Why this website was created and what it represents.

After a long break from web development, I would like to share how this website was created and why it is an important step for the visibility of the Diabetes Diary Plus app.

Over two years ago, I published the first version of my Diabetes Diary Plus app in the Apple App Store. Once the app was available, the question arose as to what a website could look like. My goal at the time: as little effort as possible. A simple landing page with HTML and CSS - simple, functional and, above all, quickly implemented. Time is money, and that was the right decision for the moment.

But it was clear to me that a larger website would be unavoidable sooner or later in order to be successful in the long term.

The answer is simple: visibility. While the App Store is great for distribution, it remains a closed system. ASO (App Store Optimization) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are two completely different worlds. ASO focuses purely on the App Store, while SEO aims to be visible via search engines such as Google or Bing. Both approaches are essential, but SEO opens up a much wider audience.

A digital app like Diabetes Diary Plus can only be advertised online. However, publishing in the App Store alone does not achieve sufficient visibility. Thousands of new apps are uploaded every day - and without a budget or targeted measures, you will be lost in the crowd.

This is where the second distribution channel comes into play: the web. I can present my product to a much larger target group via Google, Bing and social media. It is important that the measures for ASO and SEO are clearly separated. While keywords and the app description are crucial in the App Store, these have hardly any influence on Google visibility.

A test shows how big the difference is: if I search for "diabetes diary" in the Swiss App Store, my app appears in 4th place (sometimes even in 1st place). In Google searches, on the other hand, the website https://diabetes-diary-plus.com cannot even be found. Image below shows the visitor statistics measured with https://telemetrydeck.com.

A website is not just there to "be present". It must fulfill specific requirements in order to improve visibility and ranking:

Relevant content:
Blog posts, FAQs, encyclopaedias and information on diabetes increase the chances of indexing by search engines.

Technical quality:
Fast loading times, a clean structure and compliance with web standards are a must.

SEO features:
Product links, app links and rich snippets that are displayed by Google when searching below the domain.

Multilingualism:
The website must be easy to expand to new languages.

Integration:
Sitemaps, feeds, social media integration, OG tags and backlinks are crucial for reach.

For the implementation, I opted for the Kirby CMS https://getkirby.com. This system offers me the flexibility to create multilingual content with clean URLs and clear templates. Here are the main reasons for my choice:

Low maintenance:
Little effort for updates and no unnecessary dependencies. PHP is unsexy, but also solid. With PHP 8.3 I'm safe until at least 2030 without even having to think about an update.

An example: The website https://memoria.sg, which I created with Kirby 2, is still running smoothly after eight years.

Would I recommend Kirby CMS directly to someone?
Not necessarily. For someone with less experience in web development and the challenges that come with it, I would probably recommend Webflow or another popular online platform. Ultimately, it comes down to finding the best solution for the specific use case. In my case, however, Kirby is a good fit as I have worked with Kirby in the past and have created over 100 websites with it. The whole process of setting up and creating the templates, design etc. cost me minimal effort. I would say I was able to create the website in less than 2 weeks. Note: I am not working full time on this project.

Not necessarily. For someone with less experience in web development and the associated challenges, I would probably recommend Webflow or another common online platform. Ultimately, it comes down to finding the best solution for the specific use case. In my case, however, Kirby CMS is a good fit as I have worked with Kirby in the past and have created over 100 websites with it. The whole process of setting up and creating the templates, design etc. cost me minimal effort. I would say I was able to create the website in less than 2 weeks. Note: I am not working full time on this project.

I deliberately rely on "zero dependencies". This means: no external frameworks like Node.js, no preprocessors like SCSS or Babel. Everything is written in pure PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Why?

Anyone who has ever had to update a large project with NPM or similar tools knows the challenges. Keeping dependencies constantly up to date costs time and nerves - both of which I want to save. For my website, native JavaScript and a few lines of CSS are all I need.

With the technical basis, I can concentrate on the essentials: Content and marketing. No dependencies, no constant updates - simply a stable, long-lasting system. That's a solid foundation, isn't it? In addition to the website, the app also needs to be developed further, of course. Sooner or later there will also be an Android version.

The new website is an important step towards increasing the visibility of my app. With a robust technical basis and targeted content marketing, I will reach more users in the long term - without unnecessary technical ballast.

I will write a follow-up article here in a while to document how the figures are changing.

Kirby CMS: https://getkirby.com
Memoria St. Gallen: https://memoria.sg
TelemetryDeck: https://telemetrydeck.com
PHP Net: https://www.php.net
Google: https://google.ch
Deepl: https://www.deepl.com