What Every App Developer Needs To Know About Landing Pages

With over 1.4 million apps in the App Store, every common search returns hundreds of apps. For example, searching "todo list" shows 1,952 results. But this does not mean the gold rush is over for indie app developers. It does mean indie app developers need a marketing strategy outside of appearing in the App Store search results.

One strategy for marketing a mobile app is to use desktop web traffic to drive installs. Some people will hear about your mobile app while browsing the web from a non-mobile device. In these cases, you want to make it easy for a person to get information about your app, and then install it. A landing page will help you execute this strategy.

Another benefit of creating a landing page for your mobile app is to be indexed by search engines. This will help more people discover your app. You can use the organic search traffic to your landing page to increase app installs.

A good landing page for a mobile app includes the following:

• App name and icon, which are prominently displayed on the landing page. For example, please see iTrackMyTime’s landing page.
• Short description of your app. For example, Instagram uses the description, “Capture and Share the World's Moments” on their landing page.
• Long description of your app, where you list the unique features and benefits of your app. For example, please see Overcast’s landing page.
• Screenshots of your app. For example, please see iTrackMyTime’s landing page.
• Links to download your app on a user’s desired platform. It is best to use the official platform badges for this. For example, please see Clash of Clans landing page.

A great landing page for a mobile app goes further than a good one. It includes everything a good landing page does, and also includes:

• Quotes from users and journalists about your app. For example, please see Flightcard’s landing page.
• A promotional video for your app. For example, please see Clash of Clans landing page.
• Links to support and press pages. For example, please see Instagram’s landing page.
• QR code. This is more important if your app targets Asian markets, where QR codes are popular. For example, please Flightcard’s landing page.

What else should you consider including?

• Price. If your app is free to download, then it is helpful to mention this.
• A feature that lets a person text themselves a link to download the app. Here’s a Twilio blog post that shows how to set this up.
• Localized versions. If your app is targeting markets with different languages, then it is worthwhile to have a localized version of your landing page for each market.
• Links to your other apps. This will help with cross-promotion because a person might not be interested in the app showcased on the landing page, but might be interested in your other apps.
• Smart app banner. This is a banner with a link to the App Store that appears on your website if a person is using a mobile browser. For example, the screenshot below shows Yelp's implementation of this.

• Email list signup. This is more important if you have not launched your app. You can capture people's email addresses, and then reach out to them when you launch your app.

Marketing your mobile app takes a lot of time and energy. Creating a great landing page will help you scale up these efforts by making it easier for people to discover, learn about, and download your mobile app.

About the author: Murtza Manzur is a developer evangelist at InMobi based out of San Francisco.