Smartphones have unquestionably transformed the world, whether for the better or for the worst. People can now get information at the press of a button, and all they need to know about a product or brand can be found in a matter of seconds. Consumers no longer require a desktop computer to access your website; in 2020, mobile devices will account for over 60% of all website visits in the United States.
If your firm already has a website but wants to make it more user-friendly on mobile, you may convert website to app like Android or iOS app. Apps allow you to develop bespoke UI/UX designs that provide your customers a mobile-friendly interface. This is especially useful if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, since you know how to make a website an app that mobile users can engage with and enjoy without having to fiddle with the desktop version of your site.
In this article, we’ll show you how to turn website into app. But first, let’s look at some of the reasons you would wish to do so.
What's the point of having a mobile app?
Customers and companies profit from mobile applications in a variety of ways. Here are a few reasons why you should turn website into app.
1. SEO stands for “search engine optimization.”
Google and other search engines are built to deliver the most relevant results depending on your query. As more people use mobile devices to access the internet, it makes sense that having a mobile app will help your website rank better in search engines.
If your firm has a mobile app, for example, someone searching for your brand or items on their phone will have a greater chance of finding the information they need.
When someone searches for your brand on a mobile device, Google will present your app as an “app pack,” keeping in mind that it wants to deliver the best response possible (depicted below). When Google detects that the user is using a mobile device, it will provide results that are optimized for that platform.
2. Mobile-Friendly Interface
It’s depressing to find that your favorite brand or product has a fantastic website on the desktop, but when you load it on your phone or tablet, it’s nothing like the desktop version.
Your duty as a web developer is to produce a positive user experience, but what if your site isn’t mobile-friendly? Should you deconstruct it and rebuild it from the ground up, or should you try to repair the faults that might lead to future problems?
Instead, you might develop a mobile app for your website. In this manner, you can maintain your desktop version the same while still providing a more user-friendly mobile version.
Push Notifications
The ability to provide push notifications to users is one of the most important features of mobile apps. Customers may receive proactive notifications about specials, personal offers, new posts, and more without having to open your app. Your alerts display on the user’s locked or home screen when push notifications are enabled, so they may see your messages as soon as they check their phone.
Integrations
Another advantage to turn website into app is that mobile applications have more access to your phone’s functionalities than a web browser. You may, for example, link your app with phone contacts, internet data, camera features, and other apps like GPS to enhance the user experience.
Multi-Touch Feature
This functionality is only accessible in applications for iOS and Android. You may interact with an app using a variety of gestures like swiping, pinching, and more. As a result, compared to using a desktop browser, consumers get a more customised, engaging, and habitual experience.
Offline Mode
Some users may have a poor or no internet connection depending on their location. While a website requires a constant internet connection, mobile applications may operate without it, making them constantly available to consumers.
You may also include a variety of offline functions in your app. For example, Google Docs may be used without an internet connection since modifications are saved on the device and then sent to the cloud when the user reconnects.
Are you ready to start developing your mobile app? Not so fast; first, we must determine if your software will be available on Android, iOS, or both platforms.
3. Should my mobile app be Android or iOS?
Because Android and iOS applications have distinct code variants, you’ll need to select if your programme is for Android or iOS consumers. In an ideal world, you’d like to cater your app to both sorts of customers; but, if you don’t have the time or money to create two separate applications, you may have to make a difficult choice.
To begin with, Android has a larger user base than iOS. The Android OS had an 84.1 percent market share in 2020, while the iOS OS had just under 16 percent. As a result, Android smartphones are used by more people worldwide than iOS devices.
Both operating systems are functionally similar, and you may host your software on any platform if you want. The primary difference between the two systems, aside from the number of users, is the coding format. APK files are used by Android, while.ipa files are used by iOS.
If you want to make your app available on both Android and iOS, you may do it, but you’ll have to build two distinct applications – even if they have the same features.
Another distinction is the approval criteria. Apple has very tight rules, and it prefers to only publish interesting and useful apps that make use of iOS-exclusive capabilities. “Websites delivered in an iOS app, online material not optimized for iOS, and restricted web interactions do not create a great app,” according to Apple. As a result, web pages that are turned into iOS applications are more likely to be rejected by Apple’s App Store.
There are a number of tools available to assist with the conversion of websites into mobile applications (iOS or Android). Such services, however, cannot guarantee a positive customer experience. That’s why it’s preferable to build a native app from the ground up rather than use a third-party solution to convert website to app
With that in mind, it’s critical to remember that app development necessitates planning and time. You might not know what it takes to create app from website from the ground up if you haven’t built one before. As a result, here are a few aspects to think about before you start creating your app:
Development Cost
The cost of developing a native app might be rather high. However, investing some money at the outset of the process and getting a decent result right away is preferable to paying a service to develop the interface you want over and over again. We’ll go through price in more detail in the following section, but if you’re spending thousands of dollars on an app, you’ll want to know what the overall cost will be before you commit to app development.
