There are over 5.7 million apps in the Google Play and Apple App stores, so you need to think of every angle to stand out from the competition and maximise downloads.
1) It’s all in the name
Your app’s name should be creative, snappy and informative. Including the title of your App alongside two or three descriptive keywords can help potential customers find your app more easily and increase its visibility. The app title character limit in both the Appstore and Google Play Store is a maximum 30 characters, so make sure it’s eye catching and to the point.
2) A stand-out description
Most of the time users may be searching for an app with a particular function – so what will make them download yours? This is where the description field comes in handy. Reading a concise and compelling description will help your prospective users understand the functionality and decrease the chances of uninstalls in the future because the user knows what they are getting. App Radar have the following advice for App publishers;
“Make use of bullet points. It is friendly to fast reading. Start with the most important information of your app: the features. Do not forget to show how credible your app is by mentioning about awards and prizes. Social media or support links are also a plus”.
3) App icons matter
A punchy app icon and logo is crucial so keep it simple, unique, and attractive. Use a professional designer to create your app icon, don’t use words or just squeeze your logo in (more tips here). The Play Store and the App Store have different standards in terms of size, geometry, and color scheme; the iOS icons should be sized to at least 1024×1024 pixels while Google Play requires a 512×512.
4) Use Screenshots tactfully
This is your chance to capture the attention of your potential app users. You can upload up to five screenshots for an iOS app and eight for an Android one, however, only two or three screenshots will appear in the gallery when the page loads. Here’s an insightful article written by French based App Video Agency, Apptamin on how to create an App Screenshot which sells.
5) Don’t let it go stale
Like any software or website, your mobile app also needs regular updates and upgrades. If you fail to keep it up to date, your users will uninstall. Many of the most successful apps on the App Store have roadmaps that extend beyond the app’s initial release to the appstore.
“How do you get users to stay around longer? You build a better product. Build better features. Build more reasons for them to come back”. Jeannie Yang, Chief Product and Design Officer at Smule
6) Feedback loop
It’s important to keep app users informed and engaged using push notifications – but as this article from Localytics says – don’t overdo it! Also listen to customer comments and feedback especially in the immediate days and weeks after launch as you may pick up unusual bugs or edge cases that your QA team missed. Users are also a great source of ideas on what features to introduce in your app roadmap.
7) Don’t be afraid of ratings
Encourage your users to rate your app when they are actively using your app. Negative reviews provide insight into the users’ experience – try to fix it and learn from it. With approximately 63% of apps being discovered by users browsing in the App Store (According to Mobiloud), this is highly important as it helps create trust between your brand and your potential app audience.
You can read more about some of our recent app projects below, and if you have a project you would like to discuss we’d love to hear from you.