After releasing your app, embracing it can take some time for your potential users. You must be patient at this phase and constantly monitor the marketplace and competition to make necessary improvements. Your app’s visibility plays a key role in boosting app downloads.

This blog will briefly introduce how to master visibility and take your downloads to a new level. You will realize that visibility is one of the cornerstones of having a high conversion rate with your app.

Downloads vs Visibility

There is a clear correlation between the download rates and the visibility of an app. A high visibility will lead to more downloads and vice versa.

Our dashboard shows an app’s visibility score under ASO Intelligence’s Visibility Report feature. This score simply indicates how visible your app is on the market. It scales from 0 to 100, with 0 being the lowest score and 100 being the highest possible score.

You can check one of our previous articles for more information about the relationship between visibility, downloads, and category rankings.

App Profile – App Intelligence

At the early stages of your app’s journey, potential users in app stores will have little knowledge about your app. To boost app downloads to the desired level, the first step you should take is to improve your visibility.

The increasing traffic will transform into downloads when your app is more visible. In the long run, high download numbers will help your app remain visible higher up the category rankings (having a high visibility score).

To learn more about how to improve your app visibility and downloads, you can also check this article.

Category Ranking History – App Intelligence

3 Important Steps to Maximum Downloads

As mentioned earlier, visibility is the key to higher downloads. Now, we will focus on boosting your app’s potential in a step-by-step approach to maximizing visibility and downloads.

• Value Proposition: You can try to make your app relevant in app stores through constant App Store Optimization (ASO) efforts. Still, your attempts would be short-lived at best without connecting with your potential users with a clear value proposition. As a first step, you must have an offering that acts as a painkiller or gain creator for your users.
• App Store Optimization (ASO): Investing in App Store Optimization is the next and possibly the most important step. Even though you have an incredible app that has the potential to be a category killer, you should support your app with a well-defined ASO strategy for the sake of higher visibility and downloads.
• Paid User Acquisition: In the long run, your app’s organic and inorganic downloads will work cohesively to maximize your downloads. Research indicates that a paid user acquisition campaign has the potential to boost your organic downloads up to 17x by improving your visibility. In other words, a paid ad campaign feeds your downloads by providing enhanced visibility.

Boost App Downloads: The Essential Checklist

On the way to skyrocketing your downloads, it can also be challenging to remain visible beside improving it in the first place.

• App Store Optimization (ASO): Again, update your keywords regularly (weekly or monthly), check your App Store’s page-views-to-downloads conversion rate, and improve it with constant monitoring, testing, and iteration sessions.
• Good Reviews & Ratings: Try to collect all 4 or 5-star reviews. Check the language of your reviews to see patterns of what your users like or dislike and make changes accordingly. Also, note that getting negative reviews and ratings is valuable insight to improve your app.
• High Category Rankings: If your app is not visible in the higher-ends of category rankings, it would be difficult to get app downloads. To choose the right category and subcategory for your app, check its relevancy, competition, and potential revenue.
• Localization: Check your international conversion rate to determine which markets will be the most profitable for you to enter and capture.
• Paid User Acquisition: Run additional paid ad campaigns based on the valuable insights from ASO about the marketplace and competition to boost app downloads and visibility further.

3 Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Improving your downloads is a shaky road, and you can make certain mistakes. We believe it is also worth mentioning some common mistakes and how to avoid them for your good.

• Lack of ASO: Some app developers forget the importance of ASO for long-term and stable success. As mentioned earlier, ASO can make a huge difference in your app’s visibility.
• Performance Issues: Another important aspect of an app’s visibility is consistency regarding glitches, bugs, and crashes. If your app is constantly crashing, this will inevitably hinder user satisfaction, leading to a lower visibility score. Based on ASO, constantly monitor your user reviews and improve your app’s performance.
• Lack of Industry Knowledge: Sometimes, developers lack enough knowledge of the mobile market and the specific standards for the category they are being ranked in. In today’s highly competitive and turbulent marketplace, making a good app isn’t enough anymore. Make sure to stay educated.

The Bottom Line

Visibility is the key to having higher downloads and vice versa. With its Keyword Intelligence feature, ASO Intelligence by MobileAction lets you get quick and accurate insights. Note that you can get assistance for a higher visibility score by trying various keywords depending on the competition and the marketplace.

Keyword Intelligence – ASO Intelligence

If you want to step up your ASO game, schedule a demo now and get unlimited access to AI-powered organic mobile app growth tools!

The post How to boost app downloads: Mastering visibility appeared first on MobileAction.

For any mobile app developer, nothing is more discouraging than receiving a negative review for their hard work in the app stores. At first, it’s easy to ignore or dismiss such reviews, hoping you don’t accumulate too many. However, negative reviews present an opportunity that, if handled properly, can be turned into invaluable customer insights.

In this blog, we’ll share a step-by-step process for transforming negative app reviews into actionable feedback that results in a better product and stronger customer relationships. By learning to appreciate critical feedback, you’ll soon find that even one-star reviews can help guide your app development in the right direction.

Check out one of our previous articles to learn more about the impact of app ratings & reviews on App Store Optimization:

• App Reviews To-Do List: How to Improve App Ratings Organically
• From 0 to 10,000 Reviews: 7 Tips to Collect
In-App Feedback Like a Pro
• What Happened to the Robinhood’s Ratings?
• How Do App Reviews and Ratings Affect Your ASO Strategy? 

Introduction: Reasons for Negative App Reviews

You should be aware of some common reasons for receiving negative app reviews in order to fully utilize the opportunities provided by them.

There are three main reasons for receiving negative app reviews from an unfavorable user experience.

• UI issues: In some cases, you may come up with an app that has the ultimate potential to connect with your user’s expectations. However, the problematic user interface may prevent your app from reaching its full potential. A weak UI will inevitably mean unsatisfied customers, mostly followed by negative app reviews.
• Glitches, bugs, crashes: Another important factor in an app’s success is consistency regarding glitches, bugs, and crashes. Once again, you may have the ultimate solution for your user’s needs in the form of an app with an impressive, user-friendly UI. Still, if your app is constantly crashing, this will inevitably hinder your user’s satisfaction with the app. If this is the case, expect negative app reviews!
• Lack of customer support: You will make a huge mistake if you think your relationship with your users ends after you convince them to download your app. This is just the beginning of your never-ending interaction with your customers. When there is a problem or situation the customer wishes to be vocal about, poor customer support can translate into negative app reviews.

Embracing Negative App Reviews: How Can They Be Useful

After you learn about the common reasons for negative app reviews, you should do your best to avoid them by constantly improving your app. However, you shouldn’t use your dedication or focus towards your app just because hearing about some unsatisfied customers. You should realize that negative app reviews are hidden gems!

First, you should know that negative app reviews are different from having a bad app. So, there is no need to panic.

All kinds of app reviews will be essential for constant improvement during your app’s lifecycle. While positive reviews will only show that you are on the right track, negative app reviews can guide you through areas for improvement.

In other words, a negative review is an organic opportunity to improve your app to satisfy your users. Rather than a source of demotivation, it is honest feedback based on user experience.

How to Handle a Negative Review

Now that you are confident you should not fear receiving a negative review, we will briefly mention how to deal with it.

With this step-by-step approach, you can learn much from a negative review and minimize your chance of receiving similar complaints in the long run.

Do Not Panic & Take Responsibility

As the blog mentions, negative app reviews should not shatter your dreams, so don’t panic.

After being cool with receiving lousy app reviews, you should be confident about taking full responsibility. In other words, embrace the user feedback without activating an aggressive defense mode.

Understand the Issue & Focus

The next step is understanding the complaint. The negative review is mainly caused by one of the three common reasons mentioned previously. Identify the core problem and focus on the heart of the matter.

Make Research & Solve the Problem

Now that you know the key problem causing negative app reviews, you should research to eliminate it. The length of this phase can change depending on the seriousness* of the issue.

Some UI-based negative app reviews can be more time-consuming than customer support-related problems. Do your research, learn how to improve, and iterate accordingly.

Keep Your Users Updated

After you make specific improvements based on negative app reviews, let your audience know about these new additions. Your users will be more than happy to realize that their feedback is being valued, so keep them updated.

Negative App Reviews: The Silver Lining

As an app publisher, try to imagine a life without feedback. You would be missing valuable, honest, and accurate feedback. With a step-by-step systematic process, you should handle a negative review.

Remember that some of the core reasons for negative app reviews, such as frequent crashes, can also negatively influence your category rankings directly and indirectly.

