How to Convert a Website into a Native iOS and Android App?

1,650 new native Android apps appear daily on Google Play. 

1,275 new native iOS apps spring up daily on the Apple App Store.

252,000 new websites pop up daily worldwide.

These numbers are quite impressive. 

• First, you realize what a challenge it is to keep ranking high in the website arena. 
• Second, you see how many new players appear on app stores. 
• Factor in that it takes on average 4-6 months to develop a mid-complexity native mobile app. Can you imagine how many more apps are already on their way? About 200k iOS apps and 250k Android apps. 

It’s high time to get one yourself. Especially, if you already have a website. 

In this blog post, we’ll do the following:

• Look at 7 reasons why you might want to convert,
• 4 Options for converting,
• The 5-Step process for converting with a custom app development agency.

Reasons for Converting Your Website

The Internet teems with entrepreneurs of all sorts. 

• Someone who just wants to try out what it is all about. 
• Some serious businesses looking to expand and grow. 
• Some startups seeking to realize their new business idea. 
• Mature offline businesses looking to gain a digital presence. 

For all of these, the next 7 reasons to convert are all worthy of consideration.

10x More User Time

Let’s look at the chart below. User habits have changed considerably. Now, users give much less time to their web experiences.

• According to the year 2022 data, web time averaged 23 minutes daily. 
• Your mobile app will get 10x more user time. To be precise, 3 hours and 47 minutes.  

The takeaway is that users are shifting more and more to mobile devices. This trend has firmly engrained itself into the digital landscape. So, there is no use denying the need for that conversion in the future. 

So, if you have a web application, converting to a native app will add at least one zero to your analytics. Now assess the overall impact:

1. What will happen if your current users spend 10 times more time on your application? 
2. What will happen if you have 150 times fewer competitors (for now)? 

But let’s look at 6 more reasons why you should convert a website into a native app. 

Keeping up with Competitors

Remember the numbers? There are about 200k iOS apps and 250k Android apps are in the making. Competitors are constantly advancing. So can you afford to stay in place?

Businesses are moving to mobile. This market is growing in size and competition. Entering a dynamically growing market is different from trying to squeeze into an oversaturated one. So, convert your business from a web app to a mobile while there is space. 

Sure, it will be possible afterward too. But it will be a matter of inflating your marketing budgets at least. 

In this situation, the example of Wells Fargo highlights the point the best. This financial institution has been on the market for what seems like an eternity. It has gained a unique advantage: even its horrible UI/UX doesn’t harm the business.

Competition with a long-established presence is a serious barrier to consider. Even if you offer better functionality or UI/UX, winning your market share can be a challenge. The significance of how long your app is on the market mirrors the importance of your app age on the app store.

App Age is of Essence 

Ranking on the app store is a tricky business. What would you say is the most important factor of your app’s success? 

Some would answer: the user rating. If users love it, your app will rank the highest. But it is not true at all. 

How so?

Researchers conducted a study. They took 50 top native mobile apps and 50 bottom ones on the Apple App Store. So if you decide to Develop Custom iOS app, read on about the findings carefully! They recorded their different characteristics and analyzed them against their current success.

What did they find? They found that the app’s user rating negatively correlates with the app’s success on that app store. But the native mobile applications’ age is the third top predictor of success. Interesting, hah? 

Overall, the ranking mechanisms are always a secret. 

• App stores release only general recommendations. 
• They convey what they want from app owners. 
• It does not mean, however, that they rank your app based on that. 
• They often consider different variables.
• And their recommendations are different from the reality of their ranking algorithms.

It doesn’t mean you should release an app full of bugs. You should still plan the release date strategically. But.. if you think about whether to do it now or in a few years – do it now. 

The time your app is present on the marketplace translates into its rankings. Rankings mean users. More users – more revenues. So it means literally that delaying the release will delay the revenues. 

App age being of essence is also true if you decide to Develop Custom Android app.

Your Website Depends on Internet Connection

When you have mobile users on your responsive website, Internet connectivity is often an issue. 

Internet on mobile devices tends to switch on/off frequently. Whether it is a mobile device switching between towers at random. Or it can be due to getting a call. During some parts of user interactions on your website, it can cause negative experiences. 

For example, the user might lose all the information they’ve been carefully filling out. They may lose some kind of progress they’ve made during their session. The app might freeze and cause a user to double-click or worse… experience a user rage. Users do get more spoiled and less patient because of better technology. 

