How to build

and launch an
app in 6 steps
 Companies creating apps already have a competitive edge

62% over others. Apps are fast becoming an essential business

requirement, not just a ‘nice-to-have’.

of companies believe

that organizations
And if you’re wondering why you should believe a team of

without apps lag behind app building experts, who specialize in turning all ideas into

their competition*. apps using artificial intelligence (AI) and order-to-create

low-code technology, take a look at the numbers:

6.3 billion people

use a smartphone - this will increase

to 7.2 billion by 2025

4.11 hours

is how long the average American spends

on their smartphone ( 90% of that time

is on apps)

$935 billion

will be generated in revenue from

apps by 2023

S tat i s t i c s ta k e n f r o m S tat i s ta 2 0 2 2

The statistics around app usage make a compelling case,

but the data doesn’t solve the most common app

challenges:

Completing your app build to a high standard

Ensuring people know your app exists and actually

download it

Ensuring those who download it - use it

In just 6 steps this guide will summarize how you can ensure

your app is designed well, built successfully and launched

with momentum.

let’s start

H O W TO B U I L D A N D L AU N C H A N A P P I N 6 ST E P S
1 A recent CISQ report found that the total cost of
unsuccessful software development projects among US
firms is an estimated $260B.

Your app-iness depends

on success…
Setting a clear strategy that maps out your build process

…And success depends and defines what success looks like for your business,
ensures you don’t end up paying for a project that’s doomed
on strategy to fail - and it’s not as complex as it might sound.

A strong app strategy needs a few core elements:

A clear purpose for the app - what challenge does it

solve/what joy does it bring
An excellent (and expert) build plan - with realistic
timelines & budgets
A product manager/app champion with great market
knowledge to keep things on track and give honest
feedback along the way
An understanding of the metrics you’ll use to measure
success - App store/Google play native analytics can
help here - but starting small by setting download and
usage targets is great too
A definition of success (which can change over time) -

knowing what percentage of business revenue/

subscribers/or engagement that you'd like to come from
this will be your benchmark

If anything on the above list looks daunting, remember that

you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, it’s advisable not to.
When building something for the masses, you need more
than one perspective to create it. That’s why the team at
Builder.ai are on hand to manage the entire process for you.

more

2
HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS
 2 It’s essential to keep in mind that those building and
planning the app are not always (hardly ever) the target end
user. One of the most common pitfalls that derails app
It’s not about you… builds is getting too carried away with the skills and
capabilities of your app, instead of staying laser focused on
what really matters to the end user.

The Tech Times outlines the key components of a

successful app as being:

Simplicity
A great user interface
Fast loading, high-performing features (less is more)
Personalization throughout
A single, purposeful focus
Marketing! (More on this later)

Interestingly, these are the same areas that Builder.ai

focuses on when guiding our customers through their app
build and providing ongoing maintenance, education and
support.

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HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS

3 39% of users delete apps as soon as they hit a technical
glitch, fully testing your app before it launches could be
make or break!
Testing 1,2,3… (and
4,5,6,7,8…)

App related reasons for abandonment

46% It was taking up a lot of memory

39% It had technical problems

32% The app contained too many ads

28% It wasn’t as described

27% I was receiving too many notifications from it

26% It wasn’t easy to use or navigate

22% Ads made the app harder to navigate

18% Ads were not relevent to me

15% It needed to be updated too often

SOURCE: DIGITAL MARKETING COMMUNITY

A key milestone in any app build project is to get to a

minimum viable product (MVP) stage. You can then launch
your app with confidence it will perform well, while
continuing to develop features and learn from initial useage
to map out phase two. But it is not just the build that
determines when your MVP is ready - it is the testing too!

Using the right focus groups and selecting your testers with
care can be the difference between launching an MVP and
an MLP (minimum loveable product). Getting people who
match the demographics and personas of your end user to
thoroughly experiment with your app, and give you honest
and open feedback about their experience, takes you to MLP
level. Instantly increasing the potential for recurrent usage
and word of mouth marketing.

more

4
HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS
4 With over 1.96 million apps available for download in the app
store and 2.87 million apps on the Google Play Store (over
90% of which are free to download) the app world is a
Stand out in the crowd
crowded place to stand out in. But it is still possible to shine.

When launching and building a new app keywords are your

best friend. Include keywords in your app title and the long
and short app descriptions.

One of the most efficient ways to find what keywords your

app should return for is to checkout what your competition
is doing. Spend time in the store(s) users will download your
app from and search for apps that are in the same industry/
solving the same challenge as you - you can then start to
build an effective keyword strategy.

Tools like Google Keyword Planner and App Radar will also
help you search keywords and brainstorming alternative
search terms ensure sure you cover all angles:

Brainstorming Synonyms

Kind of users Problems of users

Location Ways to research

Market trends
relevant keywords

Features of app Competitor keywords

more

5
HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS
5 When you’re ready to submit your app to the Apple app store
or Google Play you need to let people know it’s there! Using
the right keywords to return on searches is step one, but
Launch like a rocket
you can’t rely on people finding your app by chance. You
need a full marketing plan to encourage your target
audience to actively download it.

Digital marketing creates the most trackable, seamless

journey for promoting an app (people can download it then
and there) but choosing when and where to run your digital
campaigns needs some thought.

Mobile app making plan

Organic growth,
Reaching the top keeping your
ranks audience interested

Large number of
app reviews
Viral marketing Work with CPC and CPI
networks
Paid installs
Reviews by PR
influential bloggers
Launch Facebook Partnerships
ad campaign
High profile News about the app
media coverage CPC
Push notifications
CPI
Contests etc

Facebook Mobile Ads Offline advertising

Marketing before the Day 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Increasing user loyalty
release Burst campaigns at launch and retention

S OUR CE: Smart insights

more

6
HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS
 Launch checklist

1
Know where to find your audience
Each social media platform has slightly different
audiences. In-platform analytics will demonstrate which
social channels are the best fit for your app. Investing in
paid social ads allows you to select highly targeted
audience criteria and make sure you appear in front of
the right people.

2
Experiment with influencers and content creators
Influencer marketing is a great way to get your message
(and your app) in front of your target audience by
partnering with someone they already trust. The key to
success here is building a long-term partnership with the
right influencers.

3
Don’t ignore offline options
While digital makes the most marketing sense, offline is
still a huge opportunity - especially when you use that
offline journey to guide the online one. Try going old
school with promotional stickers, postcards and
traditional adverts that include a QR code to direct
people to your app.

4
Think long term
Apps are long-term projects that require ongoing
advertising and constant new users. Having a plan that
outlines your promotional intentions for the first four
weeks, three months, six months and 12 months will keep
you on track. Just be sure to keep revisiting your ideas
and updating them inline with learnings you will collect
along the way.

more

7
HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS
6 Building and launching an app is not a project that has an
ending. It is a lifetime commitment. Just when you think the
app is perfect (and downloads and usage stats are strong) a
Momentum is everything
competitor will launch something you were not expecting or
the app store will make a change that creates bugs and
glitches.

You’ll need a future-proof strategy in place, like Builder

Care, that will always be looking out for potential bugs,
essential updates and performance optimization to improve
and protect the lifecycle of your app.

Continuing to visit the Builder.ai blog and subscribing to our

newsletter will keep you up to date with industry news,
marketing trends and everything you need to know to make
your app the ultimate success story.

Learn more about how Builder.ai

can support your next app build.

Visit: www.builder.ai

thank you!

8
HOW TO BUILD AND LAUNCH AN APP IN 6 STEPS