Here’s how websites and apps differ in content

Your website or app is always going to be as good as your content. Period. Why, you ask? The content is the first point of interaction between the audience and your product. If that fails to make an impression, then it can be tough to sustain a person’s interest.

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There are various kinds of content features that can help jazz up things every now and then. Animated GIFs and embedded tweets are a great way to make your website or app more balanced. Again there’s nothing like videos, even if it’s a DIY one, to give them a clear idea about the message you want to send. Tickers are another way to add more content on a single interface and still keep the reader hooked.

While such features do make an impact, you do need content to make the website more accessible to people. It is essential that your content be as lucid and understandable as possible, unless you expect only geniuses to access your website or app.

That said, there are differences between website content and app content. While the content of a website is more informative, an app’s content is more interactive in nature. Here are some other nuances that set apps and websites apart:

Brevity

According to online analytics firm Chartbeat’s former CEO, Tony Haile, 55 percent of readers spend less than 15 seconds reading a page’s content. Most visitors get wary of verbose and jargon-based text, so being precise can be the key to ace content on digital platforms.

However, between apps and websites, the former’s content is marked by brevity because of time and space limitations. Live blogs, polls, and listicles can go a long way in stimulating interest. On the other hand, websites can afford to be more explanatory in their approach.

Upgradability

The thing about websites is that you have the liberty of changing and updating text more easily. With the advent of content management systems, it has become easier to publish, edit, and add pictures. Such systems also offer a host of other features through a central control system. For apps, it might take a tad bit longer to update content, as it depends on whether a user wants to update the app or not.

SEO

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, is an important concept for websites, because SEO-rich content helps brands figure in top rankings of search engine results. Needless to say, relevant keywords can increase a website’s reach by elevating search rankings.

In the case of apps, SEO can only help them figure in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Their rankings in app stores depend on more technical features like app indexing.

More responsive

As mentioned, apps are more interactive and responsive. For instance, apps could target consumers geographically with geo-targeted push notifications. Moreover, users can do a bunch of other things like call, text, place orders, or make transactions.

Both websites and apps have their own market. Knowing these differences will help you in customise your content better according to your needs. So be it an app or a website, make sure the audience gets it worth for those 15 seconds of attention!