forbes.com
Many app creators are faced with a challenge. They have two
places that they need to market their app — in the app store, and on the web.
For the app store, they implement App Store Optimization
(ASO), and for the online marketing, they use the typical marketer’s bag of
tricks, including SEO, content marketing, and conversion rate optimization.
App creators have a single conversion goal: Get the user to
click on the App Store or Google Play link.
And that’s where things get tricky. How do you design a conversion-centric
website with an off site conversion goal?
Create a normal site.
You don’t have to do anything different to develop a great
app store site.
What’s the main difference between an app site and some
other ecommerce site that is selling a product? The primary difference is that
the point of sale for the conversion site happens on a different platform.
That’s it.
It only makes sense, then, to develop a normal site. Even
though your focus product is an app, that doesn’t mean you should structure the
main site any differently.
One of the major problems that I see with app websites is
the development of a limited site. There’s very little content, few (if any)
screenshots, a truncated FAQ, and a lack of contact information.
This is a mistake. The goal with an app site, as with any
other site, is to create a normal site, and enjoy all the benefits that come
with it.
Focus on SEO and ASO.
ASO, or app store optimization, is the sine qua non of app
sales. If you want people to buy your app, you need to get it optimized in its
natural habitat.
But does this mean you can afford to neglect SEO? Absolutely
not. Many of your potential customers aren’t browsing in the app store. They
are browsing on their desktop devices or searching via a mobile browser. They
may not know that an app like yours exists.
Traditional search engine optimization is crucial even for
an app. Make it easy for users to find you both in the app store environment,
and in the search-driven environment of a web browser.
If a user finds your site through conventional search
queries, it’s not an obstacle to her downloading it.
If you place all your effort into ASO and neglect SEO, then
you are losing a huge percentage of potential customers.
Create lots of pages.
Many of the most notable apps completely neglect one of the
core strategies of online marketing: creating plenty of website pages.
A truly robust website does more than this:
This is a single-page website. It drives users to its
purchase source on Google Play, but it has only one page on the actual website.
More pages translate into better SEO, more indexation,
higher dwell time, more conversion funnel entrances, tactical keyword focus,
and a host of other benefits. Just because you’re selling an app doesn’t mean
you should cut off a major source of digital marketing.
Social signals.
One of the best sources of proof for app purchases is social
signals. If a customer knows that there is an active community of users, along
with social buzz, it increases the likelihood of a purchase.
Make sure you’re fully utilizing all the social channels,
and connecting them with the website. Users will want to gain entrance to
whatever social community surrounds your app.
Create content.
Don’t miss out on the power of content marketing in your app
sales. Content marketing is effective for all kinds of products, apps included.
Apps, like any digital product, deserves its share of
content. You can produce articles, how-tos, discussion, videos, infographics,
arguments, Q&As, interviews, tutorials, and other information that users
may want.
Create it! Any site that has conversions as its goal
deserves content that backs up those conversions. The more content you create,
the higher your chance of gaining valuable search traffic and converting users
to your app.
Amplify your call to action.
Let’s just be honest. The standard buttons for driving
traffic to the Google Play and App Store aren’t the most compelling.
They are typically small, dull, and clearly unaltered by a
conversion optimization expert.
Don’t settle for these buttons. I recommend, of course, that
you keep them on the site. They are an easily-recognizable symbol for an app
purchase. However, they are not psychologically compelling.
Depending on the nature of your landing page or website, you
will want to create a more engaging conversion funnel. Strategically use large
headlines, strong images, and evocative CTA buttons in order to increase the
likelihood of a conversion.
Conclusion
Just because you’re selling an app doesn’t mean that you
should do anything differently with your website. A conversion is a conversion,
whether it happens on a checkout page or the app store. Use these conversion
optimization tips, to improve your sales.
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