How to Create an App from a Website: Easy Steps

In our mobile-dependent world today, having an awesome website is not sufficient. We all want to make sure that our audience can freely access our platform on the go, and that’s what makes a mobile app so powerful. 

Turning your website into a mobile app can open up a whole new level of connection, brand exposure, and user convenience.

It’s not just about reducing your website to fit on a smaller screen, it’s about using the strengths of mobile to forge real connections and deliver real results.

This is the step-by-step guide to help you create an app from a website. We will go over why this is such a game-changing move, what has to be done, and what tools and platforms to turn to for support.

Why Convert a Website into an App?

Converting an existing website into an app is one of the options that can give you multiple advantages as part of your strategy. Here are just a few reasons why this system could be so groundbreaking:

Enhanced User Engagement

Apps deliver a more immersive and engaging user experience when compared to websites, driving users to interact for longer. In the second case, mobile apps work smoothly and load quicker, causing better user retention and more satisfaction.

Access Anywhere

The app is readily accessible from the devices’ home screens and doesn’t need to be opened every time like a browser. And the more accessible it is, the more likely people are to use your service regularly.

Improved Brand Recognition

Your brand is placed on the device screens of your users. Unlike websites, which are visited only periodically, an app sits on a user’s home screen, serving as a daily reminder of your brand.

Fast Performance

In most cases, mobile apps can also be faster and more efficient than websites. Because apps are designed for mobile use, they may offer a better, more streamlined experience for users, which may mean better satisfaction.

Offline Capability 

As opposed to websites, which need a connection to the internet, apps can offer offline access to some functions. This is extremely valuable for companies that serve content like news or education, because users can still scroll, read, and catch up even when offline.

Improved Security

Mobile apps can include enhanced security features such as biometric authentication (fingerprint or face recognition), encryption, and secure login methods. Those protections are an extra layer of security on top of websites, which can also be hacked.

Pre-Requisites Before You Start

Before you go ahead and build an app from a website, there are a few things you must consider to avoid costly mistakes and make the process as effective as possible:

• Platform: Determine if you want to create iOS and/or Android app. This choice will greatly affect the development tools, languages, and methods that you use.
• App Type: Select the type of app you are going to develop. Native apps are faster and offer a better user experience, though it can be expensive to build them for both. Hybrid apps provide you with the more economical answer, where you can develop once and that can be used in both iOS and Android.
• Key Features: Determine key features of your website that are must for the mobile app. Functionality like ecommerce, user accounts or connection with other applications is something that must be thoughtfully considered. Knowing what you would like to keep or modify from the other layout for mobile users is a key to efficiency and user experience.
• Cost-Effective Development Strategies: It is important to take a cost-effective approach to your development. Plan to avoid expenditure overruns. No-code platform developers can make the transition easier by providing cost-effective alternatives for whatever is missing.
• Design and User Interface: A mobile app has specific design requirements when compared to websites. Concentrate on an uncomplicated and intuitive UI to make the  user experience good. Well, a smooth, user-friendly, easy-to-use design ensures your users will continue using your app over a period of time. Ensure that the app layout, navigation, and control elements are created mobile-friendly, so that the users find a pleasant and friendly user experience.
• App Store Requirements: If you’re optimizing for the Apple App Store or Google Play, it’s important to make sure your app meets the basic and specific requirements of each platform, respectively. Both Apple and Google have unique policies and technical requirements for apps, including size limitations, UI guidelines, and privacy policies. If these standards are not met, your app may be delayed or declined for approval.

Step-by-Step Process to Convert Website to App

Here is a breakdown of the steps you have to take in order to be able to convert a website to a mobile app:

List Essential Features

Begin by listing down the features of your website that you need in the app. This is an essential action in order to stay on budget and to keep up with what your users want. Target essential features that will deliver the highest value, like user login, cart/checkout, or content. Stay away from adding tons of features to the app that are not required; it will complicate development, and the end user will also not have a good user experience.

Create a User-Friendly UX Design

An intuitive interface is a key to the success of any mobile app. Make sure the app is not only faster to navigate and register than your website, but it can perform faster overall. The app’s design should be intuitive, user as well as mobile-friendly, and make it easy to get what you are looking for. A basic knowledge about the mobile app design process will help you ease the process.

Automate Data Backup

Frequent data backups play a big role in securing the vital data when unexpected issues appear (app crashes, security breaches, etc). Develop an automated backup plan so that content in your app is regularly saved, and a user can always easily recover this information in an emergency situation.

Match the Interface to Mobile Devices

A design for a mobile app should have capabilities to perform well across a variety of devices. This also includes low battery usage, and the app works with certain hardware features the user may have, like a camera, GPS, or accelerometer. The aim is to ensure the app runs smoothly and efficiently on smartphones and tablets of all shapes and sizes.

Local Memory & Caching Logic

Local storage and cached data are some of the most important benefits a mobile app can have. Cache the data that is being used more often in the local storage, and it will result in reduced time to load the data and less dependency on the Internet. This is particularly useful for applications that work with lots of data and make the user experience better.

