App development starts well before the first line of code is written and isn’t completed until long after your app is in people’s pockets. Granted, launch day is an exciting day in the life of the app you’ve worked so hard to bring to the market, but it isn’t the final step in app development. In addition to deploying your app to the various app stores and making sure your target customers can get it, you may need to fine-tune it if problems arise, and to ensure continued success, you will have to conduct marketing and promotional campaigns. Here are some things you should consider before your app goes live to help ensure long term success.
You Have to Time Your Launch Wisely
When your app is ready, it’s not easy to wait around to launch it, but waiting could make a positive difference. The rules of thumb that apply to launching web content don’t necessarily apply to launching an app. Some of the best times to launch apps are during the summer and at the end of the year during the holidays. Why? Because more people are traveling and relying more heavily on mobile devices. Part of the app development process should be determining the best time to launch your app for maximum exposure.
Be Prepared if Your App Takes Off
App development has gone great, and your app has been launched. Are you prepared if it really takes off? Keep in mind that many people may be installing your app at the same time, so if your app is server-dependent, you must ensure your server can handle the workload. You should also keep in mind which time zones your app users tend to live in so you can be prepared if there is an onslaught of downloads in one of them. If you receive negative reviews and reply to them immediately, fixing fixable problems, users will often change their ratings for the better, so pay attention to what app users are saying and be ready to respond.
App Store Optimisation Is Critical
You’ve heard of search engine optimisation (SEO), but did you know that there’s such a thing as app store optimisation? Like SEO, app store optimisation is critical in app development. It focuses on using the right keywords and phrases to bring users to your product.
What search terms tend to take you to competitors’ apps? What apps show up when you search on keywords you want to dominate? Keyword research is essential to app store optimisation, and can also influence your app description, and possibly even what you name it. After the viral app hit Flappy Birds, for example, a number of apps included “Flappy” in their names in attempts to ride that app’s coattails.
Choose Icons and Colours With Care
People see your app’s icon whenever they turn on their device, so it should capture the eye. It’s a good idea to look at some of the top apps on Google Play and the App Store and see if there are any recurring design themes. Obviously, you can’t copy other icons, but determining the best design and colours to use should be part of the app development process. Games tend to use a game character’s head as an icon, while dating apps tend to use hearts, for example. Basically, you want to communicate something of what your app is about through the icon design and colours you choose.
Consider Tapping Foreign Markets
Some apps lend themselves better to international expansion than others do. If you’re a bricks-and-mortar retailer launching a shopping app, for example, you don’t need to release your app in countries you don’t ship to. But game apps can often cross cultural boundaries nicely. Tapping into foreign markets with your app requires different approaches for different countries. Mobile apps are commonly advertised on television in Japan, for example, though in another country you may choose to promote your app through other channels, like social marketing platforms.
Conclusion
The day your app launches may feel like the culmination of a long app development process, and in some ways it is. However, launching your app is not the end of app development. Not only must you time your launch right, you have to be prepared to cope with potential technical issues quickly and market your app effectively. Does your app developer take these extra steps into consideration?
Glance is the UK’s most trusted native app development agency because we know that apps are only as good as the supporting services around it. We start with an idea, a problem to be solved, and possible solutions, then design and develop your app, including supporting services. And we don’t abandon you once your app has been launched, but help you refine and develop your product with outstanding digital marketing and promotion. To learn more, feel free to send us an enquiry, and we will be in contact shortly to answer all your questions.
