Tactics To Get Your App Noticed Before Launch

If you want your new app to get noticed, you’re going to have to hustle – hard. In March of this year, the Google Play store alone reported having over 3 million apps available for sale. If you want to have a shot at pushing through all that noise and gaining any traction, you’re going to need a plan.

In addition to having a solid pre-launch plan to start, there are a few extra things you can be doing to increase your chances of success. Here are a few tactics to get your app noticed before launch – in addition to what you’re hopefully already doing.

Make Your App Available Absolutely Everywhere

Don’t just focus on the app store; you need to think about where any potential customers could be searching for what you offer. More than likely, they’re looking online for a solution to their problems and not your app whatsoever.

Google recently confirmed what we all suspected: that consumers are now finding apps via their search engine queries. It’s growing rarer and rarer for users to go straight to the source. 40% of people still find apps in their app store of preference. The rest are finding them through online searches.

Ensure you’re considering everywhere people may search for solutions to their problems

For example, let’s say your app is the next best thing for small business accounting. You’ve worked through the process of planning a solid pre-launch strategy; you already have several buyer personas and your keywords nailed down. Business owners often search for things like “cheapest small business accounting software” and “easiest accounting software for entrepreneurs”. You want to be the one they find when they do.

On Google, you can consider both search engine optimization and paid ads. When people are actively searching for solutions that you offer, you want to ensure your app is found. People may search on YouTube, so consider creating videos about your app and what problems it solves. You can start a blog or a podcast jam-packed with content tailored to meet the needs of your ideal customers. You can search forums, Facebook groups, and countless online communities where you think your target clients spend their time.

The goal here is to be as accessible as possible. Remember that a huge amount of people will never use the app store itself as a search tool. Wherever users are searching for solutions to their problems are the places you want to be found.

Maximize Your ASO

Get your app noticed before launch with another tactic: app store optimization (ASO), which is hugely important. (Check out Apple’s amazing ASO guide for their App Store.) Once you’ve managed to get people here, it will either make or break the deal. They’ll either love what they see and make the download, or they’ll pass you over, wasting your efforts.

Key steps to ensure your store listing is optimized:

• Your app’s name should be short – ideally, less than 25 characters
• Your main keyword should be in your name
• Aim for a balanced mix of your own unique branding and keywords in the name
• Use the first 3 sentences of your brief description to highlight the main advantages of your app; be sure to clarify the problems that your app solves
• In your full description, mention what’s new and report changes and updates to your users
• Try to identify the top keywords that will drive users to your app, and use those keywords in your description
• Be sure to properly research the best and most appealing way to design your app’s icon; many people make decisions based on the icon alone
• Utilize the best possible screenshots of your app
• Use engaging screenshots for your images, and ensure you clearly show users how to do everything

While this is just a snippet of our best tactics to get your app noticed before launch, it’s a great place to start. Remember that people are looking everywhere, and the app store is the final stop.

Post originally appeared on gojilabs.com.