As you embark on your journey in startup app development, you’re probably wondering if you require an app or website. Ideally, you want both to give your startup a well-rounded presence and tech infrastructure. Besides, having an app and a website allows your customers, employees, and vendors more ways to engage with your company.
But if you have limited resources, you probably want to focus on one or the other — so which should you pick? Your choice largely depends on what you want to achieve with your startup during its early stages. If you follow the startup app development tips below, it will help you come to a decision faster.
Tip 1: Your Startup Probably Needs A Website, Even With An App
The hard truth is that even if you adopt an app-first approach, you’ll still need a website. If you’re developing an app to release on the app stores, you’ll want to include a website URL for app completeness.
Furthermore, some users will want to learn more about your app and check the release notes of the latest and previous versions. A website is perfect for displaying this type of information, but it also increases trust in your app and the legitimacy of your startup. If users see a well-designed website with your address and contact details, your company won’t come across as a fly-by-night or unprofessional.
It’s also an effective marketing tool for exposing your app to users outside the app stores, provided you’ve followed search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. Do note that you don’t need a complicated or massive website to promote your app, as a simple website is ideal for such a purpose.
Tip 2: No Website Necessary For Your Startup’s Internal App
There are several ways to go with startup app development. One of which is creating an internal company app to improve a specific business process like employee onboarding, inventory control, and project management. You can opt for a mobile, desktop, or cross-platform internal app since most modern development tools make this possible.
Given the affordability and versatility of mobile devices, creating a mobile internal app is usually the best choice for most startups. Thus, you can distribute tablets or smartphones to your staff, but most employees already own the latter. According to a recent mobile fact sheet by the Pew Research Center, 97% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 own a smartphone.
Tip 3: A Website Is Essential For Your E-Commerce Startup
If you launch an e-commerce startup, you require a website from the get-go. Opting for a website instead of an app is more sensible. That’s because accessible and low-cost content management system (CMS) platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and WordPress — already exist.
These platforms integrate with popular payment processors like PayPal, Stripe, and Square. So, you can confidently sell physical goods or digital products or provide online training knowing you have a robust payment pipeline as part of your startup’s online infrastructure.
It’s also easy to implement changes to your e-commerce website’s offerings, text, or images on the fly. Furthermore, most of the best CMS solutions are responsive to adapt to the display sizes and orientations of desktop and mobile devices, ensuring your website looks good regardless of platform.
The Bottom Line
Startup app development offers you many paths to achieve your company’s goals. Focus on what you need to do in the short term to decide whether to build an app or a website. But choose wisely to avoid overshooting your budget or missing company goals.
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