The stakes of competition have raised in mobile app development.
Websites, when entered the market, created a revolution. But, as time changed, the revolution took a new face of mobile applications.
And now, mobile apps have become a talk of the town.
Considering such times, it has become essential for your startup or business to be at the forefront of the competition with a mobile application. It is something that is just booming at an impeccable fast pace. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that having a mobile application for your business has become inevitable.
People all across the globe are turning to their smartphones for almost everything, from booking tickets or reading to shopping, entertainment, and much more.
Ask anybody, and they are on everyone’s lips!
It is the applications’ quality of being fast and comfortable to use that they are preferred over websites to great extent.
And talking about WordPress, there are around 455 million websites built using WordPress as of now.
We can’t imagine what a number so big can do!
Not just it would be in the buzz but so many sites turned into apps can offer an incredibly great experience to the users.
But how can a mobile app of your WordPress site be made?
Well, there is a solution!
Enroll yourself first on WordPress by creating a website. However, if you have already developed a website, you can move ahead to convert it into a mobile application.
The trick to the same is like a DIY you would love to do.
What can help us with the conversion is a WordPress plugin.
You must be wondering how WordPress plugins can help in converting a site into an app?
They very well can carry out the task of conversion to let you create a new and desired mobile app for your target audience.
We have mentioned a few best plugins in this article that would help you do the conversion.
However, before learning about the plugins to use, let us first understand the basics, i.e., why is there a need to convert the WordPress site into an app, what is meant by the WordPress plugins, and what are some good options to move ahead with.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What’s Special About Converting the WordPress Site into a Mobile App?
Try checking the traffic on your website through Google Analytics.
It would make you realize how many people are visiting your website. If it’s not a good number, then it needs some work to be done on it. But, if it’s a good number, then you need to do something to boost up.
You would notice that many people are accessing your site through their mobile phones; it actually happens!
To make sure that your mobile users have a great experience, and desktop users get converted into mobile users, you need to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and responsive.
A WordPress site that is mobile responsive automatically adjusts itself to fit the user’s screen size.
Almost all WordPress themes tend to be mobile responsive. You can even grab some excellent and responsive themes for WooCommerce.
But, creating a mobile application for a more delightful experience still stands strong.
Mobile apps would allow the users to directly launch the app from their home screen instead of browser to access your platform for them.
Building a mobile app can’t be done just like that. It typically requires excellent programming skills. In that case, you can hire a WordPress Developer to build a mobile app for your website.
Otherwise, if you wish to try your hand on it, you can use WordPress plugins.
What are WordPress Plugins?
There is something said about WordPress, which is, “There is a plugin for that.”
Let’s discover how!
WordPress plugins are bits of software that let you add more and new features and functionalities to your WordPress website; the same way apps do it for smartphones.
There are around 55,000 plugins available right now on the WordPress Plugin Directory, and many are available from third-party platforms.
These plugins are like small software apps that combine and run over the WordPress software. It lets you create a website or application of your choice with WordPress.
Some examples are:
- An educational platform by Knowledgebase plugin
- Podcast with WordPress
- An online store with WooCommerce plugin
- A job board using the Job Manager plugin
- Business directory using the directory plugins
- A platform for photography using the Envira Gallery Plugin
WordPress Plugins to Convert the Website Into a Mobile App
Having mentioned all the necessary details above, we now finally start with the best plugins to turn your WordPress site into a mobile application.
AppPresser
The AppPresser plugin is very flexible and smooth when it comes to using. Its committed WordPress mobile theme is responsible for creating the desired mobile app for your WordPress website.
If you are struggling with not paying for a plugin and wanting something with the potential to perform up to the mark at the same time, then AppPresser is your option.
The Wow Factor:
- Navigation can be designed as tabs or pull-out menu
- Custom page creation can be done
- Push notification as well can be created
- There is the extension compatibility. You can blend features like Google maps, Facebook login, etc.
Though it seems to be easy, it is not for non-developers. It calls for great customization to build an app and make it function appropriately. Therefore it is better tohire a WordPress plugin developer to carry out the development effectively.
MobiLoud
The Mobile App Canvas plugin is the creation of MobiLoud. It not just enables you to create a mobile app but also allows you to launch it in both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
If you wish for a native mobile app from a WordPress site, this one is the best option. There is no need to create a separate theme with this plugin as you can proceed with the one you already have.
The scalability of choosing a different theme altogether is an added advantage.
Don’t worry if it sounds complicated because you can hire a WordPress developer anytime and seek help from that person.
The Wow Factor:
- It offers a fantastic spectrum of themes
- WordPress Customizer lets customize themes as per your wish
- Add a menu or animations to the app if you wish to
- Content updates are automatic
- The push notification feature is also available
- The plugin is compatible goes well with all platforms – Android phone, iPhone, iPad and tablets
- You can have complete control over your design
- It is utterly user-friendly
Once you download the plugin, everything becomes easy to take care of!
Androapp
If your website is more inclined towards the content like a news platform or a blog, you should opt for Androapp.
It grabs your content or feed and further turns it into a mobile-friendly layout. The result it produces is almost similar to that of a responsive website.
The Wow Factor:
- Content can be saved offline
- Image zooming is possible
- Infinite scroll facility is an advantage
- You can also choose a custom theme and colours that go with your website
- Send push notifications as much as you want
- Support for WordPress/Facebook comments is available
- Deep linking, i.e., highlighting different pages of your app can be done
It, too, supports multiple platforms.
WPApp.Ninja
With WPApp.Ninja, you can create a mobile application or a PWA (Progressive Web Application) for your WordPress website. This plugin allows you to set up the app and configure it within the WordPress admin area.
The Wow Factor:
- Tools to add more features like app icons, colours, buttons, etc.
- WPApp.Ninja supports offline content as well
- In-built caching can be done
- The plugin is compatible with other plugins too
Blappsta
Blappsta is compatible with all platforms. This plugin has a unique feature called ‘Blappsta Preview, ‘ which allows you to the first experiment, test it, and then make it go live. You can see your mobile app would look before making it live.
The Wow Factor:
- The provision of push notifications is there
- Deep linking indexing for Google
- Sharing on different social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter is also possible
- Content on the app can be organized with flexibility
Once you create the mobile app, it can work exactly as you want it to.
Conclusion
Using these plugins to convert your WordPress site into a mobile app will gather more of your target audience’s attention.
Having a mobile app helps in bringing more traffic, generating leads, and sales.
It would be more beneficial to hire WordPress coder for converting your WordPress site into a mobile app
After knowing it all, which plugin would you like to choose to turn your WordPress site into the app?