10 App Publishing Mistakes That Can Turn Costly For You

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.

Now, who can forget this gem of a line from the former first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt?

In all probability, she didn’t talk about mobile apps. That’s for sure.

But we’re gonna talk only about ‘that.’

Why???

Because no one better than us understands the effort that goes into building an app.

Over the years, we learned that publishing the app correctly goes a long way in making your app successful.

At the same time, mistakes can turn costly. Many of you might not have the luxury of time or resources to make a mistake, learn, and correct it the next time.

And that’s why we decided to come up with this post. Our goal is simple - To help you avoid the mistakes in your first attempt at app publishing.

Now, in this post, we have divided the mistakes into two buckets, viz. Pre-app-launch mistakes and post-app-launch mistakes.

As the name suggests, these are the mistakes made by app owners before and after publishing the app.

So without further ado, here are the top 10 common app publishing mistakes -

Pre-app-launch mistakes

1. Rushing in to publish the app

Most app owners usually skip the planning stage and publish the app instantly. Things don’t work like that. Before you publish the app, list down all the red flags you are likely to encounter after the app goes live. It could be poor reviews, low downloads, or even glitches. Note them down and be prepared to face them when they arise. There is nothing wrong with having a plan B or even plan C.

2. Waiting for the launch of the app for carrying out promotions

App owners usually wait till the launch of the app to begin their promotions. This is not at all advisable. Smart companies ask their marketing teams to create hype around their app even before its release. The reason is simple - the initial buzz and a mysterious aura around a ‘yet to be launched’ app will trigger people to try it out when it launches. It will create a curiosity in their minds and will make them wait for it with bated breath.

Here are some ideas you can try -

• Create a landing page for your app
• Send newsletters and invitations to your target audience
• Conduct polls on your social media account.
• Seek help from influencers to promote your app.

3. Emphasizing a lot over online marketing

Today, as digital natives, we are too deep into technology that we forget our past. Yes, apps are digital, but that doesn’t mean you put all your marketing eggs into the digital basket. Offline promotions can equally help your app to reach the right audience. Hosting a promotional event in your community can attract a large audience to your app. It will help you to take the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of your app to the end-users. Try offering promo codes or free merchandise with your app’s logo imprinted on it. This will help build brand awareness and greatly improve your visibility.

4. Not knowing your target audience

Before publishing your app, you need to understand the purpose of your app. You need to have answers to questions like -

• Who is this app for?
• Why will they download it?
• How will it help the end-users?

Not knowing answers to these questions makes your app meaningless, and publishing it is a futile task. On the other hand, by understanding your target audience, you will know exactly how to reach out to them for monetization and marketing strategies.

5. Ignoring the app store optimization

Here is the harsh reality - Ignoring app store optimization directly translates to your app being ignored in the app store. To the uninitiated, app store optimization is the process of fine-tuning your app as per the guidelines laid out by the app publishing platforms. Not abiding by the rules and policies set by the Google Play Store or Apple App Store can result in app takedowns and poor reviews.

For instance, many new app owners fail to understand the importance of using the right keywords and appropriate labels that may affect the app’s discoverability. Everything from a visually appealing logo of your app to a compelling app description affects the chances of your app standing out from the crowd.

Post-app-launching mistakes

6. Failing to invest in a good customer service helpdesk

However hard it may sound, you need to be at the beck and call of your customers immediately after the launch of the app. You need to sharpen your ears and listen to complaints on different channels. But more importantly, you need to address those complaints right away and sort things out for the customers before it gets worse. Try incorporating a live chat and have a repository of support guides, both of which will help your customers navigate through any issues while they are using the app.

7. Not providing regular updates and patches

Providing regular updates and patches for your app helps to keep your app away from glitches and poor reviews. New features always excite your audience. It will help you to retain them as users in the long run. Also, keep checking the guidelines of ASO(App Store Optimization), which keeps changing regularly. Alter your app accordingly so that your app is not taken down suddenly because of non-adherence to policies.

8. Not going through the app reviews and ratings seriously

As a user, we always go through the reviews and rating section before installing and trying out a new app. Even though one person’s negative opinion might not impact your app greatly, if it is the majority opinion, it may influence your audience to not try this app. More importantly, the ratings and reviews for your app are taken into consideration by the app store algorithm while displaying results in the app search engine.

Pro Tip: Reach out to your beta tester or early customers and ask them to leave a good review for the app. Try incentivizing this process to further encourage them to give solid reviews.

9. Not paying attention to the app traffic

Many app owners ignore the analytics part of their app. They wrongly assume that these numbers are pretty useless as long as their app is working fine and there are sufficient downloads. This is a major blunder.

Understanding the numbers behind your app traffic can not only help you analyze the types of users but also their needs from your app. Based on these insights, you can engage your users and evolve your app to suit their needs. Converting your one-time users into loyal users will be easy when you provide personalized solutions.

10. Not maintaining a strong web presence and engagement

Many app owners commit the mistake of maintaining a strong web presence before launching their app and lying dormant after its release. This may not only deteriorate their app value but also their brand value in the eyes of your customers. You must churn out value for your end-users even after the app’s launch. Posting blogs and answering questions on Quora and Reddit are some of the easiest ways to maintain a strong web presence after the launch of your app.

Final Thoughts

App publishing mistakes can be costly, no matter how good your app is; paying attention to details (in and around your app) is extremely important for a successful app owner. Focus on customer reviews and complaints and resolve them instantly. Comply with the changing ASO policies to appear on top of the search results.

And if you need help building a world-class mobile app with all the latest features, you have come to the right place. We are Vajro, an instant app factory who can help you build such a mobile app in just a few hours. To book a demo with us, click here.