PWA (Progressive Web Application) is the perfect hybrid of a website and an application. This technology has allowed merchants to deliver high-quality performance for their online stores. And when integrating with the Magento 2 platform, PWA can bring many advantages for both merchants and end-users. If you are thinking about developing PWA for your Magento 2 website, you should cover basic knowledge about how does a PWA work in Magento 2. This article will give you a thorough grasp of PWA operation in the Magento 2 platform.
What Is Magento 2 PWA Structure?
The older Magento version below 2.3 has a tight connection between the front and backends. It is known as monolithic architecture. Any adjustment you expect in the frontend requires heavy codes in the backend. It leads to complex steps and affects website speed.
Instead, PWA uses headless architecture. When converting a Magento 2 website into a Magento PWA, the frontend will change into a PWA storefront. The Magento backend will remain the same. The PWA storefront and the backend of the Magento 2 site can work independently.
Any data transmission can proceed via API. API plays a communication role between the frontend and the backend.
PWA can promote ultra loading speed for your online store with the headless structure. Besides, it will bring a user-friendly interface with exciting features. PWA technology also promises a longer time on site for users, therefore reducing the bounce rate.
On top of that, PWA enhances the mobile-first approach. It is crucial to your SEO rankings and sales revenue, especially when the number of online shoppers using mobiles keeps rocketing.
Next, let’s figure out how does a PWA work in Magento 2 specifically.
How Does A PWA Work In Magento 2?
Features
With the Magento PWA solution, your website will have a complete package of PWA-rich features. PWA highlights:
- Lightning-fast speed
- Like-app performance
- Offline mode
- Low data storage
- Add to home screen
“Add to home screen” is a powerful function of PWA. It enables a like-app interface for end-users. This function works for both Android and IOS.
Android
For Android devices, users access the PWA store on browsers like Chrome. By tapping the menu button on the right corner and choosing “Add to home screen,” users can experience a PWA within seconds.
iOS
For iOS, users often access online stores on the Safari browser. They can select the PWA URL and click the “Share” button. Then a box of “Add to home screen” appears, and the icon of the brand will pop up on the main screen.
Notably, PWA will account for small storage, often under 1 MB, unlike native apps with 50 to 100 MB.
SEO
PWA also displays efficiency in SEO since it doesn’t change the URL of your online store. This means that your website can be indexed and shared as regular sites. Yet, PWA will promote higher rankings for your page compared to a standard website.
With the advance of ultra-speed, mobile-friendly appearance, PWA can remarkably meet Google’s algorithm. More importantly, PWA brings a better experience for users.
No one can resist a responsive and interactive website. As a result, online shoppers will stay longer on your page. Therefore, your brand can generate more organic traffic and rank high in search engines.
Read More:
PWA SEO: How To Boost SEO For Progressive Web App
Push Notifications
Push notification is a dynamic feature of PWA. You can keep customers updated with the latest promotions at any time. And PWA allows unlimited subscribers, unlike some tools, which can only send to 10,000 to 30,000 subscribers at once.
Setting up push notifications is also a piece of cake. You can customize your message by accessing the backend and creating engaging messages. The end-users will receive your alerts immediately if they have access to the Internet.
One tip is to create relevant and clear messages. It is also beneficial to personalize notifications based on your customers’ behavior, location, and preferences. These increase the chance for users to purchase from your brand.
Updates
Magento PWA enables a less complex update process. You need to update codes and deploy them in the PWA storefront or the backend. It brings a direct update without any third-party interference.
Users will receive update notifications right after it is deployed. As soon as customers accept pop-ups, the page will reload to display the newest changes.
It is an excellent function compared to native apps since you do not waste time and money developing separate updates for two systems (Android and iOS).
Extension Installations
There are differences between Magento 2 PWA and standard Magento websites when installing extensions. The process remains the same with extensions that work only in the backend.
But with extensions supporting both the front and backend, Magento PWA requires API to connect the PWA storefront with the Magento back end.
Therefore, you need to develop APIs to ensure the compatibility of the extensions. This is one of the few drawbacks of Magento PWA.
Which Magento Websites Should Integrate PWA?
After understanding “how does PWA work in Magento 2”, you might wonder for whom Magento Progressive Web App is suitable. Here are the answers:
Slow Upload Websites
If you have trouble uploading 100 products on your Magento site, it is about time to integrate PWA. This powerful technology ensures a smooth upload speed with many products simultaneously.
Therefore, your online store can operate efficiently without any interruptions. PWA also allows a lightning loading speed within seconds. It helps users be more satisfied with your website.
Unoptimized SEO Websites
As mentioned, PWA brings an interactive and mobile-friendly performance to Magento websites. Consequently, it can promote higher rankings for your brand.
Customers always expect a highly secure, well-designed, and fast-loading page. And PWA can meet those demands perfectly. For that reason, you will see positive SEO rankings with the Magento PWA solution.
Insecure Websites
Users are increasingly concerned about website security, significantly when cyberattacks are escalating remarkably during the pandemic. As a result, you need to improve the safety of your page.
PWA can enhance the security of your website with HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure). HTTPS is commonly used to protect highly secure online transactions such as banking and online items.
What Are Magento PWA Solutions?
