Having a website is mandatory for an effective online presence. However, under the circumstances, the time has arrived for businesses to convert their website into a mobile app.
An average smartphone user spends about 3 hours daily on their mobile devices.
Generation Z (ages 16-24) spends 20 percent more time and engages with their most-used apps 30 percent more often than the rest of the population.
It is therefore important that you work on making your site mobile friendly.
In some cases, you will notice that a mobile-friendly site is not enough to drive engagement. You need to also deliver mobile app solutions for businesses. Now in the current scenario, mobile-friendly sites are given preference in Google.
Mobile app solutions are prerequisites in this case if you want to drive engagement to your mobile app. You already have a website for business which was the first thing you invested in. Now, you need to go one step further and convert the website into a mobile app.
There are plugins to help convert a WordPress site into a mobile app. Before learning which plugins are best for this purpose, you should know whether having a mobile app will help achieve your goals.
Benefits of Mobile App Building
- You will reach a plethora of users, who are growing hour by hour and day by day.
- A dedicated app is an excellent gateway for ensuring relevant information and newer products from your brand are showcased to the relevant audience. The app notifications, as well as real-time alerts, keep the audience informed.
- If you want to make an online payment, it is simpler and easier with a mobile application.
- Finally, analytics and measurement of success are easier with an app.
The increasing number of smart devices and the growing need for convenience has led to an increase in mobile app sales which has led to profits for businesses.
Mobile apps now play the deciding role in retaining customers and improving business loyalty.
Now that you are aware of the perks of mobile apps, let’s take a quick look at some of the plugins that will help you build your app.
1. AppPresser
This plugin converts a WordPress website into a fully operational mobile app. Although it’s a very usable and user-friendly tool, you should not use it for DIY WordPress conversion. Some elements and functionality require professional help.
The reason for this is that it requires complete customization to suit your needs, and you will need to develop a mobile application using this plugin from scratch. Both these aspects cannot be performed by someone who is a novice.
The plugin also comes with integrated push notifications which can be set up without much effort.
2. Blappsta
Blappsta is useful if your goal is to release a mobile app for all platforms i.e. Android, iOS and Windows. It offers a fully-functional and feature-rich mobile application that will help engage users.
This is a new plugin, but it offers excellent functionality and is pretty easy to use. The plugin comes with a preview tool that allows you to view how your mobile app will look.
Its features include:
- Real-time push-notifications for all content types
- Deep linking for better search capabilities
- Social sharing buttons which makes it easy for users to share posts
- Customizable navigation to meet user needs
3. AndroApp
If you want to convert your WordPress website site into a mobile app, then you should opt for the AndroApp plugin. You either need the plugin author or a developer who can help you convert your WordPress site using AndroApp.
The unique feature of this plugin is that it offers offline support, which is required given situations where there is limited to no network connectivity available.
Apart from that, it also offers push notifications and infinite scroll ability, thus making your mobile app even more engaging and user-friendly.
It helps with image zooming and deep linking support for the new mobile apps.
4. Wapppress
Wapppress is a premium plugin that not only helps to convert a site into an app but also ensures it is up and running within a matter of minutes.
It may not offer customize-friendly options, but it is definitely a user-friendly app conversion plugin for your business. it gives you complete control over the conversion and the mobile app you have developed for your business.
5. MobiLoud
This app plugin is for businesses that want to convert their blog sites or websites using WooCommerce into a mobile app solution. This is an most affordable solution for your business because it allows you to create mobile apps for free. You may need to upgrade if case you want certain features within the mobile app.
The builder allows you to customize solutions, initiate push notifications, and even offers regular maintenance for a proper app upgrade.
6. Web2App
As the name suggests, this plugin converts a high traffic WordPress site into a mobile app. It is pretty easy to set up and use, which means it is the perfect solution for those who want to take up the conversion themselves. However, despite the ease, it does not compromise on the quality of the mobile application solution.
You won’t get the regular customization capabilities that you get with an app builder that allows you to develop an app from scratch, but it does offer enough customization capabilities.
You can initiate the splash screen easily with this plugin. Apart from that, it offers ease of navigation and social sharing capabilities for your business app.
Summing up
This is a low-cost, easier and faster route to build a mobile app for your website. However, it is not the same as creating a mobile app from scratch. You will miss out on certain functionalities and the customization won’t be as fulfilling as it is with a native mobile app developed using the right framework.
Nevertheless, getting started with a mobile app using the plugin method will get you the ideal reach and brand visibility that you need to move your business towards profitability.
