What If Your Website Could Work Like an App? (It Can - Here's How)
Let me blow your mind for a second... You know how apps like Instagram, Uber, and TikTok sit on your home screen? Your website can do that too. Without the App Store. Without Google Play. It's called a PWA. Here's what that means in plain English: Normal Website: - You type the URL in a browser - Need internet to work - Looks like a website (browser bar, tabs, etc.) - Doesn't send notifications PWA (Progressive Web App): - Sits on your home screen like a real app - Works even when WiFi is off - Opens full-screen (no browser stuff) - Can send you notifications - Feels 100% like a native app Same website. Different superpowers. The "Aha!" Moment: I launched ResiboKo as a regular website. Cool, but users kept asking: "Where's the app?" Then I learned about PWAs. Added some code. Now when users visit on their phone, they see: "Add ResiboKo to Home Screen" They tap it. Boom. App icon appears next to WhatsApp, Gmail, etc. They open it → Full screen, no browser → They think it's a "real" app. But here's the crazy part... It IS still a website. I just gave it app-like features: - ✅ Home screen icon - ✅ Offline mode - ✅ Fast loading - ✅ Notifications - ✅ Full-screen experience Why This Matters (Even If You're Not Technical): Let's say you're building: - An online course platform - A booking system - A productivity tool - A community app Traditional route: 1. Build website 2. Hire iOS developer ($$$) 3. Hire Android developer ($$$) 4. Pay $99/year for App Store 5. Wait 3 days for approval 6. Give Apple 30% of revenue 7. Maintain 3 separate codebases PWA route: 1. Build website 2. Add PWA features (1 day of work) 3. Done. Same end result for users. 90% less work for you. "Is this new?" Nope! PWAs have been around since 2015. Google championed them, Apple eventually supported them (reluctantly, because they make less money 😂). Companies using PWAs: - Starbucks - Twitter - Uber - Spotify - Pinterest They still have App Store versions, but the PWA handles millions of users just fine.