It is known that Google Play Store hesitates to rank apps with performance problems, even if they have favorable download rates. An app with poor UI or customer support will also have problems keeping and converting users.

Thanks to negative app reviews, you can learn how to improve your app and get better rankings organically. Therefore, it is safe to assume that a negative review is a silver lining!

The Bottom Line

We hope you enjoyed our blog about combating negative app reviews. As you can see, they can provide valuable feedback for your ASO strategy. With its Review Analysis feature, App Intelligence helps you to get quick and accurate insights.

To start leveraging App Intelligence, sign up for free, gain access to valuable insights, and unlock the power of leveraging users’ feedback.

The post How to turn negative app reviews into diamonds appeared first on MobileAction.

When starting a business, entrepreneurs think about the revenues they can make and what they should do to reach their financial targets.

The mobile market is undoubtedly attractive in terms of possible income. According to Statista, global mobile app revenues amounted to over 467,083.68 US dollars in 2023.

In 2024, apps are projected to generate 522,727.51 US dollars, and by 2027, this number is expected to increase to 673,778.05 US dollars.

In one of our previous blog posts, we talked about the Top 13 Ways to Monetize an App While the industry revenues are soaring, some developers are struggling to find the right approach to monetize their mobile apps.

In this blog post, we will look closer into the app revenue models and describe how to make money with apps.

What is the App Revenue Model?

A revenue model is a framework for generating revenues. A revenue model defines the sources that generate income. It also identifies what value will be offered by the product, how much it will be worth, and who will pay for this value.

In simple words, when we talk about app revenue models we implicate the ways and the sources through which the mobile app will make money.

The app revenue model is an integral part of a business concept (or business plan) – the document that should be created before going into the development stage.

The app revenue model will also be of top interest to investors if you decide to raise additional funding for your product or sell it.

Types of App Revenue Models

There are different types of app revenue models, and developers can utilize several of them within one app to maximize their income.

In-App Advertising

According to data provided by Statista, ad spending in the In-App Advertising market worldwide is forecasted to reach US $352.70bn in 2024.

The market is expected to demonstrate an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 8.65%, leading to a projected market volume of US$534.10bn by 2029.

Integrating in-app advertising into the app revenue model means that the developer will get paid for serving ads within the app. To do that, a developer has to partner with an ad monetization platform and integrate their SDK (Software Development Kit) which is a piece of code that should be properly added to your app code.

Usually, this is not a complicated process as ad monetization companies provide detailed documentation and support in case of questions.

To gain substantial revenues from in-app advertising, the app needs to have a significant number of active users who engage with the app regularly. So, before cooperating with any ad network it would be good to work towards increasing the user base.

Some of the most popular app revenue model solutions:

Banner ads are the most common advertising format. They look similar to what we see while browsing on our desktops but on mobile, they look much smaller so the users don’t pay too much attention to them. However, they can be animated which usually distracts users’ attention and irritates them. Usually, banner ads are placed on top or at the bottom of an app page.

Interstitial ads are full-screen ads that hover over the app page. They can be static or involve rich media. These ad formats have one of the highest eCPM rates and if placed properly will not annoy users. At the same, they will not be unnoticed by users. When an interstitial pops up, a user will need to interact with the ad unit either closing it or tapping on it. There are certain guidelines about where to place these types of ads. You can read more about best practices and interstitial ad examples in our previous blog post.

Video ads can also take up the whole screen. It is a short video about the product that usually includes a link to another website or a download link if an app is advertised.

Rewarded videos are booming now, especially within mobile games. A rewarded video is a video ad that a user is asked to watch in exchange for some benefits such as extra coins, additional lives, new accessories, more time to spend within an app, etc. This is a great way to motivate users to spend more time in your app. These ads are not obtrusive as a user decides on his own whether to watch an ad or not.

Native ads appear as a native part of an app. They blend into the app’s design and content and can be perceived as a part of the app. Sponsored posts on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) are a good example of native ads. Native ads are also used by news platforms.

A good thing about in-app advertising as a revenue source is that the app remains free for users. On the other hand, it is important to keep the balance and not to annoy the users too much.

In-App Purchases

In-app purchases allow users to buy some features, content or services within an app. They are quite a wide notion and include several types of revenue sources that can be utilized by developers.

• Purchasing consumables and non-consumables: Consumables are items that can be purchased and used only once, for example, an additional life in the game, virtual money, accessories, etc. Once depleted, they cannot be used again.

Non-consumables are premium features that don’t expire and can be used multiple times. An example can be an additional filter in a photo app.

• Freemium model: Freemium apps are free to download and have two types of features: Basic ones that are free to use, and premium ones that the user needs to pay for. The goal is to give a user the possibility to try out and enjoy all the premium features hoping he/she will further pay for upgrading. Such apps usually provide a free trial period. While the target is to get as many users as possible to pay, it is important to set the right balance when choosing what is free and what users will have to pay for.

• Subscriptions: Subscriptions are often used by cloud storage platforms, audio and video streaming services, news resources, and magazines. When subscribed, a user will be charged a certain amount of money on a regular basis – monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc. It is also common to provide a trial period before getting users to subscribe.

Some apps are based on non-renewing subscriptions and provide access to content or services for a limited period. This model is often used by seasonal sports apps that provide a season pass to streaming content.

If an app developer offers in-app purchases, users should be informed about it. This information is displayed within the app listing in the app stores.

Data Monetization

Selling users’ data might not sound very nice and ethical at the very beginning but this is, in fact, a legal way of making money. In the end, you are not sharing any personal information – all the data is impersonated.

If your app collects some information that can be valuable to research institutions, marketers, product owners, or other third parties, you can consider data monetization as a revenue source.

Typically, this can be information about users’ devices, network type, location, IP address, etc. Of course, users need to be aware that their data can be passed to third parties, so it is important to openly provide this information in documentation such as Privacy Policy and Terms of Services.

Donations

In one of our previous blog posts, we talked about crowdfunding platforms if you have an idea for an app as a way to get initial funding for your app. You will not be able to generate revenues from Kickstarter or similar platforms but it can become an option to get some extra income.

Affiliate Marketing and Lead Generation

If you come to a point when you have a substantial base of engaged users, you may consider using affiliate marketing and lead generation models.

Affiliate marketing is about having ads for another product in your app and earning a commission each time your users tap on an ad and convert it to a sale or lead. To make it work, you’ll need to have the same target audience with an app that you are advertising.

Lead generation is about capturing the contact information of people who will tap on an ad and agree to provide their contact details.

There are lots of affiliate marketing networks and you are free to join as many of them as you wish to maximize your revenues. But like with ads, it is not very easy to forecast your income as users’ behavior is often unpredictable.

SMS and Email Marketing

If you want to promote your app’s seasonal sales or explain your B2B product in more detail, SMS and Email marketing can help you with that.

These tools will not become your main sources of revenue but they can help you boost your app and generate more sales. While emails allow being very descriptive and use lots of images and text, SMS is short and straight to the point.

Sponsorships

Having a sponsor is not a common way to monetize your app but it is not that new.

Back in 2012, the sandwich chain Subway sponsored PrePlay, a predictive gaming app, during the Super Bowl XLVI, trying to engage with football fans and grow its brand awareness. Marriot sponsored the launch of the Gayot.com mobile app that showed restaurant reviews written by professionals. In such a way, Marriott was promoting its Rewards Chase Card to business travelers.

The way you integrate a sponsor into your app depends on the product and the goals of the partner. Some simple options include placing the sponsor’s logo in different parts of the screen, providing special offers from the sponsor, showing sponsors’ ads, etc.

Paid Apps

The majority of the apps in application stores are free to download.

However, there is an option to offer paid apps that require paying money to download an app. After the payment, a user gets an app with all the features available that can be used from multiple devices.

With the paid app model, the revenue is strictly connected to new users downloading an app. To have stable revenues over time, developers need to spend much effort to grow a new user base.

Even with free apps, it is possible to generate revenues. It might take some time to find out which revenue source works best for your app. Most developers mix several approaches and try to create a balanced model that would work well for both users and app creators.

Studying the various monetization techniques available can help you determine the best approach for your particular mobile application. Choosing one or more appropriate strategies will allow you to keep increasing your app’s income while still providing users with an outstanding experience.

If you’re unsatisfied with simply having a solid monetization structure and are always striving for improvement, you may want to schedule a demo to learn more about our solutions for optimizing app store results.

