How to promote your iPhone Webapp

Posted by Fox on March 12, 2008 at 2:11 PM

An article on how to promote your iPhone Webapp.

So you've developed an iPhone webapp? Now you want to know how to promote your iPhone webapp to all of the iPhone users out there?

I've created this guide based on my own experiences, and while the iPhone webapps I have created may not break any technological boundaries, I have enjoyed phenomenal success in getting iPhone users to visit and use my iPhone webapps.

Contents:

1. Where to Promote
1.1 apple.com/webapps/
1.2 myijump.com
1.3 appsafari.com

2. Marketing Tips
2.1 Homescreen Icons
2.2 Using Webclips
2.3 Sharing Services/Social Networking

3. Monetize your iPhone Webapp
3.1 Google Adsense
3.2 PayPal Donations

1. WHERE TO PROMOTE YOUR IPHONE WEBAPP

Not much point in building an iPhone webapp if no one is gonna see it. The popularity of a truly killer iPhone webapp will take on a life of it's own, but you'll have to start the ball rolling. For a less popular niche iPhone webapp, these tips will ensure your webapp is given a decent amount of exposure.

1.1 apple.com/webapps/

This will be your biggest promotion tool. The process of getting listed on apple.com/webapps is easier than I thought. You'll need to create a developer ID (go here).

Before you submit your iPhone webapp, you'll need access to a graphics program to make the icon and screenshot required with your submission. Instructions and specifications for the icon and screenshot are provided within the developer’s area.

I also highly recommend that get your hands on a web stats script so you can track visitors to your webapp.

I use mybloglog.com for my stats tracking. The free version works well and uses a script that doesn't require you place any buttons or html on the webapp page.

Your submission will include the following:

- Webapp Title

Tip: Unless you have to adhere to strict, and for most people, slightly pointless guidelines regarding branding, I recommend that keep your title short and sharp. "Blackjack" is better that "xyz124 Blackjack". Also, avoid wasting characters by using "iPhone" in the title. Visitors to apple.com/webapps already know that it's for the iPhone.

- Short Webapp Description

Tip: Really take your time on preparing the short description. This is what most people use to decide whether your webapp is worth checking out.

- Long Webapp Description

Tip: Take your time on preparing the long description. Include any features that make your webapp stand out from other similar webapps.

- Company URL

Tip: Don't put your homepage here. I recommend that you create a new page specifically for your iPhone webapp activities. Even if you only create one webapp, it allows you tailor a welcome message for iPhone users and edit it whenever you want to include other webapps or messages. Much more convenient than editing you homepage.

- Webapp URL

Tip: It's just plain common sense to place your iPhone webapp in a folder structure that is short, easy to remember and easy to type on the iPhone keyboard. I use folders as opposed to file names. Example: xyz.com/folder is better than www.xyz.com/folder/index.asp

- Category

Tip: You get to choose just one category. Choose the most relevant.

Once submitted, it takes up to 2 working days for your webapp to be checked and listed if approved by the Apple team.

Depending on how many other webapps have been submitted, your webapp will appear on your chosen category's home page. From experience it'll stay there for a day or two and slip to page 2, 3, 4 etc as new webapps are listed.

There is also a chance that the webapp will feature on the homepage, but this is slim. Again it depends on how many other webapps have been submitted.

1.2 myijump.com

Nearly all of the iPhone webapp portals take their feeds from apple.com/webapps. So if you webapp makes it on to the Apple site, then it'll be featured elsewhere (another good reason for having a tracking script in place before you submit your webapp).

Your webapp will automatically be added to myijump.com. It doesn't currently offer direct submissions, but does offer 3 featured spots per category. You can either pay for a featured spot or come to a reciprocal link arrangement with them (click here for details).

1.3 Appsafari.com

Appsafari.com also takes a feed from Apple, but also allows you to submit your webapp directly to their site. Appsafari.com has generated good traffic to my webapp.

2. MARKETING TIPS

2.1 Homescreen Icons (Webclips)

There's no data available on how many people actually add webapp icons to their homescreen, or indeed how many people have actually purchased the udate required to be able to use this feature, but if I come across a webapp I like I always add it to my homescreen. I never bookmark it using the Safari browser. So be sure to upload a Homescreen Icon and reference it in the code of your iPhone webapp.

If your webapp is just one page, uploading the png is all that's required.

If your webapp has numerous pages you should include the following somewhere between <head> and </head> tags:

Obviously you replace "domain" with your domain and "folder" with your folder name. Inserting this line of code ensures that your homescreen icon is available regardless of which page the user decides to add to their iphone homescreen.

The icon should be 57 x 57 pixels and saved as a png file name "apple-touch-icon.png". Keep the background simple, as the users iPhone does some fancy shading and rounding of the corners.

Example: The fisrt image is the original icon, the second shows how it looks on the iPhone homescreen.

2.2 Using Webclips

Repeat users of your webapp will be very important, and one thing I always do is remind users to add my webapp to their homescreen. I'm of the opinion that if they don't do it on their first visit then they're very unlikely to ever use it again.

Where appropriate I display a message, but at the very least I include it at the bottom of every page. Here's the image I use.

2.3 Sharing Services/Social Networking

I've seen a number of webapps with links that allow people to share the location of a webapp with other users of services and social networking sites such as digg.com and stumbleupon.com. While I've enjoyed some success with stumbleupon, I'm still evaluating their success. I'll update this section when I have more data.

3. MONETIZING YOUR IPHONE WEBAPP

3.1 Google Adsense

Love or hate Google Adsense, I still find this the best way to monetize your webapp. I started out using text-only 234 x 60 pixel sized ads at the top of the webapp, but let me tell you that since I switched to text-only 300 x 250 pixel sized ads at the top of the page, my Adsense revenue has significantly increased and usage of my webapps have NOT gone down at all. Go figure!

Like most people I would never dreamed of sticking a 300 x 250 ad on my webapp. I figured that people would stop using my webapps, but this is not the case.

It's not all good news though. If you webapp process reloads the page at anytime during being used, then the user may get pissed off that they have to scroll down with each reload.

3.2 PayPal Donations

I've just started out using PayPal Donations today, so I can't tell you whether it's working yet, but it can't hurt can it?

Again, I've opted for a small image at the bottom of each page.

So there we have it, some tips and ideas on how to promote your iPhone webapp. YOUR comments are welcome.