Before March 2021, Google indexed and ranked websites based on the content available to desktop browsers. Now, this indexing strategy is “mobile-first,” meaning that Google uses the content visible on a site’s mobile version when determining rank. To perform well on search engine results pages, a site must:

• Be smartphone-friendly
• Load quickly on mobile data connections
• Contain well-written, informative content. 

Magento’s Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are one of the best new ways to tick all these boxes and succeed in the mobile-first eCommerce search landscape. 

What is a Progressive Web App? 

• PWAs are websites that toe the line between a browser-based experience and a native app. 
• Companies can adapt existing websites to launch as a PWA on mobile devices. This process requires a secure HTTPS connection and uses APIs and custom code to tell browsers how to run the PWA.
• Because PWAs are technically still websites, they get crawled and ranked by Google as part of mobile-first indexing. 
• PWAs can be cached and loaded very quickly — or even accessed offline.

How PWAs Will Influence eCommerce in 2021 and Beyond

• The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a 500% growth in “buy online, pick up in-store” (BOPIS) digital commerce orders during 2020. The BOPIS model typically involves placing orders and announcing pickup arrival through a website or app. PWAs can provide a fast, universal experience to all BOPIS customers regardless of device.
• An October 2020 report by Statista indicated that 35% of eCommerce companies surveyed either had or planned to develop a Progressive Web App.
• Google promotes PWA development, so expect to see increasing interest in adoption over the next year.

Should You Consider Mc?

• Because PWAs provide an app-like experience on any device, regardless of the operating system, they eliminate the need for developing and maintaining costly iOS and Android apps. 
• This means that eCommerce brands currently selling through a website and native apps can reduce the number of channels they must maintain.
• PWAs can also help to reduce overall expenses by eliminating native app development needs.
• PWAs also open up greater commerce opportunities for retailers previously unable to invest in a native shopping app. 

Planning and Launching a Magento 2 Progressive Web App

Magento users are ahead of the curve when it comes to PWA implementation, thanks to Magento 2’s support for headless omnichannel commerce and Adobe’s own Magento PWA Studio. With a bit of planning and a development expert’s help, launching a Magento PWA can be a seamless process.

• Decide when and how to transition away from any native shopping apps in favor of total PWA reliance.
• Before launching a PWA, evaluate all website content for SEO suitability and make optimization changes as needed 
• Plan educational marketing content to educate customers on how a PWA can replace — and be better than — shopping on a mobile browser or in a native app. 

Most importantly, look for an Adobe-certified Magento development agency to ensure a new partner understands the full scope of Magento’s PWA capabilities.