Building mobile apps was more challenging than it is now. Businesses often had to compromise on the features and functions of their app because of several developmental and financial considerations.
The arrival of no-code app-making solutions like AppMySite has changed the scenery. It is no longer a tumultuous ordeal to create a mobile app. You can use your WordPress website as a foundation to build an app without writing a single line of code.
AppMySite offers deep integration with several CMS platforms, making it easy to develop WordPress and WooCommerce apps for both Android and iOS. Since app development is sorted, you can worry about the next big challenge – making your WordPress app users happy.
Many factors contribute to a user’s app experience, but features are a significant part of the mix. This piece provides a complete breakdown of ten essential features your WordPress app should have.
#1: Captivating launch screen
The first screen people will see when they launch your WordPress app is your launch screen (also known as a splash screen). It is the screen that is displayed while your app loads in the background.
We generally see the splash screen for 2-3 seconds before the app opens. However, even this short duration is enough to put off an incoming user if the design is not right.
Your splash screen design must thus be spot on. Fortunately, the actual process of designing a splash screen on AppMySite is very easy as the design editor helps you through.
Also, designing a good splash screen has less to do with the process. The greater challenge is making the right design choices. Here are a few things you must keep in mind when designing a splash screen:
- You must ensure that the colors of your splash screen match your overall app design. Your app screens must have a consistent design layout. This is simply to ensure that the overall app experience you deliver is not jarring.
- Do not write elaborate CTAs (Calls to Action). The best option is to simply display your app logo in front of a simple background. If you are really convinced about writing a CTA for the splash screen, make it simple. An average user will only see this screen for 2-3 seconds. Elaborate CTAs are thus a less-than-ideal option.
#2: Easy onboarding and sign up
A great user onboarding process may not be enough to make your WordPress app successful. However, bad user onboarding is surely enough to reduce any chance of your app becoming successful.
The log-in and signup screens are the first things people interact with when they arrive on your app. You cannot have a slow signup and login process. First impressions matter and you risk creating a very bad impression on first-time visitors with a poorly designed onboarding process.
How can you create a satisfactory onboarding experience? Here are a few points you must remember:
- You should have a one-step registration for incoming visitors. This allows first-time visitors to get started right away and not wait needlessly to access your app.
- Enable social login options to enable first-time visitors to login to your app. Google and Facebook login are the most popular social login options you can deliver on your app.
- The design of your onboarding screens should be on-point. Follow a color theme that matches the rest of your app design.
#3: Interactive home screen
Home screens are seen by many as the equivalent of a website homepage. This comparison in many ways undermines the role of home screens in an app ecosystem.
Your visitors won’t necessarily arrive on your homepage every time they come on your website. If you have an active SEO-optimized website, there is a good possibility your visitors first arrive on blog posts and other website resources ranking well on Google.
The homepage is thus not necessarily the default first page people see when they arrive on your website.
A home screen is different. Apps generally load the home screen every time a user launches an app. The overall design and appearance of your home screen are thus very important for a smooth app experience and engagement standpoint.
Your WordPress app should have an interactive and dynamic home screen. It is easy to mention adjectives, but what does making an interactive and dynamic home screen really entail? Here are some points to consider:
- Every element of your home screen should be designed to make users perform an action. Doing so will help you create an interactive home screen. Select the right color scheme and design pattern to maximize engagement.
- It is never a good idea to keep the same screen for more than one day if you have a regular base of returning users. Keep changing your home screen to add a sense of life and dynamism to your app. The easiest way to do this is to push out a new blog post every other day on your app. You can also regularly update your banner to accomplish this.
- Arrange different sections of the home screen depending on user preferences. Some sections will naturally receive more traction than others. You can enhance the app experience by giving such sections more visibility on your home screen.
#4: Effortless content discovery
Finding content on a WordPress app can be a big challenge. This is especially true if you have hundreds and thousands of live posts on your WordPress app. Incoming visitors shouldn’t ideally have to spend more than 10-15 seconds to find their preferred content on the app.
Thus, your app must make content discovery extremely simple. There are many ways you can deliver on this front. The points below highlight some of the simple remedies to make discovery easy:
- Add a smart search option. This will enable app users to easily find content with a few clicks. Make sure the search option is designed to provide accurate suggestions.
- Display relevant sections on the homepage such as recently viewed and popular blogs. This will direct users to content they are likely to find engaging and informative.
- Keep changing your home screen and place popular posts at high-visibility locations. This will organically direct people to the popular content on the website.
