Apps have become an integral part of people’s everyday lives, as there’s an app available to cater to everyone’s needs, from managing your finances to getting the latest sports news, fitness-related apps, and more. According to Globe Newswire, the global mobile application market is anticipated to cross a market share of US$ 170.2 billion by 2033, while it holds a revenue of US$ 74.3 billion in 2023.
However, despite the popularity and growth of mobile apps, many of them fail at some point. It is a common myth that an astounding 99.9% of apps fail, which leaves a 0.5% success rate. Although this is simply a myth, and whether it’s true is dependent on many factors, there are countless ways to ensure your app is more likely to succeed. In this article, we’ll go through some expert tips to help you launch your app, drive organic traffic, and maintain its success overall.
Industry and Competitor Research
It’s crucial to have a solid plan when launching an app. The more preparation you do, the more likely you are to have success. To begin with, you want to ensure you’re doing plenty of industry and competitor research. Is there a market for your idea? How saturated is that market? It’s vital to understand the competition to gauge how you’ll go about differentiating yourself and connecting with users.
Once you’ve gotten familiar with the market, you’ll want to start developing a plan for launching your app.
Decisions to Make Prior to Launching
There are a few important decisions to be made prior to launching your app. Firstly, you want to decide on the monetization model – will it be a paid app, free or freemium (free to download but must subscribe for full functionality)?
Let’s dive into the pros and cons of each.
Paid:
Pros:
+ Higher customer loyalty
+ Better engagement
Cons:
- Fewer downloads
- Costlier to build
Free:
Pros:
+ Low barrier to entry
+ More downloads
Cons:
- High competition
- Lower customer loyalty
Freemium:
Pros:
+ Flexible pricing
+ Ability to upsell
Cons:
- Harder to get users to pay for app features
- Lower customer retention
You then want to decide which platforms you want it to be on – iOS, Google Play Store, or a combination of both? It’s best to have your app featured on both stores so it’s accessible to both iPhone and Android users, but you can also test on each first to see which has the best results.
How to Drive Traffic to Your App
It’s a good idea to have a website alongside your app, that way you can drive traffic to your brand prior to launching the app. Optimizing your homepage to include clear CTAs and relevant content will help users know exactly what you offer and how to connect with it. You can also include a QR code that leads to your app once scanned for quick downloads from your homepage. Through your homepage, another way to drive some interest and excite people about the launch of your app is to create a promo video to build traction and hype. The promo video should highlight the main features of your app in a creative way.
According to Google’s official data, 27% of people find new apps through search engines and 24% of users discover new apps through the app’s website.
How to Maintain Your Success
Now the big question is, how can you ensure your app succeeds? Firstly, you’ll want to ensure the user experience and interface on your app are impeccable. Users who experience lagging, glitchy or slow apps will usually just delete them.
Ratings and reviews will also help increase your credibility, which can help increase downloads. Looking to incentivize users who are enjoying your app to write reviews can also be a strong strategy, giving prospective users first-hand accounts of the experience they can expect to find.
Another idea to maintain relevancy is to have backlinks that link to downloading your app. You can also contact webmasters to write about your app for increased credibility and positive reviews.
Closing Thoughts
Preparing for a successful mobile app launch can be hard work but it can also lead to a life-changing event from a business perspective. With so many apps competing for downloads, it’s important to have a well-thought-out plan prior to launching your app. We hope these tips help you in your app journey!
If you’re looking to get started with app store optimization, get in touch with us today to learn about our ASO services!