The post 8 proven App Revenue Models for your mobile app appeared first on MobileAction.

Think of it as a long run- a marathon. Thus, the results are not obtained overnight, but if you are willing to invest in it you can get very impressive outcomes.

Since achieving ASO success takes time and a lot of dedication, some do not play fair. Certain individuals exploit grey areas in app store regulations to rapidly progress. Though the app stores inevitably uncover these deceitful tactics, the cheaters can temporarily distort the rankings before being apprehended. In essence, some people cut corners to achieve app store victory more quickly, despite facing repercussions later on.

By the end of this blog, you will be able to understand what black hat ASO is, what makes certain ASO practices black hat, what are the common practices for Black Hat ASO, and how one can counter Black Hat ASO tactics.

What is Black Hat ASO?

Black Hat ASO refers to unethical or manipulative techniques used in App Store Optimization (ASO) to artificially boost the visibility and conversion rates of mobile apps or games. It involves disregarding or exploiting the rules and guidelines set by app stores in order to achieve higher rankings, increased downloads, and improved user engagement. These tactics often involve deceptive practices, keyword stuffing, fake reviews, and other strategies that violate the app stores’ policies.

While Black Hat ASO may provide short-term gains, it can lead to severe consequences such as app suspensions, loss of credibility, and negative user experiences.

At MobileAction, we think the right thing is to not use sneaky Black Hat or Grey Hat tricks. They’re unfair to other apps. And any boost they give won’t last long. Plus they could hurt your reputation and money. But it’s good to know what these shady ASO tactics are. That way you can spot them if others are using them in the app stores. We say stick to legal White Hat optimization. That will give your app lasting success the right way.

What makes certain ASO practices Black Hat?

The Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and all other app stores have policies and guidelines that every developer and company must follow. These rules promote fairness, no matter the app’s prominence. For example, without app relevance and user experience factors in their ad systems, big brands could easily outspend competitors for top placements.

So app makers should gain visibility and success through building a great product and using legal optimization techniques. By playing by the rules, developers can achieve visibility on merit rather than by exploiting loopholes. Ethical optimization helps apps thrive based on quality, not tricks.

To follow White Hat ASO strategies you should take a look at the following resources:

• ASO Handbook 2024: Navigating the Future of App Store Optimization
• A comprehensive guide to App Store Optimization (ASO)
• App Store ASO: Skyrocket your iOS app in Apple charts
• Google Play ASO: Organic Growth Strategy Guide for Android Apps

Common Black Hat ASO Practices

Fake Installs

Faking installs is a common underhanded tactic used by dishonest publishers to improperly boost rankings. It starts with a vendor selling a large volume of cheap app installs.

The quality of these installs varies. For instance, low-cost installs may utilize bots – scripts downloading the app with stolen or fake accounts. App stores quickly detect and punish bot installs.

Real user installs cost more but are harder to identify. Whether real or fake, buying installs in bulk rockets the app’s rankings for particular keywords, gaining organic traffic from the ranking.

To detect this, watch for sudden huge ranking spikes on keywords, especially in established categories. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is. Essentially, some publishers artificially boost rankings through bulk low-quality installs, but app stores try to rapidly catch these deceptive tactics.

For example, below you can see the daily installs of ChatGPT. Since the increases and decreases in ChatGPT’s install numbers follow a normal trend, we can say that they do not use illegal app store optimization methods such as Black Hat ASO.

App Analysis – Market Intelligence

Some common ways of Black Hat ASO for fake installs:
Bot installs – Computer-automated accounts/bots can download your app in large volumes (even 2 million times).

Retained bot installs – achieved by sending messages/emails to companies, typically promising a certain number of downloads of your app.

Non-incentivized search installs – Installs that occur after an influencing YouTuber persuades their followers in a video to search for and download a specific app (e.g. search “pro makeup” and download “lipshades” app).

Incentivized search installs – Installs where users get a reward for searching and installing an app (e.g. “Search and install to earn”).

Bot trending searches – Bots artificially get top rankings for trending searches, driving more traffic, installs, and earnings for the app. This happens by targeting searches users are interested in.

Keyword Stuffing

There are unfortunately some apps that benefit from keyword optimization not legally.

App titles and app descriptions are the fields that have a direct contribution to the visibility of the app. Some Black Hat programmers tend to put a bunch of optimized irrelevant keywords that are already ranking high in the application’s data and/or description that do not mean anything together. It’s a primitive technique, but it works and has been there since the beginning of black hat.

Keyword stuffing and other black hat SEO techniques may provide instant gratification in the form of app store rankings, but they do more harm than good in the long run. While optimized keywords in the title and description are important for discoverability, slipping in irrelevant terms purely for their search volume hurts both users and developers. App store search is meant to smoothly connect users with apps that authentically fulfill their needs – not trick or confuse them with artificially boosted listings.

Developers who engage in keyword manipulation risk app rejection or removal from the app store if their tactics are detected. More importantly, stuffing an app’s metadata with keywords out of context damages the user experience. Someone searching for a specific term expects relevant results, not an app completely unrelated to their intent. Benefiting artificially from high-ranking keywords you don’t genuinely relate to is a disservice that will erode user trust over time. The smarter strategy for sustainable success is focusing organically on the true purpose and value proposition of your app through carefully optimized descriptive elements.

Using Competitor Names

Both Apple and Google strongly advise against using competitor names in your app metadata. While this is a common tactic even top brands use, it can still get your app penalized and lose rankings and reputation.

Let’s look at an example. Say you have an AI chatbot app. Your best keywords should be generic ones that can boost visibility when you start ranking. However, some developers take the easy route of directly targeting top-ranking competitors. For an AI chatbot, “AI chatbot” is fine, but “AI chatgpt” risks action against your app for targeting a competitor keyword.

How do developers hide competitor names? On the App Store, adding them to the unseen keyword field works initially. But review teams often catch these and penalize apps. On the Google Play Store, some leverage A/B testing of long descriptions with low traffic to conceal competitor keywords. This may work temporarily, but Google reviews will eventually uncover the hidden brand names and take strict action.

The key point is that targeting competitor brands in metadata is risky despite being common, since app stores prohibit this and can penalize apps that do it. Generic terms are safer for optimization.

Ratings and Reviews

Boosting organic traffic through App Store Optimization results in different analytics for your app compared to Black Hat ASO. You should keep in mind that ASO takes time. If you constantly check the analytics, you can find out whether the app is using Black Hat ASO or not. If there is a gradual, slow increase in organic downloads, then it is likely ASO. Remember that Black Hat ASO results in only a temporary boost.

To achieve permanent ASO boosts you should regularly your app’s/game’s ratings, the average category rating, and breakdowns for countries and app versions. As seen below, MobileAction can provide this data on a single dashboard.

Ratings – App Intelligence

One important point is users’ trust. We all prefer to read reviews before downloading an app because we trust other users’ feedback. Unfortunately, some companies offer fake reviews to artificially inflate app rankings. They create tons of fake bot accounts to leave positive feedback and temporarily boost ranking. A sudden spike in positive reviews in one day is a clear sign of Black Hat ASO.

Reviews – App Intelligence

The good news is it’s possible to identify fake reviews since they are manufactured. Look at the language – fake reviews tend to be short, disappear quickly, or just give 5 stars without context.

Top Charts Manipulation

Manipulating top charts rankings is an old black hat ASO tactic, though less effective now. Rogue developers try reaching top spots using bots to install their apps. Once at the top, they gain significant browse traffic to sustain their position without more bot installs.

Top Charts – App Intelligence

On the App Store, this rarely works since top charts are hard to access in the current App Store design, limiting browse traffic payoff. On the Google Play Store, it may still boost some unethical developers, though their advanced algorithm detects irregularities for action.

If you see a zero-rated, low-quality app ranking high, consider reporting it so app store reviewers can investigate. While once effective, manipulating top charts now has limited impact, and risks getting caught by sophisticated fraud detection. Ethical optimization based on merit is the sustainable path.

Conclusion

While black hat techniques may provide temporary rankings boosts, they ultimately do more harm than good. App stores have sophisticated systems for detecting fraudulent activity and penalizing apps that violate policies. Rankings based on deception are never lasting.

As an app developer, your priority should be creating great app experiences that genuinely resonate with users. This approach may take longer to see results, but it is sustainable and will serve you well over the long run by building trust with both users and app stores. Rather than taking shortcuts through backdoor methods, have patience and let your app succeed on its own merits.

