How to Convert Your Squarespace Site Into a Mobile App (Squarespace App Builder)

Squarespace is straightforward way to build powerful, mobile-friendly websites, without having to write code or hire and manage developers.

But today, your business needs more than just a website. To fully engage your customers, you need a mobile too.

There's no official Squarespace app builder, and developing a custom native app is probably something you either:

1. Don't have the ability to do
2. Don't have the budget to do
3. Don't want to do

Thankfully there's a better way to launch an awesome mobile app that syncs with your Squarespace site, without coding and without investing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Keep reading and we'll explain all you need to know about MobiLoud, the best Squarespace mobile app builder, and how it can help you build the perfect Squarespace mobile app.

How to Build a Mobile App For Your Squarespace Site

To build a mobile app for your Squarespace site, you either need to code a custom native app from scratch and link it to your site, or convert your site to an app with a service like MobiLoud.

We'll explain a little about why the first option is a non-starter, and how MobiLoud meets the needs of Squarespace users.

Unfortunately, Squarespace doesn't give merchants a way to publish their site as a mobile app.

When researching this article we reached out to Squarespace and asked if they had anything to help users build native mobile apps, or if they had any plans to add it in the future.

They confirmed that currently there isn’t any internal feature that allows users to create mobile apps, and as far as we could tell there are no concrete plans to develop such capability.

Why Your Squarespace Site Needs an App

If your business has a large online presence, a lot of your customers are on mobile.

You can serve these customers better, and increase retention and LTV from these customers, by offering an app.

We believe just about every business that does business through their website can benefit from having their own mobile app.

This is especially true for eCommerce sites.

Mobile commerce is exploding, with nearly 60% of all eCommerce sales worldwide now coming on mobile.

Mobile apps deliver higher AOV, higher conversion rates, increased purchase frequency, and more long-term, predictable revenue.

Squarespace is now the second most popular eCommerce platform in the US, powering over 2,000,000 eCommerce stores.

That's a lot of sites that could comfortably do at least 10-15%+ more revenue by launching an app.

So how can you build an app for your site?

If you search, you'll find a Squarespace mobile app - but that's for managing your site.

If you want to launch an app for your customers, you'll need a little help.

Let's take look at the options now.

Squarespace App Development via Native Coding

One option is to build mobile apps from scratch – using technologies like Objective-C, Swift, Java or React Native – then build a connection with the Squarespace API so that the apps can pull data from Squarespace’s server. 

In theory, this is possible. 

Squarespace does make its API available for inventory, products, transactions and orders.

However, this is complicated, time-consuming, and expensive.

It would take skilled developers many months to pull off, and cost a minimum of $50,000 just to get a first version of your app live.

Luckily, it's also not necessary. There are simpler ways to do turn your Squarespace site into an app, that don't require you to take out a second mortgage.

Turn Your Squarespace Site into a PWA

You could also turn your site into a Progressive Web App, or PWA.

A PWA is a mobile-optimized website, offering an "app-like" experience, while running within the browser.

PWAs have some of the benefits of native apps, including access to push notifications, and allowing the user to download a launcher icon to their home screen (though this is not the most intuitive process).

The case for PWAs is that they're much cheaper and faster to build.

You can do it with a Squarespace extension for as little as $15 per month.

But a PWA is not a mobile app. It's a half-measure.

If you decide you want a mobile app, don't settle for half-measures.

The Best Way to Convert Your Squarespace Site to a Mobile App

MobiLoud is the best way to build a true mobile app for your Squarespace site, without investing in a complicated development project.

You don't need to rebuild anything, code anything, or manage a separate platform from your website.

Our service builds native apps with your website running inside the app - live, fully functional, fully synced with your site.

This means your customers will be able to access your site either through the web or through your app.

The user experience, design, functionality, content will be the same across each platform, and you'll get the mobile app you dreamed of, for none of the expense or hassle.

How It Works

MobiLoud is a fully managed service, which means although your apps are made with native iOS and Android code, we do all the work for you.

You don't need to write or even look at a line of code.

We create native iOS and Android apps that use the same content as your website.

The apps are your website, with the addition of several mobile elements and features that provide a true native experience.

Along with a native tab menu and navigation UI, we build push notifications into your app.

This is perhaps the biggest benefit of launching an app.

With push notifications, you can reach out to your customers and drive repeat engagement and sales for minimal effort and virtually no cost.

Abandoned cart notifications, in particular, are a powerful way for online stores to capture more revenue with zero additional marketing spend.

Ultimately, the mobile app has everything your users will expect in an app.

Yet you'll be able to manage it completely from Squarespace.

Want to change something? Just make the change on your website and the change reflects instantly in your app.

Your app and website are 100% in sync, and our team handles any technical maintenance and updates for the app, leaving you with all the benefits of an app with none of the overhead.

“With what you guys do, replicating our site in a mobile app, I now have the flexibility of managing the content, as well as the mobile app that our end users wanted.”

- Braxton Huggins, CEO of The Hunting Lease, who built an app for their Squarespace website

How to Convert Your Squarespace Site to Mobile Apps with MobiLoud

MobiLoud is the best way to turn your Squarespace site into a mobile app.

