So… Single Page Apps.
If you’ve ever worked with a web designer or developer before, you may have heard the term “single page app.” But what does that actually mean???
Let’s dig into it a little bit.
Here’s what that term means in a nutshell: single page apps load a bunch of html, css, and javascript at once, so that when a user clicks on a link or button, the page doesn’t go blank to show the new stuff, since it’s already loaded.
What are the implications?
Single page applications are great for a lot of use cases, particularly when you need to create private applications where people need to work quickly and consume private data.
For example, if you wanted to create a publishing platform where people could manage all kinds of articles and view analytics on what kind of content was being consumed most often by their readers, a single page app would be great: they need quick access to their information and that data is private, i.e. not going to be indexed by Google or other search engines.
Not indexed? Why does that matter?
Here’s the thing. Single page apps provide a slew of benefits in terms of performance, but they can complicate your life a little bit when it comes to public data that needs to be scraped and indexed by social media sites or search engines.
That’s not to say it can’t be done!
You can definitely create amazing single page apps that work properly with search engines and social media sites using “server-side rendering” techniques. It just means you might need to budget a bit more time to get your site ready for those kinds of techniques.
If you need help deciding what’s appropriate for you, shoot us a message! Or check out the service we offer, and we’ll make sure to build the right tech for your use case 🎉