Growth Hacking: 3 Strategies to Increase Conversions of Your Mobile App

Taking into account the exponential increase in revenue generated via mobile applications in the last few years, there is an excellent opportunity to understand where the main conversion bottlenecks of an application are, whether to increase the number of downloads or even increase conversions from these leads to customers.

Each app has its revenue model, either by subscription, offering a premium version of the app, purchases and advertising within the app itself, etc. This journey starts well before the launch of the app. In the image below, you can see the main steps of mobile app development:

Caption: Infographic about the app development process

Source: Media Shark, a mobile app development company based on the Gold Coast

Funnel conversion rates

Calculate the percentage of conversions for your app by the number of views of your app by the number of downloads it receives.

To increase this conversion percentage, the first step is to observe what your consumers are saying about your app, especially the reviews made directly in the app stores.

Set goals to achieve success

To be able to measure whether your efforts are paying off, set goals and follow the evolution of your downloads and evaluations in the app stores.

The goals must be challenging and at the same time, achievable so that they are hit from time to time and generate motivation for the growth team. In addition to downloads, also measure the following metrics:

• Lifetime value (lifetime of users within your app);
• Download acquisition channels (organic or paid);
• Customer acquisition cost;
• Retention rate.

Optimisation for app stores (ASO)

In addition to Google, don’t forget that app stores also have their ranking algorithms. Taking into account that 63% of applications are found in the app stores, it is essential to pay attention mainly to these factors:

• Application name: This is the main item that will improve your position in the app stores;

• Keywords: When publishing the application, you can define a set of keywords to help search engines find it, just like Google, for example. To do this, you must research what words users search for to find your application.

• Ratings and reviews: Ask users to rate your app in stores whenever they achieve any form of success within the app. Having positive reviews will increase your ranking and, besides, all feedback is welcome to improve your product. Be sure to respond to users, thanking them regardless of the rating they have assigned to your app.

• Application description: In this area, it is crucial to list all the features and benefits of your app, as well as mention testimonials and outstanding awards. Do not forget, however, to introduce keywords that are identified as relevant to your segment and business model.

• Screenshots: Using images that illustrate the features of your app can be a decisive factor for downloading your app. It is the screenshots that effectively convince the user that the app can help them. So be sure to take advantage of this opportunity on both Google Play and the Apple Store.

Main steps for you to practice growth hacking in the app stores:

• Search

Discover the keywords that your potential customers will use to find your app. Some tools can assist you in this process, such as Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends.

• Optimisation

Optimise your app’s title, keywords, description, screenshots and video preview with these keywords. You can change these keywords from time to time to compare and measure the results.

• Follow

Update the required fields in the app stores and monitor the keywords you want to optimise.

Measure user engagement through push notifications

The push notifications tool is widely used to make the user revisit your application, which may be overlooked in the dozens of apps downloaded inside the smartphone.

The most common mistake when using this device is to send notifications that do not necessarily make sense at the moment, behaviour or interest of the user, and do not have the expected effect.

Take care of the frequency of messages as well; annoying the user almost all day by sending a meaningless notification can cause him to disable push notifications for your app.