Your customers will be able to download your app and launch it from their own device. You'll be listed in the App Stores, and you'll be able to send push notifications to your customers, with no limitations.

Best of all, your app will replicate all the key features from your website, while providing a native app experience for users.

All of this for a fraction of the cost of native app development.

You'll be able to go live in less than a month, for a low investment starting from a few hundred per month.

If you're running an eCommerce business with steady revenue, you could launch an app that generates an extra five figures in revenue per month, for the cost of less than a day's sales.

MobiLoud is a proven platform that has delivered results for thousands of online businesses, and it will for you too.

Here's how the process works:

Step One: Book a Kickoff Call

Start with a kickoff call with one of our project managers, where we'll walk you through the process, show you what's possible, and answer any questions you have.

Step Two: Choose a Plan

When you're ready to move forward, choose the plan that suits your company's needs.

Our plans come with no long-term commitments, starting from just a few hundred per month, and cover technical updates, support and maintenance for your apps (something that would cost you thousands per month, at least, with custom development).

Step Three: Hand It To Our Team

Now we'll take over the project, and build the mobile apps for your Squarespace site.

There's nothing for you to do! Just wait, and our team will do all the coding and heavy lifting to bring your apps to life.

Step Four: Test

In about two weeks, your apps will be ready for testing.

Try out the app on your own device, play around, and let us know if you come across any issues, or if you have any feedback on the original build.

Step Five: Launch

Once we action your feedback, and you give the go ahead, it's time to launch your apps into the wild.

We handle the submission process for your Apple App Store and Google Play Store listing (guaranteeing approval for your apps).

We'll also help you with advice and materials to promote your apps to your existing audience, helping your apps get traction.

Ready to get started? Have any questions we haven't answered? Get a free consultation and understand whether MobiLoud is right for you.

Benefits of Launching an App For Your Squarespace Site

Your site might be doing great, but there's always room to grow.

If your website is already fast, good-looking, and optimized for mobile, the next step is to launch it as a mobile app.

An app will give your business a bump in sales in the short-term, plus a powerful long-term asset that pays off more as time goes on.

Let's look closer at why you should build a mobile app for your Squarespace site.

A Better Mobile UX

More and more people today are mobile-first.

We want convenience. We want to be able to go on websites anywhere, without lugging around a big laptop.

And yet mobile browsers aren't ideal. They're kinda hard to use, and if there's a site you love that you want to keep coming back to, you need to keep putting in the URL.

Apps are easier for the customer. They're a contained experience, without the distractions of other browser tabs, and more screen real estate available.

Customers can open an app with one tap from their home screen, rather than struggling to type a URL.

For these reasons, businesses that build iOS and Android apps often see a boost in traffic, return visits, dwell time, conversions, and user retention.

Apps are designed for loyalty and help immensely if you’re trying to encourage your users to make a habit of visiting your site.

More Revenue

If you have a Squarespace-based eCommerce site, the advantages are even more obvious.

There's no excuse for any successful online store to not have their own app.

Sales through eCommerce apps continue to surge. An impressive 78% of users would rather access a store via a mobile app than a mobile site. 

Shopping apps also drive 3x higher conversion rates than web-based online stores.

The trend isn’t going anywhere, it’ll keep going until the mobile web is primarily a place of exploration and discovery rather than deep engagement and loyalty. 

An App Store Presence

An app lets you get your brand on Google Play and the App Store.

These channels give you a new way to acquire new customers, which is super valuable with other channels like Google SEO and organic social becoming less reliable.

And just the App Store presence is a boost for your brand.

It shows that you operate a serious business, and makes you look more established than just having a website.

This is a great way to impress users and even attract potential investors and partners.

Push Notifications

Access to native push notifications is another key benefit of converting your Squarespace site into mobile apps.

There are ways to send web notifications through Squarespace, but these only really work on Android and desktop.

The user experience is not great, many sites have abused them and browsers are increasingly cracking down on them.

Your ability to send push notifications will not be limited with iOS and Android apps.

You can send notifications whenever you like, for basically no effort and cost, to drive more engagement and more revenue.

Push notifications are a more effective communication channel than email and SMS - though if you launch an app, you can use all three to create a powerful retention machine, all of which is in your control.

“Push notifications are the cheapest and most powerful communication channel we have. We find that users who prefer to interact via an app are more loyal, buy from us more often and spend more time with our content.”

- David Cost from Rainbow Shops

Ready to Turn Your Squarespace Site Into a Mobile App?

With MobiLoud, you can launch the perfect app for your Squarespace site, without the cost and complexity of development.

It's affordable, fast, and easy - there's nothing for you to do but promote your apps when they go live.

This is why MobiLoud is the best thing you can do for your site now to increase revenue.

There's no risk, very low expense, and no operational downside.

Yet you get a powerful brand asset, which will pay off to a consistently higher degree as the world becomes more mobile-centric.

At MobiLoud, we've worked with over 2,000 companies, in a range of industries, to build mobile apps that grow their business.

We work on any platform - Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress, and even work for custom-built apps, so whether you stick with Squarespace, or move your business to another platform in the future, MobiLoud will always work for you.

We're here to help you build high-quality mobile apps that drive revenue.

To learn more, get all your questions answered, and take the first steps towards adding five figures+ per month in revenue, book a free consultation now.