If you want legal shortcut tactics instead of illegal shortcuts like Black Hat ASO, contact MobileAction experts immediately and take your ASO game to the next level!

The post What is Black Hat ASO? Identifying and countering Black Hat tactics appeared first on MobileAction.

“Well, that’s a success!”, you think to yourself. “The app industry is thriving, there are tons of startups building new apps, big tech companies paying for good ideas. I will just go ahead, sell my idea, and make my first million or two!”

There is a lot of information about how to sell an app idea scattered on different websites. In this blog post, we will tell you about which companies you can sell it to and describe specific steps to help you make money from your app idea.

How to Sell an App Idea to Apple

Of course, your app idea is so outstanding that even Apple would be willing to buy it and make a successful product out of it. But how do you reach out to them? You don’t know anybody who works at the company. You decide to go to Apple’s website and hit the “Contact Apple” button. At first, you are lost because there are so many topics for which you can contact Apple. Finally, you find an option to leave feedback, and you start describing your idea.

The bad news is that Apple does not accept any ideas. They officially declare it in their Unsolicited Idea Submission Policy and ask not to submit any proposals, materials or works to Apple’s employees or contractors.

There is also one more interesting paragraph in the Policy saying that if you submit your idea, Apple will treat it as its own, and you will receive no compensation or reward in return. So if your idea is indeed revolutionary and you submit it to Apple, they can develop it and make it successful, but nobody will ever find out who is the real hero.

Nevertheless, Apple does buy successful working apps such as the voice assistant Siri, which was purchased in 2010. There were rumors that Siri’s investors received up to $200 million from Apple. So, if you think that your app has the potential to fit into Apple’s roadmap, you will need to build high quality and popular product and maybe you’ll get lucky to sell it to Apple.

How to Sell an App Idea to Google

It is estimated that the Google Play Store will have 3.95 million mobile apps accessible for Android users to download in 2024. This is the largest app store in terms of the number of apps published. If you say “I have an idea for an app” and it is unique, it might be a good idea to check the Google Play Store to see if there is anything similar.

Google does not state they don’t accept ideas. They do accept them, however, just like Apple, they don’t pay for your submitted proposals, but treat them as their own.

So, if you feel altruistic, you can submit your idea through an online form but don’t expect money in return.

If you want to make money and sell your app to Google, you will first need to develop your high-quality app, market it, and make sure Google notices it.

For Google (or any of the big tech guys), to notice your app, the product needs to have the quality to help the corporation fight and outperform its rivals. Another option is to develop a solution that would help the company improve its own products. In 2016, Google purchased the Israeli startup, Waze. It was a navigation app having 50 million users. One of the advantageous features Waze had was the possibility for users to interact and report on road and traffic situations in real-time.

To outperform your competitors in the app stores and get noticed by any of the big tech corps you should check the following resources:

• ASO Handbook 2024: Navigating the Future of App Store Optimization
• A comprehensive guide to App Store Optimization (ASO)
• The definitive guide for Mobile User Acquisition
• App Store ASO: Skyrocket your iOS app in Apple charts
• Google Play ASO: Organic growth strategy guide for Android apps

How to Sell an App Idea to Facebook

It may come as a surprise, but Facebook does not buy app ideas either. Facebook does not pay for any type of idea – whether it is an app, a feature, or some kind of technology. Although they are very open to suggestions from the community, they will not give any money to people who submit their offers.

Like Google and Apple, Facebook also buys ready products, and they don’t necessarily have to be profitable. When Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, the latter was not generating revenue. But in 2018, Instagram was estimated to be worth over $100 billion. Former Facebook employees revealed that the acquisition was for fighting Twitter and Google+.

Another famous Facebook acquisition was the messaging app, Whatsapp. Facebook paid $19 billion – an enormous amount taking into consideration that WhatsApp was famous mostly outside the US and didn’t make a lot of money. Confidential charts revealed by the United Kingdom’s Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) parliamentary committee show that in 2014, Whatsapp was getting more popular and potentially had all the chances not only to compete but to successfully win the battle over Facebook Messenger.

To be purchased by Facebook, your app does not necessarily have to be related to social networking. Facebook has a very diverse portfolio. For example, in 2014, Facebook bought a virtual reality product called Oculus VR. They also bought a company called Ascenta which made drones. Other acquisitions covered companies within industries like video software, fitness, health monitoring, and team messaging.

How to Sell an App Idea to a Company

Not only Apple, Google, and Facebook purchase apps. Other companies are ready to invest and broaden their business portfolio as well. Don’t be upset if your app idea does not fit the business models or roadmaps of big-tech Silicon Valley corporations. There are smaller companies, and there are businesses outside the US that might be willing to purchase your app project.

In 2018, 97 unicorns started operating in China. Unicorns are startups valued not less than $1 billion. The presence of Chinese apps and investments is hard to underestimate. TikTok – the eighth most downloaded app in the US in 2019 – was created by ByteDance, a tech company from China. PUBG mobile game was developed by Tencent. It turns out that Chinese app publishers learn very fast how to market their apps to the US and European users.

Another strategy for Chinese companies to grow their global presence is to acquire smaller companies from Europe and the US. For instance, Tencent failed to make WeChat successful in the US. So they purchased or invested in other firms locally to get their gaming products into the Western markets.

As of March 2024, there are over 1,200 unicorns around the world.

The top 10 Unicorns according to CB Insights are:

And while you are looking for somebody to purchase your app, there might be some tech company interested in acquiring promising app projects and ideas. If you browse through the list of employees of these organizations on LinkedIn, you might notice the users with a title similar to “Investment manager” – these are the people responsible for investments and acquires.

So what should you do to sell your idea for an app idea to a company? These steps will help you succeed in getting $million in revenue for selling your project:

1. Put Your App Idea on the Paper

Describe what your app will be about, what features it will have, and what value it will bring to the users. If you have ideas about the design, app name, marketing, and monetization strategies, or anything else related to your app, write them down. It does not have to be very detailed, but it will be very useful when you start creating the business concept.

2. Do the research and analyze information: Know your market and your users

No matter how sure you are about the excellence of your app idea, make sure to do the research and have the relevant data regarding the overall market, your competitors, and your prospective users.

Let’s say you have an idea to build a fitness app with AI algorithms that would pick a workout for a user based on his / her physical training experience, body particular qualities (taking into account possible previous injuries), and goals. Here are some things you’ll need to research:

Overall market: You will find that the market for fitness apps is quite saturated. Apps for runners, yoga lovers, swimmers, and those who want to lose weight – there are plenty of them, available in both the App Store and Google Play, paid and free, targeted at men and women.

• Are there similar apps to yours?
• Which app stores are they published in?
• How many downloads do they have?
• Which locations are they the most popular in?

Competitor apps: Although there are so many fitness apps, not all of them will be your direct competitors. Pick the ones that are closest to your app project in terms of idea, features, target audience, and markets, and do more detailed research on those products.

• Are they different and similar to your app?
• How many reviews do they get, what’s their rating, and what do users say about them?
• How do they promote their products?
• What monetization strategies do they use?
• How do they retain their users?

User base: You probably visualize your users as people who are physically active (or plan to become such), and who care about their health and body. What other distinctive characteristics do your users have?

• Who are your users?
• Are they male/female/both?
• Are they children/adults/both?
• How old are they?
• What occupation do they have?
• How do they find out about new products?

3. Create a Business Concept

The business concept should be a detailed document based on the previous two steps. This is the presentation where you should refine your app idea and display a comprehensible business plan. It should contain the answers to all the questions your investors might have.

You should clearly understand who the users of your fitness app will be and how they will benefit from it; how your project will be different than all the other numerous fitness solutions; which marketing channels you will utilize to attract people who care about their health and bodies; how you will make money with your idea. (To learn more about different types of ads and app monetization tactics check out our blog post!)

Most often, business concept presentation has such topic blocks (but feel free to add other valuable information if you feel it’s important for the investors):

Your app project:

• Brief description of the app and its features
• What problem will it help users solve and how
• Why is it unique

Your users:

• Analysis of your target audience in terms of age, gender, geography, occupation, etc.

