How to prepare your app for launch and succeed on the App Store and Google Play
Developing a mobile application or game is a rather laborious process. Imagine that you went through it almost entirely: from idea validation, market research, development, and came very close to the crucial moment: publishing in the application store, whether it be the App Store or Google Play.
In order for your application to be visible, and even better downloaded by as many target users as possible, you should carefully prepare and optimize its future product page.
Come up with a relevant and attractive title and description.
To be more precise, for the App Store, you need to come up with a name, subtitle, and description, and for Google Play — a name, short and long descriptions. The name should reflect the essence of your application and game.
According to data obtained through experiments on our SplitMetrics platform, explanatory posts in application headers and in the App Store and Google Play increase conversion, i.e., the number of downloads. Interestingly, even large brands whose name speaks for themselves, for example, Google, use this trick.
Examples of applications where the brand name in the name is adjacent to the description. Sources: App Store and Google Play
Try adding an explanation to the name of your game or application. If you are not sure if this will work, it is better to pre-test different variants of names using A / B testing tools in application stores. Compare the version with the ordinary name and the advanced one, see which version the conversion will be higher, determine the final name of your application.
Subheading / Short Description
Pay attention to the subtitle of your application in the App Store and its analog — a brief description on Google Play. Since these items on the product page in app stores are indexed, they directly affect your search position. In addition, in the updated Google Play, the main focus now is precisely on the brief description, since the long one is hidden and users will see it only by clicking on a special button.
For the best result, work on the message in the subtitle / short description: let the text be concise and force your target users to click the install button. And do not forget to add keywords — we will talk about them in the next paragraph.
Take care of your keywords and don’t forget to optimize them
Most often, people look for applications or games that interest them through searches in application stores: according to Apple, about 65% of downloads come directly from searches in the App Store. By analogy with search engines like Yandex or Google, keywords are important in application stores: so that users see your application in the first positions in the search, and, as a result, download.
How to search for keywords
There are many ways; I will talk about several that are definitely worth a try.
- Put yourself in place of users. Brainstorm with colleagues and think about what words users can use when searching for an application like yours.
- Examine your competitors’ pages on the App Store and Google Play. Borrow the ideas of keywords from them, analyze and take to work.
- Use special optimization tools in app stores that let you find relevant keywords. Check out AppTweak and ASOdesk.
What criteria should keywords meet?
First of all, the keywords should be relevant. If users find your application irrelevant to the search query they enter, the likelihood that they will want to download it is close to zero. After that, the App Store and Google Play algorithms will less likely show your application to users.
In addition, when selecting keywords that you add to a special field on your page in the App Store, as well as a subtitle and short description, focus on words with high traffic (many users search for games or applications in this way) and low competition (little uses their competitors).
Optimization
As soon as you select the words that meet all three criteria and add them to the metadata, this does not mean that you sorted out the keywords once and for all. The situation in application stores is changing; new competitors are appearing, algorithms are being updated, users are starting to look differently, and so on. To stay at the top of search results, keywords need to be regularly reviewed, at least for the first time after launch.
If you enter foreign markets and plan to run ads in app stores in the future, use your Apple Search Ads account to optimize keywords. Apple Search Ads is an App Store-based advertising platform. There are a lot of keyword search techniques using Apple Search Ads, and this is a topic for a separate article.
In addition, you can use third-party platforms to manage and optimize ads on Apple Search Ads. For example, SearchAdsHQ has a built-in tool for quickly finding keywords. Just enter the name of your application (or competitors’ application), select the target country, add a keyword — and you will get many options.
Design and test visual elements
Icon
Icon greatly affects the first impression of users. Therefore, it is important that it is relevant, differs from competitors’ icons, and, most importantly, conveys the idea of your application. Otherwise, you will lose users who will see only the icon of your application in the recommendations and various selections compiled by the application stores.
Lifehack: Avoid the small details on the icon. According to our data, getting rid of excess elements on the icon increases conversion. In addition, if competitor application icons are made in similar colors, play in contrast. In this case, with a high probability, users will turn their attention to your game or application.
And one more life hack: to be absolutely sure what users will like, make a few options, and test them using A / B testing. Icon optimization allows you to double the number of downloads of the application.
Screenshots
Perhaps we have come to the most important point. Screenshots — the face of your game or application. As a rule, they are the ones that are examined the longest, because they give an idea of what awaits users after they download the application. Therefore, screenshots are one of the main elements that affect conversion.
In the case of screenshots, A / B testing is actually an indispensable tool. According to our data, screenshot optimization can increase conversion by almost 50%. Develop a few screenshot options, and then test them, the order in which they will be located, and the orientation (horizontal and vertical) using the platform for A / B tests in application stores — for example, SplitMetrics, StoreMaven or the built-in tool on Google Play.
To understand the mechanics of the process: real users will see the page of your application as if they were in a real Google Play or App Store. By their reaction to variations with different screenshots, you will understand which of them works better: the tool will show the difference in conversion between the variations and the winning option if any.
So, for example, before launching Angry Birds 2, Rovio, the developer of this game, tested the screenshots and their orientation on our platform.
Result: 2.5 million (just think about it) additional downloads of the game thanks to correctly selected screenshots.
Lifehack: in connection with recent design updates for both the App Store and Google Play and the advent of Dark Mode, take care to adapt your screenshots and icon to both dark and light backgrounds. Otherwise, the visual elements may not display well, merge with the background in one of the modes, and you will lose some of the target users.
What else to look for?
Localization
Find out if application localization is needed using A / B tests.
This is not about localizing the application itself, but its page in the application store. For example, if you enter the Chinese market, test whether users from China should show your English-language application with the name and captions in screenshots in Chinese in the App Store.
Seasonality
Please note if there are any holidays, widely publicized events in the near future. If there is, then it is probably worth adapting screenshots and an icon for the upcoming holidays (for example, Christmas or Halloween) or for an event like Eurovision if you launch a music application on the European market.
So, the developers of MSQRD added an image of a mask with the face of Leonardo DiCaprio to the screenshots (and the mask itself, of course) on the eve of the Oscars, which allowed them to achieve a viral effect.
Advertising
Using Apple Search Ads can help you rank first in the App Store search results. More precisely, your game (application) will be located at the very top of the search page: above all other applications, which will significantly increase the chances of success.
How to maximize the launch of a mobile application
- Add an explanatory description in the name of your game or application — this can increase the conversion, i.e., the number of downloads. Make the main emphasis on the subtitle in the App Store, since the description is not indexed there, and a short description on Google Play, since the long one is hidden. Add keywords.
- Keywords must be relevant, with high traffic and low competition. They need to be regularly optimized.
- The icon should convey the idea of your application. Make it in contrast with competitors’ icons and avoid small elements.
- Create several screenshots in a vertical and horizontal orientation, try changing their location, and test various variations using A / B testing platforms such as SplitMetrics or StoreMaven. Screenshots should look equally good both on a standard light background, and on a new dark one in application stores. A / B testing of icons and screenshots can help double the number of downloads of the application.
- Test if you need to localize the application if you enter the Chinese, Arabic market, etc.
- If you plan to launch on the eve of holidays or famous events, try to adapt the icon and screenshots to the appropriate topics.
- Consider launching ads on the App Store using the Apple Search Ads platform — this will provide an advantage in the form of the highest position in the search results.
