SEO for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Myths, Challenges, and Solutions

  Imagine you have constructed a high speed app with a brilliant user interface, offline functionalities, and other benefits topped on it. But what if Google does not index it? The result is-  

• Loss of Organic Traffic
• Low Visibility to the targeted audience
• Missed business opportunities
• Increased reliance on the paid ads for survival

  It translates into compounded issues of reduced users’ trust, growth barriers, and impinged brand credibility. Progressive apps squeeze out these limitations and bring forward performance and visibility so that your brand can thrive online.

What are progressive web apps?

  Progressive Web Apps has all the ingredients of native apps, like they load quickly, provide great user interface and support push notifications for user engagement- plus they can be installed from the browser- no play store/app store is required.  But despite all these benefits, marketers are still in a dilemma about  

• About the indexability of PWA apps
• Will switching to these apps have an impact on SEO?
• What if crawlers can't crawl and access the content?

  In this post, we have compiled the myths, challenges, and possible solutions that will help you create a PWA app that ranks well and performs optimally. 

How does Progressive Apps work?

  Progressive apps have a combination of technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, along with modern technologies that enable them to behave like native apps. The major components of PWA include-  

Service Workers

  They are the force that helps the apps to work even in offline mode, thus providing users with seamless access whenever and wherever they want.  

Web App Manifest

  It displays how the app will be seen on the splash screen (the initial screen when the app is launched, like logo, name, theme).  

HTTPS

  PWS Apps need a secure connection to safeguard the sensitive user’s data and to work with the service workers.  

App Shell Architect

  The progressive apps require app shell architecture. It loads the basic content layout of the webpage and then fetches the dynamic content. It enhances the app speed.   Now, we have provided you with a snapshot of how progressive apps work, and let’s make it clear to you what makes these apps better than standard native apps.

Benefits of Progressive Apps

 

Faster load time

  PWA apps load 2-3 times faster than a traditional app as they are enabled with service workers and app shell architecture.    

Better Engagement

  PWA app comes with push notification features that improves the user engagement with your website and delivers real time updates.  

Can work offline

  The combination of cached data and app shell architecture lets the PWA apps work even in offline mode.  

Built using modern technologies

  They are composed using web technologies, like HTML, CSS, and JS, to work across various devices- hence, as a developer, you do not need to construct separate Android and iOS apps.  

Less Cost

  These apps can be constructed at 3-4 times less than a native app; thereby making it a perfect choice for startups and established enterprises.  

No dependency on the app store

  They can be installed  from the browser; you don’t need Google Play or the Apple App Store.  

Small Size

  PWA apps are smaller in size, in contrast to native apps, which leads to faster installation and easy access.  

SEO friendly

  What makes them most likable is that they are SEO  friendly. They can be easily indexed and configured by Google, leading to improved online visibility.  

Real Life Case Study- Trivago

  Challenge: Trivago, the leading hotel chain, faced a flurry of challenges that prompted it to create PWA apps. The challenges were   1- High bounce rate from regions with low internet connectivity, 2- Slow Speed 3- Enhanced exit rate   The goal was to scale up engagement by reducing bounce rate.   Solution   Trivago reiterated the user’s experience by launching its PWA app, which had Offline access features Push notification features to increase the loyalty base User don’t need to download from app stores Faster content download even on a flaky network.   This shift resulted in   1- 150% increase in the user engagement 2- 2x return visits 3-97% growth in conversion rate 4- It dramatically reduced the page load speed and improved the business revenue.   Source- PWA Stats  

Common Myths about PWA apps- busted

  They are not SEO Friendly.   People are under the misconception that these apps are not SEO friendly- Google cannot crawl and index them. The reality is that since they are built on JavaScript, Google can crawl. Clean URL, metadata, description, and structured data can further the ranking process.   They do not work on iOS   Unless you are living under the rocks, these apps work on both operating systems.   They can't send push notifications   PWA apps can send push notifications on Android and desktop browsers, but with iOS, the capabilities are limited though the ecosystem is evolving.   They are for mobile devices only   A gross misconception! These apps work across various screen sizes, including mobile devices, desktops, and tablets.    Google does not love PWA apps   Google likes these apps because they have faster loading speeds, provide a better user experience, and have smaller URLs. The key is to implement it correctly.  

Challenges

  While PWA apps have enough benefits to back it up, when it comes to SEO, it requires attention and an expert hand. Some challenges that an enterprise might face are-   Rendering Challenges   Many PWAs rely on JavaScript frameworks. If not implemented wisely, Googlebot will struggle to crawl the content, leading to a visibility downgrade.   Service Side Rendering issues   PWA faces Service Side Rendering issues that might partially block the content, thereby decreasing Visibility and loss of conversion.   Canonical Issues   PWA serves content through multiple URLS; if canonicals are not implemented correctly, it can lead to duplicate content errors.   Complex URL Structure Some PWA URLs are hash-based, which is not preferred by Google.   No sitemap or robot.txt   Sitemap submission is recommended if your PWA app uses a lazy loading feature, wants to get discovered by Google easily, and contains dynamic content.   Low first load speed   Though PWA apps are validated as fast and responsive, their first load might be slow if JavaScript bundles are used, thereby directly impacting Core Web Vitals and reducing SEO performance.  

Solutions

  Implement Server Side Rendering   For server-side rendering, use well-known frameworks like Next.js and Nuxt.js.These technologies fully generate HTML and send it to the browser before making it available for the bots.   Use Static Side Rendering   Progressive Web Apps serve static content; it's better to create HTML pages in advance, rather than relying on JavaScript. It improves the page load speed and makes the content crawlable, and rescues the dependency on JavaScript.   Do not block JS, CSS and API Endpoints   Do not exclude JavaScript, CSS, or API endpoints in robots.txt file, otherwise it might lead to negative consequences like incomplete page rendering, missing content, reduced Visibility, ranking, poor core web vitality, and overall low engagement rate.   Use SEO friendly meta tags   SEO friendly meta tags help Google search bots crawl effectively. So, don’t forget to create 160 character description. Add a call to action Create a summary  

Conclusion

  Progressive Web App Development is the next step towards growth. This technological advancement is evolving and provides enterprises with high conversions at a doable rate. However, its implementation requires a cautious approach- using scalable frameworks like Next.js, enabling static site generation, creating friendly meta tags, adding a robot.txt file, and sitemap implementation, will overhaul the functioning of the app and give your business the results it strives for. That balance makes your business powerful.   Author Name:- Harikrishna Kundariya Biography:- Harikrishna Kundariya, is a marketer, developer, IoT, Cloud & AWS savvy, co-founder, and Director of eSparkBiz, a Software Development Company. His 14+ years of experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on IoT and SaaS applications. https://shentharindu.com/seo-for-progressive-web-apps-pwas-myths-challenges-and-solutions/?feed_id=48480&_unique_id=689974f730e4a