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In today's highly saturated internet landscape, it's increasingly crucial for store owners to find ways to stand out and boost user engagement—especially for those operating on tight margins. For most stores, repeat customers are essential for long-term sustainability. So having tools to ensure top-of-mind awareness is crucial.
An innovative solution is transforming your website into a Progressive Web App (PWA). A PWA is more than a traditional website: It can be installed on a mobile device for one-click access and can send push notifications, encouraging users to revisit your site directly from their home screens.
Note: This Making It article was created in collaboration with Progressier.
What are PWAs?
In the simplest terms, a PWA is an app version of a website. More specifically, PWAs combine the strengths of the open web and native mobile apps. They're built with web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but they can function like native apps. Users can add them to their device's home screen, enjoy a standalone experience without app store intermediaries, and experience them without browser distractions.
PWAs have many capabilities, but they have one huge strategic advantage over native apps: they can be installed directly from a web browser. While app stores may offer some visibility, they tend to involve high fees and red tape, including developer account subscriptions, hefty commissions, review processes, and app store rules to follow.
With PWAs, there's no need to rely on traditional app stores. Installations are powered by the open web, updates are instant, there are no reviews to manage, and your app becomes universally accessible on any mobile phone, tablet, or computer.
And while turning your Squarespace site into a native app would be a much larger undertaking, transforming it into a PWA only takes a click.
How to turn your website into an app
Yes, transforming your Squarespace website into a PWA improves user experience. But it can also be a way to boost customer retention and sales growth. Follow this step-by-step guide to make your online Squarespace store installable on a mobile device.
Connect the Progressier extension to your Squarespace site. Progressier instantly turns your store into a PWA without altering your Squarespace site. It simply layers these new mobile capabilities atop your existing site.
Progressier places an installation widget at the bottom-left corner of your website. You can reposition this widget or disable it entirely, opting instead for different prompts.
Scan the QR code found in your Progressier dashboard. This will install your app on your device. You can also make the app installable on desktop computers.
Check that your site is fully mobile responsive. Make sure your website’s layout, images, and content display properly in the app on different screen sizes. Make edits as needed.
Enable notifications for your app. Open your newly installed PWA from your device's home screen and tap Get notifications to enable them. This way, you can see what your customers will see when you send alerts.
That's it! Anyone with your app installed can now access it with a single tap from their home screen. Use Progressier's intuitive dashboard to easily send promotional messages to your audience.
Who are PWAs for?
Turning your website into an app tends to benefit specific types of sites more than others. It's particularly advantageous for ecommerce shops and blogs or other content-focused businesses, where frequent interaction is common. However, portfolio websites and promotional landing pages may not see significant benefits from becoming PWAs since they’re not updated as frequently.
To determine whether to enhance your Squarespace site with PWA capabilities, consider whether users would find value in having access to it from their home screens at all times. For example, if you run an online course, your audience might want an easier way to access your classes on the go. Or if you sell fitness content, they might want to get a push notification when you upload new videos.
Remember, not every website needs to become a PWA. Don't force the transition if it doesn't align with your users' needs.
How to use push notification marketing
Push notifications are a direct communication channel with your customers. When used effectively, they can significantly boost customer engagement and retention since they make it easier to reach people across different devices and browsers.
Here are some key concepts to keep in mind as you start using push notifications.
Audience segmentation: Messages tailored to individual users resonate more deeply and lead to increased engagement rates. Try personalizing notifications according to user preferences, location, and behavior.
Timing and moderation: Determine the best times to send notifications by considering user time zones and habits. Practice moderation to avoid overwhelming users and causing notification fatigue.
Content quality: Develop concise, impactful messages that include clear calls to action. Incorporate elements of urgency and relevance to encourage users to interact with your app and products.
Additional benefits of creating a website app
Beyond enhancing user experience, there are numerous additional benefits to converting your website into an app.
Cost savings: Developing a PWA is significantly more cost-effective than creating a native app, yet it offers a comparable user experience. PWAs are less complex to manage over time too.
No app store restrictions: PWAs aren’t subject to the same approvals and limitations as traditional app store apps.
SEO-friendliness: As PWAs are still websites, they are crawlable and indexable by search engines, which can help improve your overall online visibility.
Flexibility: By turning your site into a PWA, your website remains accessible to all, while offering an easy installation option for those seeking greater convenience.
Turning your site into a PWA isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to all your challenges. However, it can easily enhance user convenience and engagement.