#5: Automated menus and categories
Categories and menus are essential for a smooth app experience. You cannot expect your app users to scan through every part of your app to find something. Curated categories and menus play a vital role in simplifying in-app discovery.
One of the advantages of starting a WordPress app is that you can automatically import your categories and menus from your website.
Your app should be connected to your WordPress site to import data regarding categories and menus. When you convert WordPress to mobile app on AppMySite, you essentially establish this connection.
Importing resources directly from your WordPress website to the app has its advantages. Some of these are covered in the following points:
- You can directly manage your app menus and categories from your website.
- There is a great deal of synchrony between your website and app. This helps create a consistent brand image.
- AppMySite even enables you to customize the arrangement and appearance of your app categories.
#6: Social media integration
Social media is often considered the barometer of online marketing success these days. Even though this perception is exaggerated, social media undoubtedly plays a big role in the long-term growth of your brand.
There is endless literature online on promoting apps on social media. Moreover, simply having a social handle for your app is not enough. You need to make an active effort to make your app users engage with you on social media.
Therefore, your WordPress app must have complete social media integration. This means users should be able to visit your social handles directly from your app. Furthermore, you should also provide additional features to allow users to share the app on social media.
AppMySite helps you build apps integrated with social media. You can easily use the app creator online to make an app that directs users to your social media profile. Thus, you can grow your social media presence with this kind of integration.
#7: CMS page integration
CMS pages refer to sections like About Us, Privacy Policy, Contact, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimer, and more. Creating a loyal base of regular app users requires you to open up as a brand and these pages help you do so.
These sections help your users understand your app and brand on a much deeper level. Thus, your WordPress app must display these pages directly from your website. This will help incoming visitors learn more about your brand.
AppMySite enables you to integrate unlimited CMS pages from your WordPress website into the app. This will enable you to display essential information within the app.
You can additionally manage page display on your app. Choose from a range of options to select the CMS pages you want to showcase and add them to your app.
#8: Real-time website and app sync
A WordPress app is incomplete without a direct connection to your website. There are many ways you can create an app. However, a WordPress app is only truly complete when it is connected to a website.
On AppMySite, you can use one-click integration to connect your website and app. Simply download and activate the AppMySite WordPress app plugin on your website. Your app will then automatically start displaying content from your website.
Sync between website and app is crucial for a number of reasons:
- App management is a big headache for businesses. With website-app sync, you can easily manage your app from your website.
- Any change you make on your website is reflected instantly on your app.
- Website-app sync is also essential for importing categories and menus from the website to your app.
- You can keep pushing posts on your website and simultaneously engage your app users.
#9: Integration with WooCommerce store
Many WordPress blogs tend to have a separate WooCommerce store. Bloggers tend to monetize their blogs by selling products through such a store.
As a blogger with a WooCommerce store, you would naturally want to sell the same products on your WordPress app as well. Thus, your WordPress app must have direct integration with WooCommerce.
AppMySite helps you get there. You can create a WordPress app that shows products from your WooCommerce store. All you have to do is connect your store and app. You can thus go from WooCommerce to app in no time.
WooCommerce integration can add another dimension to your app. Besides being a separate channel for monetization, you can also offer regular users something new to explore. You don’t need to worry about payment gateway support either. AppMySite supports all payment gateways.
#10: Chat for customer support
WooCommerce integrations unlock the possibility of selling products on your WordPress app. However, adding an e-commerce component also creates the need to set up a customer support system.
When you run an online store, some orders will always go wrong. That is the cost of doing business online. Your system of promoting, selling, and delivering products may choke at some key points. This can create a base of unhappy and disgruntled customers.
It is thus crucial to offer customer support on your WordPress app. AppMySite enables you to offer instant one-click support through chat integration. This will ensure your customers have an open channel to reach you directly.
Additionally, you can also send push notifications to engage your users and inform them of the latest content updates, offers, deals, discounts, marketing campaigns, and more. While there is no limit to the number of advanced features you can add to your app, chat support and push notifications stand out in this list.
In conclusion
With app makers like AppMySite around, it is much easier than ever to launch an app. There are still a range of challenges one has to overcome in order to make the app a success. Starting a WordPress app is thus a very ambitious prospect.
This piece covers ten crucial features you must offer on your WordPress app. These features are naturally not the sum total of all the features you will ever need. Nevertheless, they form a solid foundation. So, go ahead and create a feature-rich app and grow your business.