six years working on PWA. We ensure that every feature is tested and the new PWA can deliver a smooth and engaging performance. You can opt for our ready-made TigrenPWA theme or request a custom PWA service to achieve the best result.
Wrap Up
In a world where cross-platform development is rapidly replacing the development address, the web of applications advances as the answer we are all looking for. If you follow this step-by-step guide, you will be able to convert your website into a progressive web application successfully. However, if you still have questions, contact us, and our team will answer them all.
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