If your website is simple and straightforward, it might not be an issue. But:

• if you go for more functionality, 
• If you deliver outstanding user experiences, 
• If your business requires robust client operations… 

Then you definitely need to consider going native for mobile users. 

Website Gets Lost Among Dozens of Other Open Tabs 

When opening a web browser on your mobile device, how many tabs do you have open? 15? 37? For most, it varies between 5 to 20. Some approach a 100-open-tabs mark. Imagine that your website is one of them. 

So, it easily gets lost on mobile devices. Users just don’t go back to them. At some point, they close all of them at once to start a new vicious cycle.

In contrast, a native app shortcut is always on one of the screens. There is always a much-needed presence serving as a reminder for the user to come back. 

Sure, sometimes apps get tossed into a folder. But! They do have access to pop-ups and notifications! So there is always an easy way to make a comeback into a user’s life. 

Native Mobile Apps Offer Richer User Experience

We’ve previously mentioned pop-ups and notifications. They are part of the built-in functionality. Mobile apps have access to it, but websites don’t. It is one of the most compelling reasons to build a native app.

Your UX and general app’s functionality can have access to a variety of features. Just think about any messaging app on your phone. 

• It has access (with your permission) to your contact list. 
• You can also take a photo or record audio/video from this app. 
• If you pay via an app, it can offer you to pay with your other payment app. It is extremely convenient for you as a user. 
• Plus, any app just looks better than a website on a mobile phone.  

Functionally-Rich Apps Should Be Native

If your website grows in functionality, a native app is a way to improve performance. As your website gets more complicated, it takes much longer time to load even in the browser on a laptop. On the phone, it gets even harder. 

How to sense when your website gets so complex that it needs a mobile app?

Imagine an example. You started with an ecommerce website. It had:

1. a catalog, 
2. a page for each product, and 
3. a checkout process finalized with one third-party payment option. 

Soon, you expanded the functionality to provide: 

4. customer support, 
5. included more payment options, and 
6. started gathering analytics. 

Also, somewhere along the way, you got: 

7. all social media sync-ups. 

Now, you also added 

8. videos to the catalog and 
9. allowed users to share the unboxing on your website. 

It also required 

10. adding engagement opportunities for users. 

At this point, you are considering adding an advanced Augmented Reality Try-On feature. 

• Ideally, you should’ve got a mobile app at step 4. If your business proved its viability, you could have scaled already. 
• Update 8 would have been another good time to consider converting. 
• Do features such as AR natively. 

How to Go About Converting

 Now let’s look at conversion options. Googling the matter will send in 4 different directions.  

#1: Can AI do it for me?

#2: A no-code/low-code builder for mobile apps

#3: Web converters to mobile apps

#4: Custom app development

While options 1 and 2 are not exactly converters, they still show up as an option. So we should look at them as well. 

Can AI do it for me?

AI is a hot topic now. It has got a fame as the next big all-powerful tool. It is free or very cheap to use. Reports about its successful work appear everywhere. 

Unfortunately, if you need to convert a website to a mobile app, it cannot help. 

Let’s hear from the devil itself, chatGPT.

In the first line of its response lies another catch. “AI can automate certain aspects…” AI makes things even more complicated for sole entrepreneurs. How so? 

AI has taken the position of a powerful productivity tool. In some development agencies, it is now mandatory for developers to utilize Co-pilot or other AIs. 

Development agencies compete based on the productivity of their developers. The market measures the productivity of developers with a number of lines of code they produce. And, the complexity of features.

• Without AI, a developer submits on average 100 lines of tested code daily. With the use of AI, this number jumps to 200-500 lines of code. 
• AI is good at analyzing large data sets and spotting trends. Especially if you already have a website. It has tons of analytics and data. A vendor that knows how to utilize AI will deliver more business insights, more business opportunities. 

With that, the competition intensifies. Development agencies produce more and more complex apps. Too simple or generic apps pale in comparison. Also, development agencies do it faster and smarter.

No-code/low-code builders

The idea is that you follow the steps to create a new app. So, it is not exactly converting, it is building a new app. 

They are often relatively easy to use. They have a lot of pre-built components and features. You just drag and drop them or check off the boxes of what you need. 

Sometimes you might need to write some code. In general, they require little to no knowledge of programming. 

The no-code/low-code platforms are popular because of the no-cost/low-cost to start. 

• They have a free tier. 
• The monthly plans range from 20$ to 100$ per month. 

People are creating hundreds of apps this way. And here lies the catch. Taking this route you will get hundreds of competitors who are all look-alikes… how will you stand out from the crowd? 

