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I am starting a small lawn care company. I am debating whether to create a website or web application. I have a buddy who has created web apps in the past who wanted to help me create a web app for my business. I am just not sure if a website or a web app would be better for a small business. I would like to have some functionality in my website but nothing to fancy just being able ti click around a bit and be able to provide some informtation. Would a web all be good for this? The idea of using something like WordPress and Hostinger and creating a website seems more simple to me but that is also because I don’t understand web apps very well. Thank you for any feedback!
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I my opinion, you need a website unless you expect to get 100% of your new business from social media. WordPress would be a good “engine” with which to build the site.
What would you want a web app for that can’t be done with a WP website?
As you see things, what exactly is a “web app”? I am trying to understand the context in which you’re using that term.
1. If by app you mean some customer focused services like booking appointments, payments and giving them an account etc. You can add all of this in the website. This can be done on a wordpress site as well. Also check jetpackCRM . this is a plugin that can be added to your wordpress site. it will give you this functionality and much more. [https://jetpackcrm.com/]) there is a free version and a paid version too
2. As for the rest of the website content.. which could be About Us, Blog etc , you can add all this.
3. Plus you can make the website a Progressive Web App. This is a basic standard that gives a website some additional app like functionality. Here is a link that you can see to understand the concept [https://wpengine.co.uk/resources/wordpress-progressive-web-apps/])
4. Also take a good hosting provider and opt for managed wordpress hosting, which allows for automatic updates and security. do not add too many unnecessary plugins.
This is more a marketing question than a technology one, and definitely not a WordPress specific question. So forget which technology to use right now, and instead decide what you want your site to be, what it can do, and what it can offer both existing and potential customers. Basically, figure out what purpose it serves in driving business. Then figure out what technologies would be best to create that.
From a user standpoint, there’s really not much difference between a site and an app. Web apps are simply websites that add user functionality. And by functionality, I mean it takes input from the user and performs some task with it, not simply allowing the user to click on things or switch between images in a slideshow.
So in your case, a site would basically be a digital brochure. But an app would add things like a cost estimator, an appointment scheduler, a virtual design function, a blog, etc. These are all things that might attract searchers (and why it’s a marketing question). You’ll just need to figure out if the extra cost of creating an app is justified by the increased attraction the app functionality provides over its lifetime.
From a creation/technology standpoint, an app requires a much more involved architecture to handle the enhanced functionality. But these same architectures (WordPress is only one) can also create a basic site. Using an app framework to build a basic site usually makes it easier to maintain your content (as they can provide a backend content management system) but takes more time to build. The cost may not be worth it if your site is small enough (page count) or the information doesn’t change much.