2023. March 21.
PWA, or progressive web app, owes its popularity to the numerous advantages it has over, for example, a native app. One of these is that it is SEO-aware, i.e. search engine optimizable. How do PWA and SEO relate to each other? We will explore this in this blog post!
The importance of SEO
SEO is essential for a website or an app because, without it, the interface will never appear on the first page of a Google search. This means that the company loses a huge amount of reach, which has to be replaced by advertising, promotion, and other marketing tools, which are typically much more costly than well-constructed, systematic SEO. However, if done well, search engine optimisation can be a very effective way of getting your message to search engines and being among the first companies to explain a topic.
Search engine optimization is a systematic construction, a process. Google ranks pages according to a set of criteria that it sets itself. These guidelines are partly known, but some are subject to conjecture. For example, known guidelines include site security, crawlability, loading speed, user experience, and whether it is mobile-friendly. In addition, Google changes the algorithm every few weeks, precisely to make sure that it cannot be circumvented. All this is done to ensure that the best and most relevant content is presented to search engines.
So if you want to get higher in the Google search results, you need to create content that Google likes, so you can increase organic traffic. This is something that needs to be worked on continuously, it's not enough to compose a single piece of text based on SEO criteria. It can take months to see results, but when you do, the results are robust and long-lasting. It is therefore a marketing activity that is not worth doing for a few weeks. That's what advertising is for, which is a more significant expense in terms of marketing costs.
SEO-targeted content or blog post can bring visitors and conversions even years after it has been sharpened, not to mention the fact that they can improve the quality of the audience, making it easier to identify the real interested parties.
How does SEO work for PWA?
PWA brings together the benefits of a website and a native app. At first glance, it looks like a native application, but in many other ways, it is more like a website. It can run on any device, it works offline, it doesn't need to be installed, and a single link is enough to access it.
Because it is structured like a web page, Google can map it, i.e. index it and display it in the search results. However, it does this in a different way to websites. Google first retrieves the server-side content and then the client-side JavaScript.
What recommendations should you follow to ensure that your PWA performs well from an SEO perspective?
For PWA to perform well from an SEO perspective, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind.
- The content mustn't be displayed with a # sign, but under the URL, i.e. following the traditional structure.
- It is important that robots.txt does not block anything.
- Search engines need access to CSS and JavaScript files.
- The number of embedded resources should be minimised.
- Avoid duplication of content.
- It is advisable to keep the site map updated.
- PWA should work on all devices, mobile and tablet, and run in all browsers.
- Add metadata to the "Add to home screen" dialog.
- Do not have ads hooked in when loading PWA.
- The web app should be fast.
PWA can perform well in terms of search engine optimization if done with due diligence. It supports SEO on several fronts. Let's look at the most important ones!
- Increase the number of website clicks, which will help the page rank better in Google.
- It performs very well in terms of PWA speed. One of Google's main ground rules is excellent website speed, meaning that a page must be fast, and PWA fully meets this requirement.
- Google's ranking is determined by click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, and time on the page, among other things. As PWAs have a superior customer experience, this results in higher engagement, higher click-throughs, lower bounce rates, and longer time on the page.
A PWA is designed to provide the best possible user experience, and this is what Google is specifically looking for, which is what Google values by allowing a site to rank higher. So it's a great combination, and when combined with the right expertise, the sky's the limit.
At SynerinSoft, we bring the expertise and you bring the business needs. Get to know our company!
