With over 1.5 million apps present in the app stores, making your app stand out among the competition is a real challenge.
One cannot really predict whether your app will go viral or not, however, you can at least try to create something that has the potential to go viral.
Creating a proficient app is not a one-time thing. You need to pitch in ongoing efforts to make your app stay up-to-the-minute. We firmly conjecture that for creating a flourishing mobile app, you need to observe the following 7 steps:
- Choose suitable words
Before downloading your future app, the users will go to the search field in the app stores to locate it. So, make sure you do proper ASO (App Store Optimization) to demonstrate that your app is the most suitable option for them.
Your app name should be comprehensible and must focus on the core idea of the app. The title should be catchy, beguiling and short that can easily fit into the app store’s prescribed word limit (For Apple, the word limit is 50 whereas for Android, it is only 30).
Remember do not fill up your app name with just the keywords. Try to use a few in the title and leave the rest for the “description” section.
You can use a number of online SEO tools such as ahrefs, kwfinder, etc. to optimize your text. Weight the suitability of every sentence you use, so that your app looks both cool and catchy and doesn’t fail to convey its key functionalities. It is important to understand that a bad beginning makes way for a bad ending. So don’t allow an inappropriate app name or description to bring down the value of your app.
- Know Your Audience
A comprehensive market research is a prerequisite of a successful app. it helps you in gathering useful insights about your target users along with their needs and preferences.
You can select a specific social group and interact with them, or you can view the prevailing app trends. Regardless of the method you use, understanding the specific problems your app solves helps you beat the competition.
A lot of successful app developers believe in developing a prototype and introducing it to a group of early idealistic customers. Such people address the necessary questions regarding the app and help them by offering valuable feedbacks on the feeble points of the app.
- Explore the rules of your platform
An expert app should adhere to the framework of the platform where it shall be presented to the users.Both App Store as well as Google Play comes with a different set of policies. When it comes to discoverability, the particular number of categories in which your app can be published varies between the two platforms (an app can be published in only one category in Google Play whereas in Apple, the number is three). Also, for an app UI/UX depends upon the details of screen size and navigation which is different for the two. Finally, the search physiognomies and quality requirements are the other technical difference that the developer must consider before building an app.
If you wish to develop an app for both platforms, consider its size. Try not to exceed 20Mb in order to extend the best experience to all users. However, this is just a recommendation as ultimately, the size would depend upon the content offered. For example, gaming apps are usually larger than other apps. Check out the size of your competitor apps and decide accordingly.
All successful apps have well considered these dissimilarities while developing apps for both Apple and Android. For instance, Instagram slightly modified its iOS app design for the Android version in terms of the moving app logo and camera interface. Similarly, Telegram observes a platform-centric approach by developing two significantly different app designs in agreement with Apple’s guidance and Google’s Material Design recommendations.
- Create a comprehensive digital plan
After taking all things into consideration, lay out a detailed digital plan for your app, while focusing on the monetization strategy.
Find out a business model that suits your app. Think about the value, uniqueness, policies of contending apps and the special features your app has, that users will not mind paying for.
In case of gaming apps, these features may include unlocking special characters, buying boosts, etc. In case of photo sharing apps, it may be unlocking special photo filters.
- Add visuals
Do not undervalue the importance of visual graphics when it comes to making your app engaging for the users. To begin with, try to come up with an attractive app icon. Use a unique shape, combination of vibrant colors, and try to avoid words. You can instead use the first letter of the name of your brand to make your icon look captivating.
Moving ahead, add catchy videos and engaging screenshots to your mobile app. A simple video will help the users in understanding how to use your app.
A survey shows that a user only interacts for roughly 8 seconds with your app, so, using images over text is highly preferred. Both Apple and Android provide for an option of uploading 5 screenshots on your app. So, wisely choose the pictures that are both visually alluring as well as showcase the core of your app.
- Spread the word
After you have compiled your app, it’s time for all the potential customers to notice it. Exploit your company’s website and social media accounts to advertise and promote your app. Follow the “one-click” decree where the users can simply press a button to install your app after seeing the advertisement on any social media platform.
Also, remember that posting a link is not sufficient. Back up your app promotions with ads, built-in apps and paid installations. Make use of engaging video and photo to install ads.
Lastly, do not singularly focus on hard sales while interacting with your viewers. Try to come up with valuable content for the users such as edifying tips, articles and other such educational stuff. Use the social media forums not only for the purpose of marketing your product but also for building a robust fan base.
- Gather feedback
Feedback is the most effective way of building an ever-improving product. Make sure that your app has a comments section where the users can write their opinions. This way, you will know what part of your app needs improvement. Encourage user-generated content in social media to come across genuine user reviews.
Closely examine the stats available on the app stores. There is a section that indicates when your app was last updated and the number of times it has been downloaded. It will help you in ascertaining the acceptance levels of your app and will help you in determining the right marketing strategy as well.
Conclusion
Through this post, we have tried to cover every aspect that you should consider to make your iPhone Android app stand out among the rest. The success of your product is a direct result of the efforts you put in within both technical and marketing aspects.If you closely observe the aforementioned tips, becoming a headliner at Google Play and App Store will not appear as a distant dream anymore.
