This sponsored post is produced by MobileSmith.
Many a developer has poured their blood, sweat, and time into honing their mobile app into perfection, only to get a vicious NBA-style rejection from the app stores. All that hard work and dedication, struck down by the nit-pickiness of the mobile giants. It’s an incredibly frustrating, yet all-too-familiar scenario for today’s mobility teams, and one that can turn an app brimming with potential into a mobile nightmare.
For CMOs and business leaders, app store optimization (ASO) should be no less important. If you spend considerable resources to build a sleek, engaging app for customers, you don’t want to be hitting obstacles during the final stretch. So how do you conquer the app stores? These five app store submission tips can help hurdle the barriers and get your app into the spotlight.
1. Test, test, and test.
In every scenario for successful app submission, it all boils down to testing app performance and user experience. From bugs to crashes, the list of app rejection reasons is ridiculously long. The recent Forrester report on mobile app testing confirms that “successful app testing requires real devices rather than emulators; many development teams have learned this the hard way.” Engaging, high-quality apps can do wonders for your brand reputation, while poor-quality apps turn off even the most loyal customers. So do yourself a big favor. When you have built and tested your app to absolute perfection… test it again!
Download: Making Your Own Mobile Apps: a Marketer’s Handbook
2. Plan for patience
Possibly the most frustrating aspect of app store submission is the time it takes to review. The inconsistency can be particularly maddening. The Apple App Store review process can take as few as 4 days, as many as 14, or anywhere in between. And that’s if your app gets accepted the first time. Google Play doesn’t take as long, but patience is still a virtue here. Unless you have an app store reviewer on your payroll, it’s a very good idea to plan for a lengthy review process, and hope for the best.
3. Understand the submission fields ahead of time
Submitting your app requires you to fill out a lot of information, and neglecting this step until the last minute has caused a review delay for many an app. Be sure to research all the fields you’ll fill out (app description, categories, keywords, copyright, screen shots, etc.) and get a good head start before you’re ready to submit, and eliminate this avoidable delay.
4. Monitor the latest app store updates
Apple has an annoying habit of changing their acceptance rules frequently, especially after new OS releases. This can easily lead to a lot of app rejection headaches, so it is important to have someone keep on top of the latest updates. Ensure that someone on your team is continually familiar with the Apple Store and Google Play submission rules, and save yourself some hair.
5. Create your own app store
Unlike individual developers, companies don’t necessarily have to subject themselves to the verdicts of the mobile elite. Enterprise app stores are a growing trend in today’s mobile world, as companies are finding the capability to host and distribute their apps internally. If you have the right cloud platform, this is a great way to make life easier, both for yourself and your end users.
You made it! What Next?
Finally, your app has made it into the app stores. Congratulations! Now you face an even bigger challenge — your app must avoid getting lost in the sea of apps that flood the marketplace. A solid app marketing strategy will help your app get noticed, downloaded, and used frequently. A few tips for success:
- Craft your app marketing strategy with your mobile users’ habits in mind. How do they search for your products and services? They will likely find your app the same way.
- Check user reviews frequently.
- Release new versions containing part fixes, part customer requests.
- Measure ROI. If your app is not preforming, better to reinvent it sooner than later.
Author: Drew Ramsey, Product Manager at MobileSmith
Drew spends a lot of time diving into as many apps as he can to ensure that every MobileSmith customer app meets best practice standards for iOS and Android. As the leader of the Product team at MobileSmith, Drew ensures that the platform provides the best user experience possible, so the customers can create and launch amazing looking apps!
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