Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Mobile is the future of everything. That’s not my words, but the words of Forbes and the thing is, they’ve never been more right. 

With over 70 percent all web traffic coming from mobile in 2018 and American adults recorded to now be spending an average of 3+ hours daily mobile browsing compared to 2.2 hours on a desktop computer, the change has already hit.

It’s for this reason that mobile-friendly sites and applications are one of the hottest topics with web developers and entrepreneurs around the globe. But with so many apps already out there and plenty more added every single day, it’s becoming much more difficult to, not only generate downloads but to optimize the mobile app to keep and develop more users. 

So what can be done and what tips should you take on board and implement to optimize your mobile app to build a follower base and get more users. 

1. Define the goals clearly 

First thing’s first, figure out exactly what your app is attempting to do. 

Whether you’re aiming to sell t-shirts, build a social network or make the next “Tinder”, without a goal you can’t score. When it comes to app development, it’s not a game that’s in the developer’s favor with 1 in every 10,000 uploaded to the app store actually recognized as successful, but with a clear goal in mind – those odds become better and better. 

For companies with multiple employees, this cohesion between team members to identify the overarching goal to work towards is key. To cut a long story short, get a goal, write it down and get after it. 

2. Build a strategy

The next step that any company should take in their app creation is to build a strategy and stick to the plan. 

That doesn’t mean your strategy needs to be perfect from the get-go, far from it. The strategy should be developed and left dynamic to allow for changes when deemed fit. That doesn’t mean “change it on a whim”, but plan, view data and find what works and what doesn’t before changing things up. 

The attitude of “if it’s not broken don’t fix it” may stand true but without a little experimentation here and there, there’s untapped potential left on the table. 

3. Complete market research 

Market research comes up as the next top tip and although it may sound like a simple point, you’d be more than surprised at the number of apps out there with zero market research completed.

In this highly competitive market, guesswork doesn’t really cut it the majority of the time and, if you’re looking to make an impact within a specific industry, it’s vital to complete market research surrounding this area. Not only will this give a great basis to work from with the collection of data showing utmost importance, but it’s a fantastic asset for any potential investors. 

You might have the best idea in the world or it could be the worst – the only way that you’re going to find out is by doing the research and, depending on the outcome, building the vision. 

4. Plan app marketing activities  

Okay, so you’ve managed to complete a healthy chunk of market research and, quite frankly, you’d happily live without hearing the two words next door to each other again – what’s next? 

Marketing activities. At this current time, great apps no longer gain traction just by being great – they gain traction with clever marketing and serious sharing. To do this, and do it well, it’s a great idea to plan app marketing activities and again, stick to them, allowing for dynamic changes subject to data. 

These marketing activities don’t just have to come from social media or other traditional marketing techniques, but can be from the app itself. By adding options to share, invite friends or tell others about the app, receiving bonuses for doing so, you can sit back and watch as the marketing looks after itself – banking apps are particularly good at this. 

5. Invest in the design 

Onto the actual app architecture now and it goes without saying that this should be one of the main focuses of the actual in-app development. 

Building a product that looks good is marketing 101 and it’s half the battle when designing a great app. By spending some serious time (and money) in the development of the design, the feel of the theme and the details throughout your end product, users will instantly feel the level of quality and craftsmanship that went into creating the app.

Put it this way, if you’re downloading something that looks like it was created in MSPaint once you’d opened it, you wouldn’t keep it on your phone for much longer, would you?

6. Work on user experience 

Similarly, user experience is just as important and even if the design is a strong 10/10, if the user experience is all over the place, it’s just not going to cut it.

App development should be almost entirely based on exactly how a user would be expected to interact with a product. If a user becomes confused or cannot navigate the app correctly, this will often lead to frustrated and ultimately the deletion of the app. 

Things need to be simple, intuitive and easy to navigate. If you crack this with a fantastic design to match, you’ve got the inner workings of a great app – all you’ve then got to do is market it…

7. Develop App Store Optimization (ASO)

Last up, it’s the App Store Optimization (ASO), something that you’re probably bored of hearing about if you’ve been studying the topic for long enough. 

To cut a very long and tedious story short, there’s a lot of factors that come under the umbrella of ASO, but they are all important to getting the most coverage possible for your product. ASO focuses on everything from the title and description to the images and reviews that you’ll find on your apps page. 

Everything needs to be perfect if you’re wanting to build a reputation in the store and there’s plenty of guides out there helping you do just that – just remember to always put the target market first.