Blogging may not be a revolutionary idea, but it is the next best thing. The internet could be fit into a matchbox without the presence of people willing to write and create content. The ubiquity of information, one of the defining qualities of our digital era, is built on the work of bloggers. However, bloggers today face a tough challenge. Mobile apps are now becoming the preferred medium for content consumption. Blogs are not usually considered a vital part of the mobile app ecosystem. This makes the continued existence of bloggers a dicey prospect.
While mobile websites still get a lot of visitors, users tend to spend more time on mobile apps. It is safe to say that mobile apps will become the primary mode of content dissemination in the future. Bloggers tend to stay away from mobile app development because they believe it’s too complicated. They are usually unaware of tools like AppMySite, a very reliable WordPress to app builder for iOS and Android. This leads them to think that making an app requires great investment and a lot of time.
And they’re not entirely wrong in this assumption.
Without a WordPress to app builder for iOS and Android, it does indeed take a lot of investment and time to make an app. This is not to mention the technical expertise bloggers need to have to build a mobile app on their own. The solution, as mentioned previously, is using a mobile app builder for Android and iOS. There are many solutions in the market. AppMySite is one of them.
How to Convert WordPress Blog to App in Fifteen Minutes?
The following sections will explore the process of making an app for a WordPress blog with AppMySite in fifteen minutes.
The time may differ from user to user depending on design choices and the complexity of the app settings. However, the general ease of the process is the same as explained in the following steps.
Minute 0 to 7 – Designing the App
To start off, you need to sign-in to AppMySite. This step can be completed quickly as AppMySite provides the option of social log-in using Google and Facebook as well. After logging in, the next step is entering general details about your WordPress blog and mobile app. These details include your website URL, website type, CMS, and app name.
After entering these details, you can start designing an app for your WordPress blog. On the left panel of the dashboard, you will find an Appearance tab. This tab will cover all the design elements you can optimize on AppMySite. These include –
- App Icon – You have many options when it comes to setting an icon for your app. Firstly, you can upload your own app icon if you happen to have one ready to go. If not, you can design one on the WordPress to app builder for iOS and Android itself. Just select a color and some text and your app icon are ready to go.
- Launch Screen – A launch screen helps keep users engaged while an app loads. You can again customize your launch screen design. If you have one ready, simply upload it. If not, you can again choose solid colors and text to fill up the launch screen with something engaging.
- Log-in and Sign-Up Screens – User onboarding has to be smooth or people will go away from your app. You can design your own log-in and sign-up screens on AppMySite. Choose design elements such as background color, icon, button color, and so on, to create optimal screens to welcome readers to your app.
- Color Scheme – You can choose your header and button attributes in this section. Ideally, you should choose a header text and color that mixes well with the tone of your blog. The same is true for optimizing your button text and color.
- Dashboard – The dashboard includes all the content people see when they first arrive on your app. With the AppMySite app builder, you have the choice of setting up a number of sections such as app banner, categories, and a range of other content sections.
Minute 7 to 9 – Connecting WordPress Blog to AppMySite
This is a very important step and also the easiest. To connect your WordPress blog to AppMySite, here is what you need to do –
- Install the ‘AppMySite’ plugin on your WordPress backend. Activate it once the installation is complete.
- Come back to your AppMySite dashboard and in the Install Plugin section under Connectivity, select verify. This process will validate the connection of your WordPress blog with the app builder
- If there is a problem during this process, you can run the troubleshooter under the Troubleshooting section. This will help pinpoint why your website is not connecting to the dashboard
Minute 9 to 11 – Choosing App Setting
In this section, you can set up a variety of settings for your mobile app. These settings include –
- General – These settings include the name of your app, the URL of your website, the website type, CMS, and other details related to the privacy policy and business email.
- App Menu – Under this section, you can choose whether to use predefined menus on the app or import the ones on your website
- Pages – Allows you to update the content settings of your mobile app. Includes the option of enabling webview pages, allowing users to follow hyperlinks and enter information in case such a field is available
- Social – You can enter the social media handles connected to your website
Minute 11 to 15 – App Preview
App preview is the final and most consequential part of the process. After building your app from scratch, you can finally preview it. There are two ways to preview your app build – use a live screen emulator or use a demo app. To preview your app on the live screen emulator, go to the App Preview section. You will see a live mobile screen. Tap the screen with your cursor. You will be able to see your app within a virtual mobile screen.
This part is important as you can review all your design elements and app settings once again. If there is a need for making additional changes, you can always go back. To preview the app on a mobile device, download the AppMySite demo app on either your Android or iOS device. If you find the need to make more changes to the app’s design or settings, go back to the dashboard and keep experimenting.
In Conclusion
Bloggers need to keep moving or risk being left behind. A mobile app is a good way to stay with the times. Using a WordPress to app builder for iOS and Android can help bloggers build an app if they don’t have a technical background in programming. In the end, bloggers must also make an effort to create content that compels readers to download their blog-specific app. The steps above provide guidance on how to design and build an app on AppMySite. To publish the app on a relevant app store, you would need to subscribe to AppMySite. You can visit the pricing page, select a plan, and download the app from WordPress to app builder for iOS and Android.