Market and competitors overview:

• Why is this market attractive and its growth perspectives
• Who are your competitors
• How your app is better than competitors
• How are you going to compete with peer apps

Marketing strategy:

• Which promotional channels will you use to launch your app
• How are you going to grow your user base organically
• Which paid acquisition channels will you use
• What countries will you focus on to promote your app

Growth roadmap:

• Expected number of downloads over time;
• Anticipated number of active users – daily, weekly, monthly
• Expected retention rate and how to achieve it

Monetization strategy:

• How do you think your app will make money

4. Develop Your App

Yes, we were talking about how to sell an IDEA for an app. But have a look at the examples above. Google, Facebook, and Apple invested heavily in working products. You can find tons of other cases online when tech companies bought working projects. These are real precedents, and if you want to receive several million or billions of US dollars for your app, you’ll need to work hard.

In one of our previous blog posts “I Have an Idea for an App” – Here is Where to Start and What to Do, we described what it takes to develop an app. It’s not only about hiring programmers to write the code. It’s also about protecting your app legally, developing the brand style, and creating a clear marketing strategy.

5. Launch and Grow Your App

The launch of your app should be preceded by thorough testing. Your business concept presentation already includes information about launching activities. So if you have that topic covered, all you need to do is just implement everything you planned.

To attract investors, you’ll need to keep up the good work and grow your app – increase the number of users, introduce new features, improve retention and engagement, interact with your users, etc.

Do the best you can to develop and keep a good reputation of your app: don’t violate the app stores’ rules, be nice to your users, be responsive to the media. It’s also important to lead your business operations properly, follow your country’s laws, pay taxes, and respect your employees. Remember that when you find investors, they will do the due diligence of your company.

6. Find potential investors and pitch them

If Google or Apple hasn’t contacted you yet, it’s a sign you’ll need to look for the relevant investors. Here are several guidelines to help you:

• Create a list of tech companies capable of buying app projects.

If your goal is to sell the app (and not just get some investments to grow your organization), you will need to look for tech companies capable of buying other projects. The simplest way is to search online for tech unicorns and research recent acquisitions and investments. Don’t limit yourself to your country or region only. Your buyers can live anywhere.

• Pick the companies that are relevant to your business.

Analyze the profile of the company, read about its latest acquisitions, and try to understand if your app fits its business model and development roadmap. Limit your initial list of investors to the companies that are relevant to your app

• Find relevant contacts.

Check the website of the company to see if they have contacts of people responsible for business development or investments. You can also check out LinkedIn and find company representatives who have accounts there. Ideally, you would need to connect and contact a person responsible for business acquisitions. You can also use LinkedIn to find a necessary person through the other contacts that are available.

• Contact and Pitch the Potential Investor

Once you have a list of necessary contacts, you are ready to start pitching the companies. The channel you decide to use depends on your personal preferences. You can start with LinkedIn messages and emails, and then proceed with phone calls and personal meetings. You can also meet those companies’ representatives at startup events and meetups.

Remember not to disclose too much confidential information about your app. All the information you provide should be disclosed under the mutually signed NDA. There will be due diligence done by your potential buyer. Make sure to get a professional lawyer’s support if you feel you will need legal assistance.

To sum up, knowing that tech giants don’t reward mere ideas, think again if you still want to offer your app idea to Facebook, Google, or Apple. These companies purchase ready solutions that have the potential to strengthen their own products and compete with their rivals. And don’t forget that there are lots of other companies around the world ready to buy high-quality projects. However, don’t hope to get wealthy shortly: getting millions in revenue from selling your app concept will require hard work, including creating the working app itself and making sure it continuously grows.

Schedule a demo with us for more insights and to boost your app growth.

The post How to sell an app idea: 6 easy steps to reach million $ gain appeared first on MobileAction.

App Store Optimization (ASO) and Visibility

The Leaders in Visibility

Navigating the nuances of App Store visibility is vital for finance apps, as it directly impacts their discoverability and popularity among users. Understanding and leveraging these dynamics is key, as the right visibility can mean the difference between widespread adoption and being forgotten. Let’s explore how some of the leading finance apps in Türkiye are mastering this aspect of digital presence:

• Binance: With a visibility score 94, Binance ranks for 1,014 organic keywords. It holds the first place for 196 of these keywords, which means about 19.33% of its keywords are in the top 30.
• Investing.com: Investing.com also has a visibility score of 94. It ranks for 769 keywords, with a strong presence in the top 30 for 635. This is an outstanding 82.58% of its total keywords.
• TradingView: TradingView boasts a visibility score of 92 and ranks for 812 organic keywords. Remarkably, 695 of these keywords are in the top 30, accounting for approximately 85.59% of its total keywords.
• BTCTurk: With a visibility score of 89, BTCTurk ranks for 1,977 organic keywords, and 750 of these are in the top 30, which translates to around 37.94% of its keywords.
• ForInvest: ForInvest has a visibility score of 85 and ranks for 413 organic keywords.
• Midas: Midas follows with a visibility score of 83 and 395 organic keywords.
• Paribu: Paribu has a visibility score of 81 and ranks for 377 organic keywords. 

These stats highlight the significant efforts and successes these apps have in maintaining a strong presence on the App Store, with some, like Investing.com and TradingView, showing exceptionally high percentages of keywords in the top 30.

Importance of ASO in Finance

In the world of fintech applications, App Store Optimization (ASO) is more than just a strategy; it’s the basis of success. ASO plays a pivotal role in how finance apps are organically discovered, perceived, and ultimately trusted by users. A high visibility score, achieved through effective ASO, goes beyond mere discoverability. It strengthens an app’s position as a credible and authoritative player in finance. 

Trust is paramount in finance, where users deal with sensitive information and transactions. A high-ranking app with great reviews is often perceived as more reliable and secure simply because of its position in the App Store. This perception is vital in convincing users to not only download the app but also engage with it for their financial needs.

Advertising Strategies and Market Share

When we look at the paid user acquisition activities as a part of our research on Türkiye’s finance apps, Paribu’s success in the ad space is noteworthy. Paribu achieved a significant impression share of 44.46% by focusing on SUI in its ads. Their ad was live across multiple major advertising networks, including Kayzen, Vungle, AdMob, and AdColony, for 58 days.

A key aspect of their advertising strategy was the simplicity of the ad’s design and message. The ads effectively communicated the ease of buying cryptocurrency, particularly SUI, in a manner that was straightforward and accessible. This simplicity in design and clarity in messaging resonated strongly with their target audience, cutting through the noise in a crowded market space.

User Experience Trends in Finance Apps

Phone-in-Screen App Screenshots: A Standard?

For apps in the Türkiye storefront, a trend in the presentation of finance apps is the adoption of “phone-in-screen” app screenshots. This trend goes beyond just style; it’s a strategic decision to make apps seem more user-friendly and easier for potential users to understand. By showcasing the app interface within the context of a smartphone screen, apps are effectively bridging the gap between the digital product and the physical experience of using it. This approach provides a realistic app preview, setting clear expectations for the user experience.

In-App Events: The Road Less Travelled with Great Potential

In contrast to the widespread adoption of phone-in-screen visuals, there’s a notable gap in the utilization of in-app events within the finance sector in Türkiye. This underexplored territory might hold potential for user engagement and retention. In-app events, such as special promotions, educational webinars, or interactive financial planning sessions, can significantly enrich the user experience. They offer a chance for deeper interaction, fostering a sense of community and loyalty among users. This can particularly serve in finance, where user engagement directly correlates with trust and continued usage.

The underutilization of in-app events in fintech apps suggests a significant opportunity for differentiation in the market. By integrating events, apps can enhance user engagement and provide added value, further solidifying their position in a competitive field. This approach could lead to a paradigm shift in how users perceive and interact with finance apps, transforming them from mere tools to engaging, dynamic platforms that play an active role in financial management and education.

Optimizing for the Future: A Multifaceted Approach

As finance apps continue to evolve, there’s a growing need for a nuanced approach towards optimization. This isn’t just about staying visible; it’s about deeply understanding market trends and user preferences. In this context, utilizing various analytical tools can provide invaluable insights.

Finance apps have a significant opportunity to enhance their ASO and market presence. Platforms like MobileAction are instrumental in this process, offering a suite of features that cater to various aspects of app optimization:

For instance, when refining app metadata, the Keyword Optimization tool by MobileAction can play a pivotal role. Metadata optimization isn’t just about choosing the right words; it’s about understanding user intent and market dynamics. Similarly, keeping an eye on the competitive arena through MobileAction’s Keyword Gap analysis can uncover unique opportunities for differentiation.

