By Xolani Nondabula, Technical SEO Lead and Dynamic Creative Performance Lead. Published , updated .
Some projects start as a website and turn out to be an application. I am building PayFlow, a multi-tenant payroll and HR platform for South African businesses, and it shows the moment pages stop being enough: the visitor is no longer reading, they are doing a job. Here is how I design around that task, and how I decide when a site should become an app.
When should a website become a web app?
A website should become a web app when visitors need to enter data, see personalised results or come back to the same tool, rather than just read. If the visitor’s job is to do something repeatedly, an application usually serves them better than a set of pages.
Start from the visitor's task
Write down the one thing a visitor came to do. Every element on the page should help with that task or get out of the way.
Structure and speed
- One clear primary action per screen
- Content in the order a visitor needs it
- Fast first load on a mid-range phone, tested on a real device
Signs a site needs to be an app
If visitors need to enter data, see personalised results or return to the same tool, an application may serve them better than a set of pages.
Build, test, iterate
Ship a small working version, watch how people use it and improve from what you see.
How to design a page around one task
- Write down the one thing the visitor came to do.
- Give each screen one clear primary action.
- Put content in the order the visitor needs it.
- Test load speed on a real mid-range phone.
- Ship a small working version, watch how people use it, then improve it.
From my work
PayFlow is a multi-tenant payroll and HR platform for South African businesses. Many companies use it side by side, each with their own data, and the visitor’s job is to run payroll, not to read about it. That task, repeated and personal, is what pushed it from a set of pages to an application.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good landing page?
One clear task, one primary action per screen, content in the order a visitor needs it and a fast first load on a mid-range phone.
What is the difference between a website and a web app?
A website mainly presents information to read. A web app lets visitors do something, such as enter data, get personalised results or return to the same tool.
How do you decide what to build first?
Start from the visitor’s task, ship a small working version, watch how people use it and improve from what you see.