Transforming a novel problem-solving concept into a cutting-edge app and engaging with thousands of ecstatic users who would love your brilliant solution are two entirely different things.
It’s no hidden fact that having an app featured on the App store not only boosts visibility but also increases the downloads substantially.
Before reaching out to the App Store, an app developer must ensure that the mobile app offers a creative design, great user experience, and the most crucial aspect – it must comply with the user requirements and demands.
With hundreds of apps vying for the top spot in the niche, the fight could get fierce, but it’s not impossible to climb the mountain. There are certain proven ways to complement the app’s chances of landing one of those coveted feature spots.
Top 5 Proven Ways To Feature Your Mobile App On The App Store
Here are some surefire ways that you must adhere to before considering to submit your mobile application on the App store:
1. Understand The Working Of The App Store
The App Store emphasizes upon hand-picking of apps rather than entirely trusting an intricate algorithm for the job. Hence, a developer needs to know how apps get chosen as features on the App Store.
Apple has various App Stores, each with a local editorial team responsible for deciding the best, most relevant, and user-friendly app for the targeted audience. This way, the company ensures that the users get what meets up their expectations the most.
Keep this process in mind the moment you begin to devise a strategy to get the app featured. If the team doesn’t believe that the app has the potential to appeal to the user base, it won’t get featured no matter how cool it looks from your point of view.
2. Native Apps Get Preference
Building a native application will provide you an edge over others. The App Store prefers apps specifically designed for iOS and not cross-platform.
Cross-platform code sharing often degrades the end-user experience and comes with various complications, impacting app updates for the latest versions. In contrast, native iOS apps offer greater quality, best-in-class user experience, and easy-to-install updates.
The App Store favors applications developed in native code- Objective C and the Swift programming language, capable of leveraging the iOS’s APIs and frameworks.
Such apps are believed to be better prepared to adapt seamlessly to the latest technology Apple will bring with the next iOS versions in the future. To build native apps, you should figure out the appropriate app development team size for achieving the best results.
3. App Store Optimization For Visibility
The process of optimizing your app store listing so that it appears higher in search results is known as app store optimization. By increasing visibility, which will help you get the attention of editors, optimization is intended to push more traffic and eventually more downloads.
Suppose your app gets featured on the App Store. Now by search, users do get to your app listing only to find a dreadful, unorganized page. They won’t be downloading the app. In such a scenario, your app listing page needs to be optimized.
To optimize the listing page, reinvent the description part, include depictive screenshots, and utilize the promo smartly. Strategic positioning of keywords across numerous sections of the app listing can be a real game-changer.
Moreover, it’s crucial to strike a balance between the inclusion of the main keywords in the title while keeping it apt and concise.
Furthermore, you can boost your visibility by featuring your app on an Apple device in the promo video. It will depict that the app is supportive of the latest technology introduced by Apple.
4. Maintain Higher App Ratings
The use of ratings and feedback as a ranking factor is justified because they are indicative of the user experience. When a user decides to download an app, the first thing they take a look at is the ratings.
The App Store editors prefer an app that maintains a rating of 4.5 or higher. Just like the users, editors want an app that enhances the overall experience and satisfaction rather than one with several glitches and frequent breakdowns.
Profit generation is the primary aim of Apple through the App Store. Thus, a handy app with a great user experience is expected to receive higher ratings and positive user feedback that will generate good revenue.
Another metric that Apple takes into consideration is the number of downloads. So you should ideally focus your energy on offering a stellar user experience which will ultimately result in more downloads.
Developers should request the users to provide feedback and reviews on the app’s performance and experience. Besides this, you should have an action plan in place to resolve negative feedback and issues faced by users regularly.
5. Target A Niche Audience
Instead of working on several problems, simply pick up one revolving around a particular niche and develop an app.
Apple is known for curating content for particular niche-oriented subjects. So if you figure out to be the front runner in that domain, it’s going to get much easier for you to reach the top of editor teams’ preference list when they develop a relevant feature.
It is recommended to go for a paid app rather than offering your services for free. A paid feature adds credibility and assurance of better experience in the overcrowded world of free apps.
Moreover, there is no shortage of ideas for creating an app emphasizing a profitable app store niche, for example, an app comparable to create a job search site.
The Bottom Line
While there is no particular method or formula to succeed when it comes to being featured in the App Store, using the above-discussed strategies can certainly improve your chances.
But despite getting a spot on the App Store, a developer needs to add a lot of value for the users to increase brand awareness and achieve high engagement and retention rates.
Brand loyalty is attained when the developers lend their ears to the users and understand what purpose they want the app to solve. Any app that is handy, unique, and puts quality on the table is sure to gain traction eventually.