Understanding how your app ranks in different regions can also offer strategic insights, where MobileAction’s Keyword Position Map might come in handy. It’s not just about knowing where you stand but also about identifying where growth is possible. Monitoring keyword performance over time can also reveal trends and patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Additionally, getting an understanding of the advertising side, including what works for competitors and market leaders, can let you conduct more effective ad strategies, and the Ad Intelligence suite is just the place to get insights. As the Paribu example proves, advertising is about crafting messages that reach and resonate with the target audience.

This exploration into finance app trends highlights the importance of ASO, advertising done right, and user experience enhancements. The finance and fintech app sector is very active, with constant shifts presenting both challenges and opportunities. Understanding and responding to user needs and market dynamics is just as crucial as the technology itself.

Looking forward, it’s clear that the fintech sector will continue to evolve, with more sophisticated analytics and user engagement strategies becoming key differentiators. For deeper information into the trends and strategies, book a demo with MobileAction. And for continual updates on the finance app world, don’t forget to subscribe and stay ahead in this ever-changing landscape.

The post Emerging Trends in Finance Apps for 2024 appeared first on MobileAction.

In this article, we are going to discuss the rising importance of Contextual Ad Targeting in mobile app marketing and how you can benefit the best from it to empower your mobile user acquisition strategy.

What is Contextual Advertising?

Contextual Advertising is a highly utilized form of advertising in digital marketing. The main idea of Contextual Advertising is to pair up the relevant advertising media with the relevant context to better engage with the user’s interest. For example, showing a clothing ad on a website that talks about fashion is contextual advertising. 

Sounds cool but how does it work, right?

Well, it is pretty simple. Just like Search Pages, contextual advertising utilizes several parameters to determine relevance, and based on these, it displays relevant ads on relevant web pages.

App marketers can also benefit from contextual advertising to display their ads in apps where their potential customers spend time at. In this way, click-through rates get better as marketers reach out to the right audience. 

Luckily, mobile app marketers can utilize this form of ad targeting in their mobile ad campaigns. The only difference is that they should pair the relevant ad publisher and the ad creative instead of keywords. 

Contextual Ad Targeting vs Behavioral Ad Targeting

Let’s begin by explaining how behavioral targeting works. In behavioral targeting, marketers were tracking the user historical data to show personalized ads, which was only possible with IDFA (or  AAID for Google Play). As stated earlier, IDFA is no longer able to assist iOS app marketers due to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy and similar changes are on the way for the Play Store.

But don’t worry, contextual targeting is making its comeback and providing an alternative method for app marketers in their journey to building ROI positive user acquisition campaigns.

But don’t worry, we are here to show you that you may not even need IDFA for High Conversion Rates. 

Why Do You Need Contextual Ad Targeting?

Now let’s highlight the benefits of Contextual Ad Targeting in a Post-IDFA world.

The Rise of Contextual Mobile Advertising

As noted above, IDFA is off the table, app marketers can’t utilize it anymore. Nor can they generate random ads in the hope that the ads reach the right users, right? For these reasons, contextual targeting has become a prominent method of increasing ROAS as it enables app marketers to serve relevant ads to relevant users.

In this context, the use of DSPs grows in importance because, with DSPs, app marketers can distribute their ads to relevant ad publishers by applying different parameters. It is an opportunity that cannot be ignored. 

Now let’s talk about how you can collect data to figure out user behavior while complying with the privacy policies in order to make the most out of Contextual targeting.

App Information

You know the old proverb that says tell me your friend and I’ll tell you who you are. It means that you can figure out someone’s character by looking at who they are hanging out with. Well, you can do the same by looking at their apps. 

For example, it would not be a wild guess to claim that someone who uses instrument learning apps will most likely enjoy a Piano learning app. Of course, someone who doesn’t have a music app can still enjoy your Piano app, but it’s much more efficient and budget-friendly to show your ads to a relevant audience you know will love it. Thus higher-level data such as app category can be easily used to serve relevant ads to your potential users.

Thanks to our Ad Intelligence, we can easily display and analyze where Simply Piano by JoyTunes get the most of their impressions. Their ads are mostly displayed on gaming apps with 74%, followed by education apps with 5%. 

But our glance shouldn’t end there, let’s take a closer look at their top ad publishers. 

Take a good look at the list and try to find a non-music-related app. Let me save you time. There is none. 

As seen, whether it’s listed under music, game, or education the ad publisher stays relevant to the context. In this way, Simply Piano by JoyTunes reaches more relevant users, gets better tap-through and conversion rates.  

App Information that can be utilized to improve marketing campaigns:

• App Version
• App Genre
• Impression Depth
• Completion Rate

Device Information

According to Elon Musk, we are already cyborgs, we just have a very slow data rate. Call Musk crazy all you want but he is not wrong. Our biological selves are already connected to our digital selves thanks to our smartphones.  

And, as app marketers, you can collect data about users’ digital selves by looking at their device preferences. 

Let me clarify the matter. 

Our smartphones can tell a lot about our personalities. Do we use the dark or the light mode? Which keyboard language do we use? What time zone are we in? The answers to these questions can bounce an idea of users. You can even go further and make deductions about a user’s personality by looking at their battery level. 

And, yes these do not violate Apple’s digital privacy policies. 

Device Information that can be utilized to improve marketing campaigns:

• Keyboard Language
• Mode Preference
• Region
• Time-Zone
• Storage Space

Creative Information

The last step of collecting data for your contextual ad campaign is creatives. In order to produce creatives that will engage with your target audience, you have to know their taste in creatives as well.

What kind of visual elements, formats, and styles engages better with the target audience?

Can you utilize player motivations or mood to promote your app?

Let’s dive deeper with examples.

We adjusted our search to see the Top Creatives in all media types on iOS devices in the U.S and under the category of Game Music. 

Even with a quick scan, you can tell that glowing colors are in demand for ads for music games. Moreover, you can see that Playable and Video ad formats are in lead as well. 

Another prominence is user motivation and moods. 

For instance, if users are seeking competition, they will most likely look for a leaderboard feature, or challenges. Meaning that you cannot expect them to engage with your app if you don’t showcase these features on your creative. Therefore, you need to accurately address the user motivation and moods to maximize your click-through rates.

Creative Information that can be utilized to improve marketing campaigns: 

• Media Format
• Visual Elements
• User Motivations/Moods

App Marketers can produce contextual ads based on the data they collect from these subheadings. 

Let’s have a look at the Creative Analysis of a few apps by utilizing our Ad Intelligence.

Above we see one of the best-performing ads of Gardenscapes, a match-three, and build&develop game. And if you look at the ad publishers, you will see that their ads appear in other match-three games such as Tile Match or Mahjong Deluxe. 

A successful contextual ad targeting by Playrix because users who enjoy these apps might enjoy Gardenscapes as well. And this will bring higher TTRs and CRs. 

Breethe, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be utilizing contextual ad targeting as their top ad publishers are mostly hyper-casual games. Instead, they could have direct their ads to yoga, meditation, or fitness apps to have better engagement rates. 

Contextual Ad Targeting and Custom Product Pages to Maximize Mobile Growth

On the path to paid user acquisition, there await two difficult tasks the UA team must overcome in order to receive installs: attract and persuade. 

Contextual Ads to attract, and Product Pages to persuade. 

Let’s elaborate on this. 

Your ads are the first stop users come to. We have already talked about how your ads must go to a relevant audience and be tailored to the tastes of the audience to optimize CTRs.

However, user acquisition does not end there. The next stop is your product page. Or rather your product pages. As you know quite well, your sub-audience groups no longer need to experience a cookie-cutter product page that was evidently not for everyone. Thanks to iOS 15 and up to 35 Custom Product Pages, you can now better address your sub-audience groups and drastically increase your conversion rates.

And contextual ad targeting combined with Custom Product Pages can be as powerful as Stormbreaker (Thor’s Hammer that killed Thanos) for app marketers in the post-IDFA era.

Now, let’s see how to build this two-headed marketing weapon.

Step 1: Determine Your Value-Propositions and Sub-Audiences

Assume that you have a travel app offering hotel reservations and car rentals. Under these features, you can divide your target audience into two sub-audience groups. For sure, you can have a lot more sub-audience groups as you continue categorizing by gender, age, or other criteria. For instance, Women who search for car rentals, men over 40 who search for hotel bookings and etc… It is up to the competency of your creative team and budget.  

Step 2: Collect Data to Unveil The Oyster of Each Sub-Audience Group

Once you’re satisfied with your sub-audience groups, you should research some information you can learn about their personality type, such as what kind of apps they have, whether they are dark or light mode people, what region they live in, what types of creatives they interact better with, and so on. 