Magento PWA Extensions
Using PWA extensions is an economical solution to integrate your Magento site with PWA. The cost stays below $300, and the installation is simple.
Your website will have PWA features like Add to the home screen, push notification, offline mode,…However, the extension can not cover the full functions of PWA.
Magento PWA Studio
Magento officially introduced Magento PWA Studio in 2018. Since then, they have rolled out frequent updates for this tool. However, if you demand an appealing design, Magento PWA Studio is not an ideal solution for your website.
Take a look at the Venia storefront and see how boring it is. Besides, the mobile interface is unoptimized with poor features.
Ready-made Magento PWA Theme
A ready-made theme is a perfect solution for merchants who need a well-structured and fully-functional Magento PWA website. You can choose one that is built with Magento PWA Studio or not. The theme is easy to install with different storefront designs.
While there are some Magento PWA ready-made themes available, the Magento PWA Studio-based templates are more recommended. It is easier for you to control code quality and avoid conflicts between the theme and Magento versions.
Custom PWA Development
This advanced solution allows you to customize your storefront design flexibly. As a result, it will cost you a higher budget. The development time is also longer than other Magento PWA solutions, usually lasting 3-4 months.
Which Is The Best Magento PWA Developer?
There are a few agencies that can deliver high-quality Magento PWA development. And among top providers, Tigren stands out as the most prestigious one.
We are proud of our rich experience and premium work in e-commerce and PWA service. Many famous global brands have partnered with us, such as Truclothing, and ShopEddies. And TigrenPWA is the best Magento PWA theme available in the market.
TigrenPWA
Not only does our ready-made PWA theme for Magento 2 bring fully functional features to your website, but it also costs you a fair budget. TigrenPWA also promotes stable performance for your online store.
There is no need to worry about slow or poor SEO websites with fast, reliable, and engaging features. We ensure that full Magento functions will remain smoothly on your site, including:
- Analytics and Reporting
- Product Browsing
- Catalog Management
- Order Management
- Payment and Shipping
And what we offer is even more for an engaging storefront:
- One-step Checkout
- Live Chat
- Quick View
- Fastly CDN
- Advanced Page Builder
- …
You can make minor adjustments (color, logo, fonts, banners) yourself to enhance your brand identity. And if you want to create a brand new design with requirements, we can craft your idea and bring it to the next level at a reasonable cost.
More importantly, we ensure to support you for three months since installing the ready-made theme. Customer satisfaction is always our top priority. Do not hesitate to let us know whenever you encounter an issue.
Final Words
Now that you have grasped more or less about how does PWA work in Magento 2. Once again, the power of PWA technology for your website is undeniable. It will dress your online store with remarkable features to bring a better experience for end-users.
Do not let your hesitation take away the chance of generating more sales revenue with this on-trend technology. Let TigrenPWA bring your Magento website to the next level with the premium design and features.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can Google index PWA?
Yes. PWA still functions as a website, but with interactive like-app performance. Therefore, PWA can work well for high rankings for SEO.
- Does Magento PWA limit subscribers when sending push notifications?
With TigrenPWA, you can send push notifications to unlimited subscribers on multi-devices. It is more economical and efficient than the premium version of OneSignal – the popular tool to send push notifications.
- Can I send push notifications to all users downloading PWA?
Only users who allow receiving push notifications will get your messages. However, if you migrate your Magento site with fascinating PWA features, customers will likely want to stay updated with your brand.
- Will my Magento website structure change when integrating PWA?
As mentioned, with the Magento site below version 2.3, the front and backend stay tightly connected. When integrating PWA, the headless structure will allow independent work between the PWA storefront and the backend. It can reduce heavy codes and less time-consuming updates.
5. What is the headless structure of a PWA?
The headless structure allows separate development between the frontend and backend of a website. Traditional websites often require a tight connection between two layers. Headless architecture is more flexible for modifying your front design without affecting the backend infrastructure.
6. Does Magento PWA work across all devices?
Yes. The performance of Magento PWA is enhanced on both desktop and mobile versions. PWA is fully supported on the major browsers, except for Safari on iOS.
7. Can I develop Magento PWA with a limited budget?
Even when your budget is not generous enough, you can still bring your Magento site to the next level with PWA. Our premium TigrenPWA theme is cost-effect at $799. It is great to convert your standard Magento site into Magento 2 PWA.
8. Do I still need a native app after getting a Magento PWA website?
PWA can function like a native app with enriched features. However, if you want to reach more users familiar with mobile apps, developing native apps is encouraged. But keep in mind that apps will cost you a lot since you need to work on two separate systems (Android and IOS). And the development time is much longer than a PWA.
9. Is TigrenPWA design functional for clothing shop?
Our ready-made theme focuses on main design principles: simplicity, consistency, readability, mobile-friendliness, and easy navigation. TigrenPWA brings an aesthetic design for many types of business, including fashion.
10. How long does the Magento PWA development take?
Tigren ensures a short development time if you want to integrate Magento PWA. It takes about 2-3 weeks to integrate if using our TigrenPWA ready-made theme. On the other hand, a custom PWA development may last for 6 months. We will strictly follow the timeline and discuss the project effectively with you. We even guarantee 3-month support after the installation. Purchase without risks with TigrenPWA!
