How to Boost Mobile App Downloads – A Complete Guide

Mobile app development company does not end with launching the app on App Stores. Instead, it’s just the beginning of your journey.

That said, a flawless mobile app with exceptional design and function alone is not enough to achieve your desired ROI. You also need a marketing strategy to attract an audience and boost mobile app downloads.

If no one is downloading your app, then you can’t leverage the full potential of the mobile platform. But once you are on track, you can earn a substantial monetary return on investment, conversions, and sales.

So, if you’re having trouble getting the word out, here is a guide on how to increase app downloads. From app store optimization and its role in boosting downloads to strategies you can follow, the blog has answers for all your concerns.

What is App Store Optimization? How does it work?

To boost app downloads, first, understand how App Stores operate and rank apps in their inventory. Like SEO and search engines, App Stores follow app store optimization (ASO) to list apps.

That said, ASO is what you need to boost your app’s visibility and raise its rank in the marketplace. The higher its rank in app store search results, the more users will find and download your app.

ASO can also help you identify whether visitors to your app store page download your app or not. Thus, when looking to boost app ranking, here are a few factors to consider that affect your ASO:

App Downloads – the number of downloads you have, influences the number of downloads you’ll get.

Social Proof – effective social media marketing to boost your app’s popularity will also increase your app’s ranking in app stores.

Country – success in different regions can also boost your overall app ranking.

Backlinks – like in SEO, including backlinks, to relevant pages in your app store page, can also influence your ranking.

Keyword Relevance – aside from links, keywords also play an essential role in raising your app’s ranking. Include relevant keywords in the app title and description to boost app downloads.

App Starts – user engagement, and the number of times users open your app also has an impact on your app’s ranking.

Revenue – the more revenue your app generates, the greater visibility it will get.

Retention – your retention rate impacts your app’s rank.

Positive Reviews – the more positive reviews you get, the higher your app will rank.

All these factors influence an app’s ranking, in turn, affecting visibility and downloads. That said, now that you understand where to focus on to boost app ranking, let’s move on to how to increase app downloads.

10 Strategies to Boost Mobile App Downloads

ASO is what influences an app’s ranking, so let’s look at how you can use it to boost app downloads. Here are a few methods to optimize your strategy:

Ensure Your App Icon Recognizable

One of the ways to increase app downloads is to ensure the app icon is enticing and eye-catching. It is the first factor that attracts a user, so the design and colors are vital to gaining a significant user base and increasing the number of downloads.

Additionally, the icon needs to reflect the app’s purpose. It should be indicative of what users will find upon installing the app.

Thus, you need to understand the latest logo design trends of the industry and create a logo that represents minimalism, without undermining the business values.

Promote on Social Media

To boost mobile app downloads, you must take advantage of the numerous social media channels. That said, social media marketing does not mean announcing the app’s launch, upgrades, promos, and more. Instead, your strategy will be more effective if you promote your app by building its persona.

Understand what the app would be like if it were a person, its personality, how it would act, sound, and more. Consistently, using a tone that reflects your app’s persona would help in attracting the audience demographic for whom the app is intended.

Additionally, the best way to leverage social media to boost mobile app downloads is to access platforms where your target user base is most active. Converse and engage with the people to build a following pre-launch and continue the strategy post-launch for a steady number of downloads.

Improve Your ASO

ASO is how you raise your app’s visibility and ranking in search results. Thus, improving your app store page optimization is also one of the ways to increase app downloads.

From the factors mentioned above that impact ASO, here are some elements of an app store page that directly influence the number of app downloads:

Title – Aside from being short and catchy, you need to ensure the title includes relevant keywords for your audience to find your app in the app store. Plus, it needs to reflect the app’s purpose, making it convenient for users to understand its function. Localizing the title for various countries and regions with different languages can also help raise the app’s rank; and, thus, its downloads.

Description – When writing the app description required by Metadata, it’s best to put the essential details of the app function ‘above the fold.’ It is what your users will read to verify if the app does what they need. Include relevant keywords within the description, but avoid stuffing.

Images/Videos – A visual of what to expect within the app is always well-received than a lengthy description. So, include relevant images or screenshots to showcase real usage of the app, its principal features, and functions. Not only does it distinguish you from your competitors, but it is one of the ways to increase app downloads.

Keywords – Keywords are vital to increasing your app’s visibility in the app store. Like with SEO, they are what help users find what they need on the web. Thus, within the title, description, and other content, incorporate relevant keywords that reflect the app’s purpose. It would also help you monitor how you are faring against the competition.

Ratings & Reviews – As mentioned above, the more positive reviews you get, the higher the probability of downloads you receive.

Leverage All Digital Channels for Effective Marketing

In the current age, digital marketing is an essential part of your mobile app marketing. So, you need to exploit it to its full potential to boost mobile app downloads.

Typically, marketers strategize over a few weeks or months, but for an instant spike in app downloads, you need to concentrate your efforts within a small timeframe.
Spread your marketing efforts across multiple channels, including:

Social media

Email marketing

Content marketing

SMS marketing

App directory sites

Relevant blogs and magazines

Ask for Reviews

We’ve already established that reviews help build a positive repertoire, which, in turn, boosts mobile app downloads. Users are likely to believe other users over developers or app owners. Thus, testimonials are a great way to let people know that your app is worth downloading.

Keep in mind to avoid using fake reviews. It may help increase the attention around your app, but if the app store finds out, your app may be suspended.

Press Release

When you are looking to learn how to get more app downloads, a press release is an effective strategy. It’s because if the target market is unaware of your app, then how will you get more downloads?

Before the app’s release date, reach out to influencers, bloggers, and journalists in your niche. It can help gather a lot of signups before launch, which can turn into downloads as soon as the app is live on app stores.

Create Referral

Another answer to how to increase app downloads is to provide in-app referral awards to your existing user base. Word-of-mouth is an effective way to boost downloads. Thus, referrals work to your advantage.

If your app is worth sharing, then plan a strategy to target users who use the app more often and give them a reason to share it among their friends.

Focus on the User Base

Lastly, one way to increase mobile app downloads is to understand the target market and how they use the app. Analytics play a role here! They help you determine what your users expect and how you can deliver it. With insights on your users’ behaviors, you can generate continuous downloads.

Launch Your Strategy to Boost App Downloads!

I hope the blog helped in understanding how to increase app downloads!

Generating downloads is challenging. But if you focus on the audience’s preferences, and keep your brand values at the center of your strategy planning, you will see a boost in mobile app downloads.

That said, our consultants are also here to lend a hand in strategizing and helping you understand how to get more downloads!

So, launch your app, boost your downloads, and leverage the mobile platform to take your business to new heights.