In this way, you can create ads that suit each sub-audience group down to the ground. 

As seen in the example above, Dating.com provides different texts, backgrounds, and visual elements for ad creatives sharing the same purpose in order to engage better with their audience.

Step 3: Make Sure Each Sub-Audience Land on a Relevant Product Page 

The user journey must be a straight line. Meaning that if a user engaged with your creative that reflects a certain theme or value proposition, you should welcome them with a product page that reflects that theme to provide a consistent experience and fulfill the expectations of the user.

Step 4: Test, Optimize and Iterate

The last step is, of course, the result monitoring. You need to test your hypothesis about your audience groups and creatives, strengthen the weak points in your contextual ad strategy and iterate. 

Takeaways

• Behavioral targeting can no longer be a method for app marketers as it entirely depends on tracking the user’s historical data. Tracking this data now requires user compliance and the opt-in rate is pretty low. 
• Contextual targeting steps forth as the new crown-holder marketing method in the post-IDFA era due to the advantages it provides for app marketers. 
• Contextual targeting is cost-effective, complies with the digital privacy policies, and offers high ROAS and CRs.
• App marketers can collect app, device, and creative data to determine user behavior and generate contextual ads for their audience. 
• For the best results, app marketers must know which sub-audience group interacts better with what creatives. For this matter, our 4-step structured model can be utilized.

A data-driven approach will save you time and money as you don’t try and fail based on inaccurate assumptions. In other words, instant and accurate data of ad publishers, ad networks, top creatives, and the market is essential for your growth. And the first step to that is to schedule a meeting with our experts!

The post Contextual Ad Targeting: Building Effective Ad Campaigns in the Post-IDFA World appeared first on MobileAction.

App monetization is basically the collection of methods you implement to create revenue from your mobile app. Some of the most popular ways of app monetization are in-app purchases, in-app advertising, or charging money for the download, as known as paid downloads.  

The use of App Monetization models can vary from one category to another. While in-app advertising works wonders for gaming apps, it may not be the best monetization model for a finance app.  After reading this article, you will have a better idea of the most popular monetization methods and their implementations for different types of mobile applications.

Why is App Monetization Important?

The very first reason is, of course, earning money. You have to generate money to keep your business running. And, app stores are highly dominated by free apps. If charging money for the download is your only game plan, get ready for hard knocks. Because the competition will be tough for you.

This is the distribution of free and paid apps in the app stores as of December 2021 according to Statista. The primary reason is that people don’t like to spend money on apps that haven’t gained their trust yet. Especially when they can get a similar service for free. However, apps continue to generate billions and billions of dollars over the years, growing at a rapid pace. Clever app monetization strategies are surely a factor in this surge of revenue.

Considering that the number of paid apps has been decreasing over the last few years, app developers must have found out that app monetization can be done in more sophisticated but user-friendly ways, right?

Therefore, if you want to keep up with the competition, you too must find a suitable method to monetize your app. 

Moreover, app monetization if done right improves user experience. The better the user experience, the more users you’ll attract. In other words, a successful app monetization can also help you with mobile user acquisition.

How to Prepare for App Monetization?

As mentioned above, there are several methods for app monetization, however, not all of them might be suitable for every app. So before we look into app monetization strategies, we should do some research.

First and foremost, you have to know your app. What value propositions do you offer and to whom? 

After answering these questions, you can identify your target users and their behavior. App monetization strategies may yield different results for audiences of different ages, demographics, or social backgrounds. 

The platform holds a great deal of importance as well since Apple and Android users have different behaviors. For instance, according to the research of Appsflyer, iOS users are more inclined to spend money than Android users.  

Last but not least, how do your competitors monetize their apps? Which models do they utilize? Subscriptions, in-app purchases, or something else? Do these techniques bring desired results? Do users complain about the app monetization method? If so, can you find better alternatives or simply provide better subscription rates? 

If you don’t know where to start or how to find your competitors, here are a few ideas. 

With Keyword Explorer, you can search for keywords that you would like to rank for and find which apps are alreayd ranking for them. 

Or you can take a look at the Top Charts where you can filter the search results by platform, date, country, and category. This way, you can find the top dogs in your category and analyze their strategies.

What about complaints, right? By examining app reviews & ratings, you can see in an instant how users react to the services of your competitors.

For instance, above you can see some unsatisfied reviews. Apparently, this app is utilizing too many ads for monetization which is hurting their user experience. Even if indirectly, a frustrated user base and negative reviews on your product page can be hurtful for your user acquisition efforts. For instance, lower ratings will always put downward pressure on your conversion rates.

App Monetization Strategies

Now that you have some idea of what you are getting into, let’s begin discussing strategies for how to monetize an app. 

Paid Downloads

You can monetize your app by demanding a one-time fee for the services of your app. With this model, you can generate instant revenue however, it has some disadvantages. 

Firstly, people might not want to pay for an app that they didn’t use. Similar to The Foot-in-the-door technique, you should start with a free version.

“Let’s start small, try this free version first. If you want more, you can get the paid version here.” seems to work better than “Pay now, and if you don’t like it, well oops.”

With a free version, users can get used to your app so they can decide better whether or not to buy it. Since this is a more reliable approach, it can generate more revenue in the future. 

Secondly, instead of getting paid once at the beginning, you can monetize your app in small amounts but on an ongoing basis. This means more revenue is possible in the long run with other models.  

Freemium / Subscription Monetization

If paid downloads weren’t good enough for you, you can try the subscription model. You can offer subscriptions for different periods such as monthly, 6 monthly, and yearly. 

Similar to paid downloads, people probably won’t want to subscribe to an app they don’t know. So, offering a free trial or a freemium model will be beneficial for convincing users to subscribe. But make sure that your freemium is engaging and persuasive enough to make the sale. For this matter, determine how much content you want to share, which features you want to make accessible.

For instance, Sleep Cycle monetize their app with the freemium model. You can utilize a few features of the app, see if you like it or if it solve your problem. And then, if users are happy with the service and want more, they can get the premium. 

Freemium and subscription models are highly popular among health and fitness, news, and education apps. These models are also a good way of ensuring user retention. If they say yes to yearly subscriptions, they will probably come back more often.    

In-App Advertising

This model is how you monetize apps with ads is highly utilized among apps. It is based on the idea of showing ads on your app and earning money from it. Plus, it is highly profitable since people are getting more attached to their smartphones every single day. The more they use their smartphones, the more ads they can see. And the more ads they see, the more money apps can make. 

This method is especially useful for Hyper-Casual games since games can monetize ads by showing ads in between rounds.  

However, In-App Advertising comes in many forms and you should implement to most suitable ones for your app. 

Banner Ads

Banner ads are usually placed at the top or bottom of the screen. It is probably the most user-friendly option as it does not interrupt the interaction and does not disturb the user. 

However, banner ads have been around for a long time and people have unintentionally developed blindness for them. Yes, Banner Blindness is a real thing. Since people know the top and bottom are utilized for banner ads, they unconsciously ignore the information there, which is called Banner Blindness. 

For this reason, apps don’t prefer banner ads as much as other in-app advertisement options. So if you are going to go with banner ads, make sure that you implement strong Call-To-Action and catchy graphics for better results.  

Interstitial Ads

Interstitial ads can be in image or video format. 

And, Insterstitial Ads, unlike banners, interrupt the user experience so they can be annoying if they appear too often. For this reason, you should find the right moments to implement them. For instance, if it’s a game, you can implement them in every 3-5 stages to avoid disturbance. 

Rewarded Ads

The attention span is very short and just like you did above, most people don’t watch videos to the end. Unless you offer them something in return. That is why rewarded videos are great. Because the advertisers have enough time to explain their value propositions.

For example, you are playing a match-three, get very close to the next level but time has run out. At this point, the application will offer you a rewarded ad. If you watch it until the end, you will have one more chance to complete that section. And the app will earn money. Win-Win. Similarly, Interactive or Playable ads are also great for maximizing the engagement you get from users.

In-App Purchases

The mobile app industry loves the In-App Purchase model. First of all, the app is free in the store so users hit the download button more easily compared to paid downloads. This is the first benefit. Secondly, you can generate a lot more revenue in the long term. 

Users can pay for the locked features, buy gems or skins, or spend money to get another playing opportunity. Or, my personal favorite is that users can pay for an experience without ads. At this point, you simply say that you have to make money one way or another so either watch ads or pay to remove them.

