Web Development & Web Application
Choosing between a web application and a website, you may wonder what the exact difference is. At one point, it may seem that there’s no difference at all. The definitions are controversial, and sometimes they overlap. Both websites and web applications run in browsers, both require access to the internet, both have a front end and a back end written in the same programming languages. What is more, they both possess such attributes as interactivity, integration, and authentication.
Still, we believe that the ‘web application vs. website’ difference not only exists but also is vital to understand clearly when you are looking for an online solution for your business. Web application development differs significantly from the development of a website. So let’s find out what distinguishes these kinds of web and which option is better for you.
The Benefits
Web Development
How does a website builds your credibility?
Well, it allows clients to understand your brand.
By showcasing your products and services, you tell clients about your company and your mission. However, when it comes to finding a reputable business, client always prioritize where the brand stands in the industry.
Therefore, you have to work to establish trust and authority by providing valuable and educational content , which can build long-lasting relationships with clients and encourage conversions. Lastly, the content that you publish on your site also helps to show your professionalism.
A website provides accessibility to your target audience around the clock. Even when you and your team have checked out for the day, your website is still working hard to bring more clients to your business. Imagine how many more sales you could make if you never slept. Well, luckily, you don’t have to give up sleep to reach your customers 24/7. With a website, you provide a place for clients to see what your brand is about and learn more about your products and services, any time of the day or night.
Your website is often your clients first impression of your brand. Even if you are a brick and mortar business that depends on local foot traffic, there’s a good chance that your clients are researching your business online before they come in. That’s why it’s vital that you have a professional website.
The importance of a website cannot be overstated. But, if this website is unattractive or hard to navigate, then you may be turning your clients away without realizing. In fact, a survey from Business 2 Community shows that 94% of people stated that web design is the top reason that they mistrust or reject a website. Therefore, It’s important to have a good and responsive website.
Web Application
One of the biggest problems our clients face with off the shelf software is that it cannot grow or integrate with their business, or not without expensive upgrades at least.
As a custom web application is made specifically to our client business needs, it’s completely flexible and scalable to your business’s demands and growth. Customizations to the application may include your own branding and having different user permission access levels. By only having features and functions which are relevant to your business and you’ll reduce training time and can add functionality as your business grows.
Having multiple versions of spreadsheets or shuffling around piles of paperwork is not only time consuming, but can also leave your business vulnerable to human errors that are not easily spotted until it’s too late.
What’s more, with no integration between these multiple sources of data, time-consuming and laborious replication of data may be required in order to get a holistic overview of business performance.
Web applications help you streamline your business processes so that you can get more done in less time and with greater accuracy. What’s more, having all your data integrated in one place gives you greater visibility of your business, freeing up staff time and allowing you to run reports that are updated with real-time information.
Given that business systems created by web applications are web-based, they can be accessed 24/7 provided that you have an internet connection. What’s more, they are totally flexible, offering access from almost any device or browser.
If you make your products available for sale on your website, then clients can even make purchases around the clock. By making it easy for consumers to browse and buy your products online, you’re making it as convenient as possible for leads to convert to clients .
You don’t physically have to be there to still reap the benefits of the sale. Your digital platform serves as your own personal digital sales person. Your site gives the consumer what they need to know about the product, makes the sale, and collects their payment information online.
Website | Variable | Web Application |
A website mostly consists of static content which is publicly accessible to all the visitors. | Created for | A web application is created for interaction with the end user. |
A website provides visual & text content which users can view and read, but not affect its functioning. | User interaction | In a web application, the user is not only able to read the page content but also manipulates the restricted data. |
Authentication is not obligatory for informational websites. The user may ask to register to get a regular update or to access additional options. This feature is not available for the unregistered website visitors. | Authentication | Web applications need authentication, as they offer a much broader scope of options than website development. |
The website displays the collected data and information on a specific page. | Task and Complexity | Web application functions are higher and complex compared to a website. |
The website is a complete product, which you access with the help of your browser. | Type of software | Web application development is a part of the website. It is not a complete website. |
The site doesn't need to be pre-compiled. | Compilation | The site must be precompiled before deployment. |
A small change never requires a full re-compilation and deployment. You just need to update the HTML code. | Deployment | All changes require the entire project to be re-compiled and deployed. |
Still have no idea?
Web Development vs Web Application
A website mostly consists of static content. It is publicly accessible to all visitors. A website provides visual & text content which users can view and read yet will not affect its function. Authentication is not obligatory for informational websites.
The user may ask to register to get a regular update or to access additional options. This feature is not available for the unregistered website visitors.
The website displays the collected data and information on a specific page. The website is a complete product, which you can access with the help of your browser. The site doesn’t need to be pre-compiled. Small changes never require a full re-compilation and deployment. You just need to update the HTML code.
Software Development Life Cycle
It is a framework that defines the steps involved in the software development.
Summary
Web Development
A website provides company’s information by displaying the visual & text content for users to view and read which is publicly accessible to all the visitors.
W Tech offers such expertise to build you a great website that takes your business to the next level of excellence by developing a Website to reach a more extensive group audience and manage the opposition in the industry. A well-designed website can generate high customer traffic, and a good user interface can result in better conversions.
Web Application
Web applications allow the business to execute their daily tasks and monitor the progress of the business in a digital way. It is to interact with end user.
In a web application, the users will read the content and manipulate the restricted data. Web applications offer a broader scope of options than websites. It has higher and more complex functions compared to a website. Since web application development is a part of the website, it is not a complete website on its own. All changes require the entire project to be re-compiled and deployed.
Scenario
Client : Direct Sales Company
Few years ago, one of our client from KL (non-disclosure), a direct sales company started to grow rapidly and as the number of sales-person increases, they faced many agents’ problems in different aspects.
Therefore, human errors occurred such as, traditional paper filling is not working and it’s lacking of efficiency by taking admin to record the sales and generate the commission they gain everyday. There’s too many agents that our client (admin) will not recognize all the agents by giving the right bonus to them.
Solution :
We have provided an effective solution by developing a customizable management system that includes the feature of automated commission payroll, tiers, and bonuses of the agent reporting. Besides, it helps to track the sales and ensure the sales efficiency. Changing from manual paper filling to management system reduces the amount of paperwork and prevent data from missing or being incorrect.
Since our client is operating a direct sales company, their business is fully based on social media marketing (SMM) which means the agent is selling through their personal social media account, such as Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, Whatsapp and others.
Our client ended up being too dependent on sales agent which didn’t have their platform to sell products. They also found that there’s limitation of one-to-one marketing by which agents leverage data analysis to deliver tailor-made messages to their clients. Sometimes when the agents are busy or offline on their social media, the customers will not be able to make purchase when they want to.
Therefore, we suggested our client to develop an e-commerce platform, which can solve their problem in addition to increase the company sales and gain brand credibility. Our e-commerce platform includes the live chat, payment gateway and product description. The customers will be able to make purchase at anytime and anywhere. Through this, it also can increase the conversion rate from visitor to sales.
Making the Right Choice
If you are planning a web strategy for your business, we can help you make informed decisions with the right project plan to match your goals. Please contact us for additional information, or use the form below to send an inquiry.