5 Ways To Improve Your Gaming App

Mobile application development has become a lucrative source of income for developers around the world. As per the reports of Statista, the mobile app industry is expected to generate around $189 billion in revenues by 2020. Some of the popular app stores are the Android Play Store, iOS App Store, Windows Phone Store, and the BlackBerry App World. Google Play and Apple’s App Store alone are home to 2.8 million and 2.2 million apps respectively. If you have a gaming app, you can easily improve your gaming app by following these techniques.

The most popular app categories among users are social media apps followed by gaming apps and instant messaging apps.

According to data from App Annie, mobile games account for 74 percent of users’ expenses on Android and iOS app stores. This means that climbing the success ladder has become much more difficult due to the hyper-competitive landscape. Hence, you need to be on your toes and go a step further to convince users to use your gaming app.

Importance of mobile app performance:

More than half of all users have experienced issues with mobile applications. This figure does not bode well for mobile apps because only 80 percent of users retry an app after it fails to perform properly the first time. The performance of an app deals with how fast or slow the app loads after it crashes, how smooth its features work, and how it is ranked on the app store, among other things.

App Store Optimization (ASO):

As a developer, you must know how the app stores where you publish your app work. It is very similar to SEO, but the difference is that ASO deals with apps instead of web pages. Also, ASO has a much greater impact on an app’s success. The higher an app is ranked in app stores, the more easily it is found when users search. Hence, there are higher chances of people downloading and using your app.

Several factors affect ASO. The popular among them are:

• Reviews: Positive reviews go a long way in the success of an app. AirG reviews, for instance, significantly improved their game Big Barn World’s ranking in the Play Store. Positive reviews helped it achieve higher ratings and more visibility than other similar apps.
• Relevant keywords: Similar to websites with relevant keywords, apps that have popular keywords in the title and description are ranked higher and see more downloads.
• Backlinks: Backlinks are like votes or referrals. The more you get them, the more visible your app becomes.
• Retention rate: App retention is the number of people who stay with your app typically 30 days after installation. The more users keep your app, the higher your app ranks.
• The app starts: The number of times users open an app or the amount of time they engage with an app also has an impact on the ranking of an app.

Besides these factors, there are other factors like app downloads, region, and revenue that significantly affect an app’s ranking in the app store. Taking these into account can alter the way the app store algorithms treat your app.

Ways to improve a gaming app:

Now that you know how the App Store Optimization works, let’s look in more detail at the ways you can improve your gaming app. Using these methods will help you increase your user base and maximize your app revenue.

1. Create an attractive icon:

In crowded app stores, there are hundreds of similar apps that compete for users’ attention. Your app’s icon is the first thing that users notice, so make sure it pops out as enticing and eye-catching. While designing your app’s icon, you must be careful that it demonstrates a representation of your app and what users will find when they install the app.

2. Remove unnecessary features:

Some developers include many features in gaming apps that only affect the stability of the app. Adding features that have little to no purpose slows down the app and badly affects the users’ experience. Therefore, it is necessary to figure out the features that are vital for the app and then work on improving those.

3. Develop a cross-platform app:

Creating a native app for a specific mobile platform such as Android or iOS limits your app to that particular platform. This way, you lose potential customers that are using a different operating system. To counter this issue, create a cross-platform app that operates across all platforms and on all mobile devices and tablets. This might consume more time and resources, but it will pay back dividends once your app is out there in the app stores.

The cross-platform app development allows you to reach a wider audience and appeal to 100 percent of your prospects. It also provides more exposure to your app and more chances of downloads.

4. Keep it simple:

Complexity in a gaming application often leads to user frustration and quick abandonment. Users may discard a mobile app within seconds if it proves too complex to navigate. Regardless of the game genre, the app must be highly usable, with users grasping its basics within the first thirty seconds of use. The classic snake game serves as an excellent example, as it relies on a simple premise that users can easily understand. Partnering with a mobile app marketing company can help ensure that your app’s usability is optimized for user satisfaction and retention.

5. Test your app across all mobile platforms and devices:

Many times, developers launch their apps without adequately testing them. This leads to poorly performing applications, with lots of errors and bugs, that are bound to fail. App testing allows you to see the app through your users’ eyes and feel how they will be using your app or game. It also helps you identify the issues in the app, so you can fix them before publishing your app to the app stores. Testing may take some time and additional resources, but it is the right approach to an error-free app and highly successful app.

Conclusion:

In the highly competitive landscape, unsatisfied users find it easy to switch to competitors’ apps. They are often vocal about their poor experiences which your app can’t afford. So, make sure you remove all the unnecessary features that are slowing down your app. Test your gaming app to get a full picture of your app’s performance and fix anything that might frustrate a user.