But let’s look deeper. Another catch is that you often lose ownership: platform lock your app inside these platforms with your assets and client base. 

Statistics on No-Code/Low-Code Business Use

So there is always the other side of the coin. Statistics say:

– 47% of businesses avoid using these tools as they don’t have the required expertise. From here, it does follow that you need some coding skills to use these. 

– 25% of businesses don’t use these tools due to security considerations. You do sort of hand in the keys to your business with all its customer base and assets to some platform. 

– 37% of businesses don’t opt for these tools because of not having access to source code. It is like you got the house but you cannot get the design plans for it and specifications. 

– 35% – reject the idea due to scalability issues. 

Lastly… Don’t they remind you of YouTube? 

YouTube offers opportunities to start your own channel. It is free and easy to start making money. But only 8% of YouTube creators actually make money. The concept is so identical that one cannot ignore the resemblance.

Web converters

Web converters hold the middle ground between no-code platforms and custom MVP app development. 

• In terms of pricing, web converters have set-up costs. It can be $1.5k to $2.5k 
• Then, you have a monthly subscription plan. These range from $350 to $650 to corporate quotes. You will pay a corporate quote if your app gets more than 10k active users. 
• On top of that, there are fees for custom design around $1k. 
• Plus, you can some new features for free and some for additional cost. 

If you add up all the things, you won’t save a lot compared to a lean custom app development team. 

The catch with those platforms is that you again don’t get access to your app’s code. 

Another catch is that it is a mass-production-oriented business. 

• With that, they do have support but you will need to get in line. 
• When you require a new approach or want to discuss something, you will often get scripted answers unless you are on a corporate tier. But that custom tier is when you pay the same as you would to a custom app development team. However, the latter gives much more focus and attention to your app. 

Here is one such company’s plan. Remember, the corporate plan is at the same price point it would be with a custom app development agency.

Those screenshots basically mean that to save money you don’t get:

– support, 

– testing opportunities,

– access to source code.

There are of course use cases for such web converters. 

• One may be when you feel your idea is raw. It is when you’ve just created the website and look to see if a mobile app would do better. To test the waters you might consider this opportunity. 
• If you are a hobbyist looking to set up a mobile app store for selling your own items. 
• Maybe also you have a dropshipping business and don’t need to create a brand.  

In general, if you are looking to set up yourself as a digital entrepreneur. The kind who runs your own business for year. Then, the recommendation is to go with the custom app development option. 

Custom app development

Costs

For custom app development, you have two options: hire an in-house team or find a vendor. With an in-house team, you are looking at the following expenses:

• Equipment
• Software
• Salaries and taxes, insurance etc.
• Rent if you want developers to work in an office
• Courses, events, team building activities, etc. 

For even an existing business, there might be a lot of overhead expenses. 

Hiring a vendor provides much more flexibility in terms of managing costs. Plus, if you hire a vendor internationally, it might actually be cheaper than you thought. 

• Some lean custom app development agencies can build a simple custom mobile app for as low as $10k. 
• Converting an existing website might cost as little as $5-7k. 

Plus, you get a team that goes with you through all development stages like ideation, prototyping, and testing. Testing is not simply checking whether there is a bug. But it includes A/B testing, which is a key to any business success. It also includes User Acceptance Testing.

Expertise

What else does a custom app development vendor bring to the table? Years of expertise and market knowledge. 

Imagine you decide to convert your garage into a living space. You can do it by yourself. It is akin to options #1, #2, or #3 when converting a website to a mobile app. 

You start the process by researching online. You might pay for some bits of work. But ultimately it is all on you. 

What challenges might you face in this imaginary scenario? 

• You come to purchase materials, and they are not the exact ones you want. 
• You wanted to select a certain color, but there is no such shade or it is a wrong undertone. 
• You need a certain type of instrument which is not available.
• Upon finishing, you might see some things are not good at use. 
• You might run into problems you even haven’t thought about. 

And this is all considering your garage transformation isn’t competing with anyone. 

So expertise and market knowledge are indispensable. Especially, when embarking on such a journey as to transform from a website to a mobile app. For revenue-generating business purposes. 

• A professional vendor has a certain number of years of experience and projects completed. 
• A vendor has accumulated knowledge of tools for achieving results. 
• A vendor has trained people and ensured skill transfer or upgrade whenever necessary. 
• A successful vendor has also accumulated a lot of insight into markets and a variety of niches. 

Plus, have you thought about How to Develop a Digital Product Strategy for a Startup? Professionals have methodologies and working practices to help with that. 

