Website or web app: which one does your business need?

Start with what people need to do

A website helps people find you, understand what you offer and get in touch. A web app lets them do something: log in, place an order, track a delivery, manage an account.

• Show who you are and what you sell: a website.
• Take bookings, payments or orders with a personal account: a web app, or a website with app features.
• Give staff or partners a private place to work: a web app.

Many businesses need both

A common pattern is a fast public website that attracts customers, with a secure portal behind it for existing ones. They can share one design and one login, and you can build the website first and add the portal when the need is clear.

Build the smallest thing that lets a customer finish the task, then grow it from real use.

Questions to ask before you commit

• Who will use it, and what is the one thing they must be able to do?
• Does it need to connect to systems you already use, such as accounting or stock?
• Who will keep content and features up to date after launch?
• What will it need to handle in two years?

If you can answer these, a good partner can recommend the right shape and a fixed price for the first stage.