How to publish a mobile app on Google Play and the App Store

Let’s face it, as mobile app marketers, you know that competition is fierce. The number of apps available on the app stores is increasing daily. And as you attempt to enter this ever-evolving landscape by publishing a newly developed app, you may make some fatal mistakes that will completely push you out of the competition. 

Despite this, giving up is not an option. You need to revise all the points where you’ve gone wrong and make a triumphant return. How? By shifting your focus from simply publishing an app to a long-term development plan.

Where to begin?

Before developing your marketing strategy after product development, implementing monetization models, and testing your mobile app for best results, market research can help app developers make critical decisions in the early stages of creating a new app. Besides the app development itself, you have to consider:

• Your app’s target audience;
• Your app’s unique selling point;
• Why users will be interested in your product;
• What competitors offer (and at what cost);
• The most effective ways to reach your target audience;
• The best time to launch your app.

Moreover, before publishing an app, make sure that it conforms to platforms’ guidelines before approving it for publishing. Aside from following the guidelines, you should make sure that your app is bug-free and well tested before going live. 

Now, let’s move on to the steps regarding how to submit an app to Google Play Store and App Store. 

Google play publish

1. Open a developer’s console (it takes a one-time $25 fee) and fill out all the credentials asked while creating the account, such as your name, country, and more. Once you submit your account it will take up to 48 hours to get approved.
2. Sign in to your Google Play Console, set up a merchant account, and fill in the details (if only your app supports in-app purchases).
3. Create an application in the menu, choose the default language and enter the app’s title.
4. Use your App bundle or APK and signed app release and upload them into your application. Then, choose any one type of release from four options- internal test, cloze test, production release, and an open test. Once you have made a decision regarding which type of release you want, you may select ‘Create Release’. 
5. Rate your app at the Content Rating menu. Choose the ‘Calculate Rating’ option to see your app rating on the Play Store. The last thing to finalize your app’s content rating is to click on ‘Apply’.
6. Google doesn’t support publishing an app for all regions, so make sure this step is completed properly. Go to the ‘Pricing and Distribution’ tab in the menu, and then make a choice whether your app is going to be Free or Paid. You may now select the countries you want your app to be released.
7. Upload the app to the Google Play store and wait for it to get approved.

App Store publish

1. Go to the My Apps menu at the App Store Connect and select the “+” option to create a new app.
2. Fill in all the required information. This includes the name, description, category, the minimum age of the audience, and a privacy policy and support URL.
3.  Provide a URL to a privacy policy and put it on your website.

Tip: if you don’t have one, you may google the examples and use a sample.

4. Choose your app’s pricing and availability among the countries’ list.
5. Apple Store provides you with more options on when to publish your app. You can release it manually, set up an automatic release as soon as the app passes certification, or set up a specific date (if only it will pass the certification by that moment).

After completing these steps, you’ll get a notification email when the app is approved. That’s it! Or not?

Of course, not. Building and launching your app doesn’t mean your work is over. You should be constantly updating it, and here are a few more tips on further steps to your app’s success.

Better-for-you tips

When you’ve just published a mobile app, here are some questions you might be asking yourself:

• How many users have downloaded the app in total?
• How many of those users are active?
• How do users interact and engage with the app?
• What features do they use most often? Which do they ignore?
• Which channel generates the most users? Most valuable users?
• Are users experiencing friction? Any technical issues? UX problems?

When a consumer downloads an app, they expect to receive a seamless, personalized user experience every time they open it, meaning that whenever an app is opened, it’s the perfect opportunity for app marketers to shape their consumer’s experience and focus on building robust, meaningful relationships with them.

Just let that sink in: 21% of users now abandon an app after one use. There is still progress to be made to keep users from jumping ship before they see the value of your app, so publishing it is the only first step. Follow the next advice to support users’ engagement:

1. Add New Feature Updates. This could give you useful insight into what features customers are using the most, and which ones they find unnecessary.
2. Promote App On Social Media. Promoting your app on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and Pinterest promises more traffic and eventually more downloads.
3. Ensure App Support with New Hardware/Software. There’s a new iOS or Android version coming out every year, so maintain your app regularly and ensure it is compatible with all the latest devices and operating systems.
4. Keep Your User Interface Updated. The more time users spend with your app, the more mature they get. Your UI needs to mature as well, especially if you want to keep your existing users interested and offer them the best experience.
5. Monitor Performance. Don’t forget to follow up on how your app is performing. Stay updated with your app analytics reports and keep an eye on loading times, lags, and responsiveness issues.

Wondering what are the other pitfalls to avoid when developing and publishing a mobile app? Contact us and we’ll take care of all the obstacles!!

To conclude, there’s plenty of work to be done. Remember to regularly update and modify your marketing plan and monetization strategy to attract customers and benefit from the whole project. After app development and publishing, make continuous efforts to make it a success, because competitors are not standing still.

Authors bio:  

Timothy Partasevitch, Chief Growth Officer at Smart IT.

Tim is a sales and marketing specialist, who solves business challenges like an engineer by focusing on data insights, analyzing what works, what doesn’t, and what can be improved from a technical and financial perspective. Over the years he has supported the transformation of new clients into long-term partners and expanded services provided in the work space, ultimately facilitating revenue generation and business success. Tim strongly believes that you can’t be in charge of the outcome and results. However, you are 100% in charge of the input.