So how to convert a website into a native iOS or Android App with a custom app development agency? 

Step 1: Define your goal and requirements

Are you doing this 

(1)to solve a particular business problem, 

(2) to expand, or 

(3) to offer more functionalities to existing clients? 

There might be other project-specific considerations. But focusing on one of these goals narrows down the development path. 

It is one thing to build a more performant mobile app. It is another thing to offer more functionalities to existing clients. The scenarios will result in a different set of requirements. 

1. For example, in the first case, it will be about optimizing loading times by utilizing the device’s native features. 
2. In the second one, the key is ensuring a smooth transition. For when existing users move from web to mobile. Also, design consistency across platforms is of essence.
3. In the case of business expansion, you might want to go the path of market research. In addition, you might focus on revamping your web app in line with developing a mobile option. 

Step 2: Find your Vendor

So you choose to Develop Custom iOS app or Develop Custom Android app. You have two major criteria: price point and expertise. Usually, you can grasp the idea from even the vendor’s website. If they are focused on startups and lean methodologies, you can expect the most efficient use of your time and money. 

• They will streamline the process, 
• focus on what’s important for the success of your project, and 
• make sure your project generates revenues. 

In the world of development, teams can develop anything and everything. The art lies in prioritizing and selecting what’s really important and going to get results. With some vendors, you can see that they go for development of fully-fledged solutions. This isn’t that bad, but with a fast-paced digital landscape, less is more. 

Let’s draw a parallel with construction. 

• When you make sure that the first layers of bricks are stable, you can lay another one. Because otherwise, there is a risk that the first layers will crumble. 
• Or what if you use some material underneath that requires changing? You will have to redo the entire structure. 

This is why minimal apps are a vital stage of any business. You have to get the most efficient working tools first. Then build on top of them.

Other considerations

Then it is always helpful to check reviews about the vendors you shortlisted. Focus on the keywords you outlined for yourself. Then, schedule calls with their representatives. It is also worth asking for an estimate. 

Step 3: Finalize requirements, budget, and timelines

Once you get in touch and sign up with a vendor, you need to get a project roadmap. You need to see what you can expect in terms of functionality. And also find out how much time and money will get you there. 

Here you might check out this post What Is Custom Minimum Viable Product (MVP) App Development?

If you go for a mobile app, whether you  Develop Custom iOS app or Develop Custom Android app, keep a close eye on the UI/UX part of the project. This is a vital development part whatever your initial reason for converting is. UI/UX on mobile is mainly why customers are moving more to mobile. They simply enjoy better user experiences compared to a web app. 

Step 4: Go Through The Development

During the cooperation and throughout the project, you should expect the following:

• Project kick-off meeting;
• Weekly/biweekly status meetings;
• Demo meetings of iterative deliveries;
• Have an emergency contact from the agency;
• Partake in discussing the results of testing: performance testing, unit testing, manual, and, especially, A/B testing;
• Participate in User Acceptance Testing;
• If you request a change, ask how the team will implement it;
• During a project review, provide feedback to your vendor;
• Make sure the projects are in sync with your marketing plans;
• Align with  overall business strategy, including any changes you make to your website

Step 5: Launch Your App on the App Store

Launching an app on any app store requires a few tries. It is not a one-and-done process. After the launch, discuss ongoing support and maintenance with your vendor. In addition, stay in touch in case you need updates or new features. 

Businesses also find it helpful to conduct A/B testing regularly. 

So make sure you communicate all your business needs to the development agency.

Final Words

“If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well” – it is a famous saying for a reason. In this article, you’ve seen a range of options on how to go about converting your website into a native mobile app. These options are all valid for their respective use cases. They all have their pros and cons. 

If it is a hobbyist website, it is OK to do things yourself. It can be by either opting for a no-code/low-code platform or web converter services. 

• It does require a bit of a learning curve. 
• These options restrict you in some functionality. 
• They also lock in your app in their system with assets and branding. 
• But they are relatively cheap. 

In contrast, there are professional vendors. They bring in not only professional expertise but also market knowledge. They can advise, support, and develop your business throughout the development process. 

To get the best value for money, try MVP services. They will deliver the key working functionalities in the shortest timeframe. 

You can also check out our article 10 Signs You Should Invest in Custom MVP App Development

If you want to get things done faster and without investing a lot, find those who specialize in lean methodologies and working with startups. Even if you are an existing business, converting a website into a mobile app is a new endeavor. So, startup launchers will be of great use. 

FAQ: How to Convert a Website into a Native iOS and Android App?