For instance, you can see top in-app purchases of High Heels by Zynga through our App Intelligence. No Ads being the most popular option shows how much users care about the user experience.

This model is more suitable for games and health and fitness apps where you can offer extra features to users who want to parlay the app in the best way possible. 

Service Fee Model

Any investors would be familiar with this model. Finance apps that give access to stock markets and offer transactions utilize this method.

For instance, Crypto coins are in the bear market now. And you may want to seize the opportunity(This is not an investment advice in any sense). So, you download Binance, and order to buy a certain amount of Ethereum. Binance will generate revenue from your transaction by applying a service fee. 

The model is also popular among shopping apps. For instance, Getir which is a shopping app offering fast delivery for food and grocery orders charges a service fee. This app monetization model is highly preferred by shopping apps ass well.

Therefore, if your app has features that improve the process of daily life such as online payment or mobile investment, the Service Fee model can work impeccably for you.     

Email and SMS Marketing

Email and SMS marketing are indirect and long-term techniques of app monetization. Collecting emails and contact information can give you the ability to build customized marketing campaigns. Therefore, you can address your userbase better and improve the user experience. 

Unlike the models above, these approaches are more of subsidiary elements and you should combine them with the app monetization model that fits the best to your app. 

Takeaways

• Both the App Store and Google Play consist almost entirely of free apps. 
• Successful implementation of app monetization models can increase user experience and bring more revenue.
• With App Intelligence, you can easily track the reviews and ratings of your competitors so you can find out problems in their strategies and optimize your own.     
• App Monetization should be compatible with the type of the app, audience, and mobile platform.
• Freemiums and free trials help users to get accustomed to the app so they can decide to go premium more easily. 
• Market Research and Competitor Analysis are of great importance for developing a mobile app monetization strategy that responds to the competition.  

If you want to build a successful app monetization strategy for your app, feel free to utilize our tools and sources. All you have to do is schedule a demo now. 

The post How to Monetize an App: Latest Trends for App Developers appeared first on MobileAction.

This is how they manage people in real-life casinos. Now, let’s take a look at what casino games are doing to improve conversion rates and mobile user acquisition strategies, shall we? Before you even start thinking about how to promote an app, you need to make sure that your product page is ready to turn some visitors into customers.

For this matter, we chose 15 highly popular Casino Games from the Top Charts and will analyze their product pages to understand how they turn visitors into users.

App Icons

In the search results or featured apps, whenever users encounter your app, the app icon is probably the very first thing they engage with. This is why the icon of your app holds prime importance in improving your app store conversion rates.

When we look at the app icon preferences of Casino games, we see that they heavily bank on the colors of black, green, and red. Think about any casino that you have ever been to, or picture a casino from a movie if you have never been to one. You will realize that these colors are also utilized by real-life casinos. Green poker tables, red carpets, slot machines, and even the personnel have these colors on their uniforms. 

Let’s talk about why. 

You have probably heard of color marketing before. It is a marketing method for benefiting from sentiments associated with certain colors. For instance, while red is seen as the color of passion, love, and anger,  green signifies abundance and new beginnings. Black, on the other hand, is usually associated with elegance and luxury. If these don’t summarize what gambling is, nothing can. 

Therefore, it makes sense that casino apps are benefiting from these colors in their app icons for their mobile game marketing efforts. Regardless of the category of your product,  color marketing and projection of sentiment should be on your checklist. 

Moreover, cards and dice are heavily utilized in the app icons of casino games. There are two reasons behind this. The first is the fact that, people who gamble love these visuals. The second is, they highlight what the app is about and what games they offer. It is important to reflect your app’s content and theme in your app icons and Casino Games are doing a great job on this.

You can all the information about your competitors’ creative assets in our Creative Asset Hub. In this way, you can optimize your own visuals by analyzing the top creative assets in your category. 

Generic Keywords Dominate Indexed Fields

When we look at the app titles of Casino games, we see that they prefer generic keywords rather than brand keywords. Zynga Poker, Caesars Slots, and Slotomania are the only ones with a brand name in their app titles. This approach fits well with the genre since most users search for specific games such as BlackJack, Solitaire, or Bingo. Therefore, having these phrases in the app titles put these games in front of the ASO race. 

So what else helps you get better rankings? Your subtitles. After your app title, your subtitle is one of the most weighted factors that impact your app keyword rankings. Except for Casino Craps Pro 3D, every casino game on our list is benefiting from them. 

As you can see above, Casino games utilize these keywords the most in their subtitles. Slot(s), Card(s) and Game(s) get the top-shelves. Subtitles give you an extra keyword field that you can benefit from to increase your organic rankings. For this matter, one should utilize them in the best way possible. 

As our ASO Intelligence shows that users are searching for these keywords quite often the top three keywords utilized in subtitles have search scores of 59,46 and 80 respectively. Therefore, we can state that most casino games are aware of the advantages of subtitles. 

Video Previews and Screenshots for Casino Games

Now, let’s check out what Casino games are doing to improve their conversions with video previews and screenshots.

Video Previews

First and foremost, we have to say that 9 out of the 15 casino games welcome users with a video preview. Users probably would want to take a quick look at what your game is about and a video preview would be the perfect tool for this job. 

Let’s look at some examples.

What attracts a gambler better than the thrill of winning real money, right? As you can see here, Match to Win starts with a movement and sound reminiscent of a slot machine to say “Win Real Cash”. Then they show a user who won money and proceed to the real gameplay.

 Some gamble with pure luck and some gamble with knowledge. This casino game tells how to play better. It highlights your mistakes and shows the best moves. In this manner, Black Jack 21 Pro Multi-hand differentiates itself from other games that are solely focused on providing a game of Black Jack. This preview can be particularly effective for attracting users who already know BlackJack. By telling users what they are lacking,  you can tease your way to conversions!

Solitaire is another popular card game. Moreover, the app store is filled with casino games that are about Solitaire. For this matter, explaining your value propositions in the video previews is of vital importance because the competition is harsh. As you can see, Solitaire by Brainum offers stats and different scoring styles and customizing cards and backboards. 

Screenshots

If you decided not to utilize video previews, then screenshots are your last conversion castles. Similar to video previews, you have to make it catchy and engaging but you should not forget to describe your game. 

Pool Payday is one of those casino games that don’t use a video preview. Instead, they are showcasing their game with a screenshot set. As you can see, we have visuals of real gameplay and lots of happy faces. Because Pool Payday wants to create a sense of positiveness, to show excitement and winnings in these screenshots.  

This approach is extremely common in this category. 

Here is another example. We see screenshots that describe the gameplay, tell users that they can earn real money, and display lots of happy users. 

When we look at the product pages of Casino Games, we see that they are not only promoting the game but also a pleasant feeling of excitement. Just like real-life casinos. 

What kind of video previews and screenshots they are using is presented in one simple dashboard. Furthermore, you can improve your app titles and subtitles by using our Keyword optimization tool. 

Ratings and Reviews for Casino Games

Ratings and reviews are another significant aspects of product pages. Most users will decide whether to download the app by looking at these sections.

These are the average numbers for our selected Casino Games. Although some of the games are relatively new to the market, the average review count is still pretty high. You might think that ratings and reviews are parts of your product pages that you have no control over other than creating a good game and hoping to get good results. Luckily, this is not the case. 

Responding to the reviews can actually make a huge difference. It helps you to connect with your user base on a deeper level. It shows that you are listening to their requests and complaints.

When a user is happy with your game, they show their appreciation by leaving a positive review, which helps conversion rates since other users who see these reviews will be one step closer to downloading your app. Also, they will see that you are responding to these comments; however, the real impact lays behind the negative reviews.

You cannot solely choose to answer positive reviews. When you leave negative reviews unanswered, this will cause a drop in your public image. In other words, if you don’t care or listen to your users, they will stop playing your game and also negatively influence users in the consideration stage. 

As you can see, Casino games are respondents to both positive and negative reviews. In this way, they engage with their users,  show prospects that the app is still actively maintained, and potentially turn negative reviews into positive ones.

The best way to hit 21 is to know the next cards. Similarly, when you are competing for app downloads, you should know about the market. Our mobile app Intelligence tools enable you to track your competitors and see their user acquisition strategies and tactics, allowing you to maximize the effectiveness of your app marketing strategies.

Schedule a Demo with our experts now to see how you can benefit from all of our tools to maximize your growth. 

The post Product Page Breakdown: Casino Games appeared first on MobileAction.