Proven Strategies for Increasing Software Downloads
Tags: technology, software, development
Published: 2022-09-30 12:09:03

Everyone is well aware of the fact that in order to thrive in the modern business environment it is important to pursue digital means of expression. Creating software and apps is one of the best ways to do this. That is why the app market is by far the most competitive, where over 70% of apps fail to accrue more than 5,000 downloads. This means that in order to make any significant results you have to use some of the best strategies for boosting the number of downloads. Luckily, in the digital world there are endless marketing possibilities and you can definitely achieve amazing results if you know where to start. Here are five proven strategies for increasing software downloads. 

## Work on your optimization

One of the most important factors that determines how successful your software is on the market comes down to optimizing its ranking on the online store. Whether, that is an app or a fully-fledged program you will need to consider how you optimize your piece of software. There are several particular things which you should consider. Retention is a really big factor, because if your app is able to generate a lot of downloads initially, but many people uninstall it shortly after, your results and efforts have been rather short-lived. Long lasting users can significantly boost your store ranking. Using powerful keywords and building amazing backlinks are also a really important part of any successful optimization strategy. When you get strong backlinks from verified websites, influencers and other credible platforms, you can boost your level of trust and rank up quickly. The only challenge is that many software owner’s struggle to manage all of their links. That is why implementing a [link building management solution](https://base.me/) can yield tremendous results when performing any sort of web optimization. This allows you to fully control all of your links in one place, as you rank up rapidly. Lastly, make sure to track your reviews, since a high number of positive reviews will propel your software immensely. 

![Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@tranmautritam?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Tran Mau Tri Tam ✪</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/app?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>
  ](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nvd05kvzzwq180067wv4.jpg)

## Listen to feedback

Your reviews can also indirectly benefit you if you make good use of them. This simply means that even negative reviews can be extremely useful in early stages since they allow you to see what can be improved. First you should make sure that users are actually leaving reviews. You can do this by prompting them to rate you using push notifications. This is a great way to boost engagement rates as well. Most of the time a great app gets bad reviews because of trivial bugs that can be easily resolved. All you need is someone to pinpoint them for you. You can truly optimize your app or software for best results if you improve the overall user experience. 

## Conduct A/B testing

One other incredible tool for delivering a [good user experience](https://dev.to/joshichinmay/what-a-developer-can-do-to-enhance-user-experience-8g5) is by performing A/B testing which involves deploying two or more versions of the same software in order to assess the quality of your marketing approach regarding screenshots, graphics, videos, even the name itself. You can then use the version with the most downloads and installs. 
Create a sense of urgency
In order to make the most out of your marketing campaign try to become more polarizing in your approach. You can do this by introducing a limited offer countdown timer. This creates a sense of urgency for potential customers and it can generate solid conversions more easily. You can [use a powerful call to action (CTA)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/12/28/seven-of-the-best-calls-to-action-and-how-they-successfully-engage-customers/), to get people to actually download your software and not just browse through. 

## Become visible on social media 

One of the most notable digital super highways are the social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Choose the platform that is going to be most relevant for your brand and your target audience. Ideally, you can create educational content that can present all of the features of your software. This will generate good leads right from the start. 
There is nothing more satisfying that developing and deploying a software. You simply feel the rush of all the potential that your digital solution could have. However, before you get there it is crucially important to gain good momentum regarding the number of your downloads. You can do this effectively by: optimizing your product for the online store, acquiring and listening to feedback, conducting A/B testing, creating a sense of urgency with CTAs, and sharing the software-related content on relevant social media platforms.