The Best Mobile Online Community Options: Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Sites vs. Native Apps

INTRODUCTIONAccording to data from Cisco, global mobile devices and connections in 2014 grew to 7.4 billion, up from 6.9 billion in 2013. The vast majority of mobile data traffic (97%) will originate from smart devices.

The increased use of mobile devices poses both opportunities and challenges for businesses. They want to know if their approach is the right one for their company, customers, and goals. Are they putting their time and money in the right places?

INTRODUCTIONThough the mobile strategy conversation and the experiments that organizations are launching in their markets are not new, the current discussion is centered around responsive web design, mobile sites, and native apps. Which is better? Where should you invest your valuable resources when it comes to staying ahead of the curve?

INTRODUCTIONThe answer is simple and unpopular: it depends. There is no one approach that fits all organizations. It depends on things like your audience, what they do on their mobile devices, and your capacity to manage your mobile platform.

Options For Your Online Customer or Member Community

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS. NATIVE APPS

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGNResponsive design leverages a single website that automatically adjusts the size and layout of the given page to meet the standards of the screen it is being opened in.

The website code is built to adapt content, design, and navigation to each users device and method of interactions.

MOBILE WEBSITEA mobile site is as an additional mobile-optimized website that exists alongside your browser-based online community. Mobile websites have their own codebase and is designed exclusively for user to view on mobile devices (tablets, phones, etc. ). The layout of these sites is typically a one column design. The big differentiator is that this is a separate website. The code is not part of your existing website or online community.

NATIVE MOBILE APPLastly, a native app is an application developed specifically for mobile users. It must be accessed via an online store ( Apple App Store, Google Play, etc ). Apps often have features that interact with the mobile-specific features of your phone. Apps can be used offline and integrate with the camera, click to call or GPS Data.

Selecting the Best Option for Your Online Community

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS. NATIVE APPS

MAINTENCE This is often one of the biggest concerns when it comes to launching any initiative. What is the cost and process to maintain and make changes to my mobile strategy? It is important to know what resources you will need to maintain what you create.

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGNSince online communities that use responsive web design use one single codebase, this is the easiest to manage option. You can invest all of your resources in one responsive community website and it looks beautiful on all devices.

MOBILE WEBSITEManaging two URLs with unique code structures is going to require extra resources.

Marketing and Adoption Paths

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS.

NATIVE APPS

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGNThe best thing about having only one website to manage is that your community member don’t have to choose to participate. By using your online community on their mobile device, they are automatically adopting your mobile platform. This means that you can dedicate all of your marketing dollars to driving people to your one, single website.

MOBILE WEBSITEThere is usually a moderate amount of additional marketing required for this option. Since this concept is somewhat unfamiliar to people, there may also be a slight adoption curve as users may need additional instructions for accessing your community's mobile site.

NATIVE MOBILE APPThough it is a common process for people with mobile devices, community members are still expected to download the application on the mobile device from their respective app store.

Community members with limited space on their mobile device (like most Apple iPhone users) may not have the room to download your community's mobile app or they will have to choose which apps, videos, and photos to delete in exchange for installing your app.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS. NATIVE APPS

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGNThis option is great for creating an SEO-optimized online community. You also only have to manage your SEO ranking for one website.

MOBILE WEBSITEThese sites are equally great for SEO rankings. However, you will be spending additional resources to optimize both your online community and the mobile version.

NATIVE MOBILE APPSince this is a stand-alone mobile application, there are no SEO opportunities within the native app itself.

User Experience

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS.

NATIVE APPS

RESPONISIVE WEB DESIGNWhile an online community platform that features responsive web design is easiest for you to implement, it may not be best for certain target audiences. Depending on the platform, your site can load slower if users are using an outdated browser or very old mobile OS. It can also be a little harder to maintain a consistent user experience. Some users may be on an updated browser while others lagging behind.

MOBILE WEBSITEMobile sites are optimal for one purpose - access on mobile devices. Thus, it is typically very user friendly. Social community software that includes a mobile website version is built to make sense to your community members.

NATIVE MOBILE APPNative mobile apps are a the top choice when it comes to user experience. They are fast, have a great feel, and can be sleek if you pay for a top-notch app designer. Native apps can integrate mobile tools and assets (ie camera, contacts, click to call, etc ) within your application. This allows an additional level of creativity and convenience for your user. Often, native mobile apps are best for communities with a single engagement opportunity, like Twitter and Instagram.

Online Community Software Updates

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS. NATIVE APPS

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGNThis is the easiest to update of the options. You can make updates to your online community in one place and it is immediately delivered to your community members. When you or your online community software provider make a change to your platform, it only has to be made and tested in one place.

MOBILE WEBSITEAs with the responsive web design, your updates can be rolled out immediately. However, updates to your community platform can get time-consuming because you may have to make updates in two places.

NATIVE MOBILE APPUpdating native apps can be tricky. All updates have to be approved by the overlords in the application marketplace, which can take days or weeks. Then, your community members are responsible for going to get those updates themselves. If you have a lot of updates, this can get frustrating for your community members and eventually they may stop updating and just stick with the old version. It can also be difficult to support community members who are on various versions of your app.

Cost

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS. NATIVE APPS

Responsive Web Design

Mobile Website Native Mobile App

This is the most cost efficient option. You are investing in one online community website, one SEO strategy, and one set of code.

This can be a little more costly as you are managing two online community sites - one for desktop browsers and one mobile website.

This is the most expensive of options. Developing a custom mobile app for your online community can cost over $10,000 for the initial develop and several thousand each quarter for maintenance.

The Best Mobile Online Community Options Takeaway

THE BEST MOBILE ONLINE COMMUNITY OPTIONS: RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES VS.

NATIVE APPS

CHOOSING A STRATEGYEach of these options has their own advantages and disadvantages. It is important to strongly consider the goals of your organization and which option can meet those goals efficiently and within your budget. STEP #1: Asses your resourcesSTEP #2: Think aheadSTEP #3: Know your audience