Screen Size
Unique gadgets, such as smartphones and tablets, abound on the mobile market. As a result, while designing a UI/UX, you should take into account various screen sizes and make sure that all pictures, charts, and buttons appear fantastic on different devices.
Read more: 8 Mobile App Development Trends of 2021
4. Search Presence
People will often look for your website before looking for your mobile app. While Google will assist you by including “app packs” in search results, you can also inform consumers about your mobile app via a popup on your website. This will entice users to download your app, especially if your website isn’t mobile-friendly.
Now that we’ve covered all of our areas, let’s put our strategy into action and talk about how to turn website into app.
How to turn website into App
1. Determine whether or not you require a mobile app.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably interested in app development. However, not every website necessitates the use of a mobile app. You may not need an app to improve your client experience if your website is already responsive and works effectively on mobile. In such a scenario, developing a mobile app may be extra labor that isn’t worth it if more users prefer your website to your mobile app.
Here are some considerations to consider when deciding whether or not a mobile app is right for your company. The more “no’s” you get, the more likely your business will profit from a mobile app.
2. Create a list of required features for your app.
It’s critical to evaluate what features you’ll include in your mobile app before diving deep into app development. This will not only give you an idea of what you’ll need to construct, but it will also assist you in calculating expenses and staying within your budget.
After all, it’s easy to get carried away when considering all the many functionalities your app may have. By creating a verified list of features, you’ll be able to build a realistic vision for your app and verify that every feature is helpful to your target audience rather than just a showy bonus.
3. Put together a development team.
You’ll need to collaborate with a skilled and experienced development team to create a high-quality app. There are two alternatives these days: employ an in-house team or work with a reputable vendor.
Both options have advantages and disadvantages. An in-house team, for example, is more expensive. Rent, hardware, software, taxes, vacations, and other expenses must all be paid for. In-house development, on the other hand, allows you to totally manage the development process and design an friendly app that is suited to your particular needs.
Outsourcing is often the less expensive choice because you may employ developers from a variety of locations, each with its own pricing. The disadvantage is that you won’t be able to supervise every element of growth and will have to trust that you recruited the proper individuals for the task.
Fortunately, setting up a recurrent meeting plan with your engineers is one method to account for this. This will help you stay on track with your project and allow you to make modifications as needed during development. That way, you aren’t handed an app that looks nothing like your original blueprint after waiting for weeks or even months for your developers to build it.
4. Calculate the cost of developing an app.
It’s time to start crunching statistics after you have your feature list and development team ready to go. As a general rule, the more complicated your software is, the more expensive it will be to build. According to one research, developing a “basic app” costs anything from $38,000 to $91,000.
When it comes to mobile app development expenses, there are several things to consider. The number of features you want to include, how long the app will take to create, who you’ll be working with, and so on. When it comes to price, all of these factors come into play, and you should consider them before developing your app.
5. Design a user-friendly user interface
Your UX design is the most essential element to focus on while designing your interface, aside from the core functioning of your app. After all, what good is a mobile app if it can’t match the responsiveness of your website?
If you can’t convert website to mobile friendly app, you might consider spending more on the design of your website rather than creating a new friendly app.
6. Put your app to the test.
You should test your app before submitting it to the app store, just like you would any landing page, social media post, or email campaign. This will help you to fine-tune the functionality of your app and repair any bugs or faults before your consumers see them.
This will not only help you retain users who may have uninstalled your app due to these issues, but it will also save your support team time from having to reply to consumers who are encountering problems with your mobile app. Even if you can’t fix all of the flaws before pushing it live, at least you’ll be aware of potential issues and can prepare your service team before they’re exposed to these types of inquiries.
7. Submit your app to the App Store.
The final step is to publish your app to the App Store after it is complete. Both the Android App Store and the Apple App Store require roughly the same length of time to examine your submission, taking around three days in total. Your app should be available for download in the appropriate app store after it has been authorized.
8. Optimizing Your Mobile App
Web behavior is shifting, so you’ll need to change your content to fit how people are looking for information if you want to develop a successful website. In this situation, that means creating a user-friendly and useful mobile app for individuals looking for your business on their phone or tablet.
Conclusion
We’ve come to the end of our comprehensive instruction on how to turn your website into an app.
You may have a limited budget when converting a website into an app, and investing a lot of money may not be the best solution for you. As a result, you can use the MVP version.
At Mobcoder, a mobile and web app development firm in the United States, we provide a variety of mobile porting services to help your company grow. You may easily transform your website into a Progressive Web App if you don’t want to use MVP. There is no replacement for bespoke mobile app development if you have sufficient funds and want to create high-quality software.