Hire an App Development Team

Once you have laid out the app’s functionality, design, and performance requirements, it’s time to decide if you should build the app in-house or hire a third party. If you don’t have in-house expertise and are still figuring out how to make your own app, hiring a professional team is the best move. Or you can even try and create an in-house team. At this point, you decide based on the skill, price, and control of the development process that you want to have. Experts will help you avoid the costly mistakes and produce a high-quality product.

Test the App

Once the app is ready, testing is of paramount importance, especially for the variety of devices and screen sizes. This is comprised of doing function testing, usability testing, and performance optimization. Fix any existing bugs and performance problems during this stage and make sure your app is secure and stable.

Publish and Maintain the App

After your app is completely ready, you can now submit it for approval to the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for Android. Monitor user feedback and make sure to update the app frequently to squash bugs, fix performance issues, and add new features.

Tools & Platforms to Convert Website to App

There are a number of tools and platforms to help you turn your website into a mobile app, even if you have no coding experience. Some popular options include:

1. Appy Pie: This is a no-code app-building platform which allows you to convert your website into an app with ease and convenience.
2. BuildFire: Provides a platform to construct mobile apps in a simple way, and for those who need features like e-commerce or user accounts.
3. PhoneGap: A hybrid application development framework enabling you to create apps from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
4. Bubble: The non-technical platform on which you can build web and mobile applications without code.
5. React Native: A favored framework by Facebook, which relies on JavaScript and React for native apps so that it can share most of the code between Android and iOS. 
6. Flutter: A framework from Google for building native-looking apps for Android and iOS from a single code base with the Dart programming language. Flutter is also recognized for its rapid development and beautiful User Interfaces.
7. Xamarin: The platform of Microsoft that uses C# to create native apps for Android, iOS, and Windows. 

Choosing the right tools and platforms will help you with cutting-edge app development, or in this case, converting the website to an app.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Building a mobile app from the website may sound simple, but there are some common hurdles you may encounter. This is how you can address them and ensure a smooth transition and build a successful mobile app:

Poor User Engagement

It’s not enough just to copy-paste your website content into an app. Mobile apps should take advantage of the unique mobile features like push notifications, location services, and in-app messaging to keep up the engagement level with their users. 

Concentrate on developing an app which provides bonus functionality and a better experience than your website.

Security Vulnerabilities

Use strict security mechanisms like end-to-end encryption, 2-factor authentication, and biometric login features. 

Perform regular security checks as well as penetration testing to discover weaknesses and address them. Sensitive user information is frequently stored in mobile apps, and not securing that information could lead to end-user breaches and lost trust. Ensure your app is up to the industry standards and regulations for security.

Suboptimal Performance

Slow load times, unresponsive features, and laggy navigation can be infuriating for users, leading them to abandon your site. 

To help prevent that, focus on speed and responsiveness by reducing the size of files and images and limiting background processes. Performance testing is something that every developer should do, as an app needs to work perfectly on all devices and screen sizes.

Lack of Marketing and Promotion

Even a well-designed app will fail if users are still unaware of it. A good marketing as well as promotion strategy is vital to reaching your ideal audience and getting them to download your app. 

Start by building anticipation before the app launch through social media, email campaigns, and sneak previews. After your app has been released, keep promoting it through user reviews, influencer collabs, and in-app referrals. Even the best app needs promotion to be successful.

Ignoring User Feedback

Feedback from Users is key to the successful evolution of your app. Post-launch, always continue to gain knowledge from your users through reviews, surveys, and analytics, and take action. This feedback may help you improve your app by correcting bugs, strengthening features, and improving your UX. Apps that change in response to user demand are more likely to stay relevant and retain user engagement.

Cost to Turn a Website Into an App

The price to turn your website into an app may range considerably from circumstance to circumstance, including the level of complexity of the new app, which platform to use, whether or not you’ll have professionals to do it, and so on. Here’s a rough breakdown:

1. Do-It-Yourself with No Code Platforms: The investment in no-code platforms starts from $50/month and increases based on the features the platform offers. It can even reach up to $200 or $300/month.
2. Freelancers/Employing Agencies: Development costs vary, and it completely depends on how complex the app is. So there’s no exact amount.
3. Continued Maintenance: Following the initial release, you should budget for app updates, bug fixes, and platform upgrades.

If these costs seem high, one way to reduce them is by choosing offshore app development, where the cost of the app will be greatly reduced.

When to Hire Professional App Developers

Though you have the option of choosing no-code platforms, there are some situations where hiring app developers is a must:

• Complicated Features: If you have a sophisticated website with advanced functionality, such as real-time features, push notifications, and heavy integration, you should definitely go with experienced developers.
• Custom Design & UX: Have a professional designer to make sure your app looks great and works well on mobile.
• App Performance & Security: Experts will make your app fast and secure.

Conclusion

Engagement, user experience, and visibility can be improved by changing your website into an application for mobile.

But it takes some careful planning, the right tools, and sometimes some help from the pros (developers).

By using a clear, step-by-step method and getting to understand the prerequisites, you should be able to produce an app that adds to your users’ experience and broadens the span of the reach. 

So, whether or not you take it into your hands or collaborate with professionals, what matters is that the app becomes central to your business and useful for your users.

FAQs