8 App That Boosted Downloads Via Their Homepage
App promotion is not an easy feat. Competition in the mobile apps industry is rising exponentially. As of 2019, there were over 2.9 million apps available for download on the Google Play store. Businesses worldwide are launching their apps and racing to acquire the majority market share. As a result, user acquisition costs are paramount in this competitor-dense space. The average cost per install, or CPI, for apps, go up to $0.86. If you want to promote your app or increase your app downloads in a limited budget, you will have to look for smarter and more cost-effective ways. One of the best ways to boost your app is using your website’s homepage. Let’s take a look at the best examples of apps that boosted their app downloads via their homepage and also how to leverage this tactic.
In this article/
- Benefits of using a web homepage to boost your app
- How to increase your app downloads using your website homepage
- How to track your installs from your homepage
Table of Contents
Benefits of Using Web Homepage to Boost Your App
Why use your web homepage to promote your app? Data shows that people find new apps when they are searching or browsing on the web. Sometimes they may not search for new apps in app stores. According to Google, one out of four app users discovers an app through web-search.
Another reason to use your website’s homepage to boost app installs is the opportunity to convert your organic website traffic for free. Over 52% of the total internet web traffic is now coming from mobile. Over 87% of people turn to search via mobile complete tasks or find answers to their questions, according to a Google survey. When people reach your website via mobile, they are more likely to download your app if it solves their unique problem. Research also indicates that people prefer to use mobile apps as they are faster and provide a more robust experience when compared to a desktop or website experience.
Tinder
The famous dating app, Tinder, boosts its app on its website’s homepage very smartly. When you open the website, you will see a popup to sign in or sign up, with a prompt call-to-action (CTA) “GET THE APP” with corresponding app download buttons. The website homepage also has a big colorful “Sign Up” button which also directs you to the Tinder app download CTA. As dating is commonly know mobile and app-driven, it’s useful to let visitors know that you have an app and provide a download option where they could easily see and find it.
Booking.com
Booking.com uses two different layouts for its website. If you access the website from your phone, you will see a CTA on the top of the page with an “Install” button. Notice how it shows the number of stars and the total number of ratings. This adds social proof and urges the user to install the app.
When you scroll down on the mobile website of Booking.com, you will see another app install invite towards the end of the page. It says, “try the app for the best booking experience.” This message subtly conveys to the user that the app would offer a better experience than the web. It’s also a good practice to boost app installs from your home page. On the desktop version of Booking.com, instead of app install buttons, you will see a checkbox option to receive a direct link to the Booking.com app in your email.
Roadtrippers
Roadtrippers is a well-known app that helps people plan road trips. Roadtrippers homepage has an app download button in the middle of the screen, with an eye-catching CTA of the app user experience. Showing users your app in action in the form of static images is an extremely useful way to boost your app installs. The website has app download buttons for the App Store and Google Play store near the end of the home page.
Apptiv
Fitness service Apptiv has an “App of the Day” message on its home page, which instantly conveys to visitors that this brand is primarily an app. When you scroll down on the website, you will see images of the Apptiv app, showing key features. This provides another motivation to the web visitor to download and install the Apptiv app on their smartphone. The website has two minimal and clean download buttons for the app at the end of the homepage. Apptiv used a very non-intrusive and seamless way to boost its app install via well-placed CTAs on their homepage.
Hotel Tonight
The hotel-booking and discovery brand, Hotel Tonight promotes its app on its homepage in a very creative way. In the middle of the homepage, the website offers “exclusive rates” to the user if they download the Hotel Tonight app on their mobile. According to Google, linking discounts and offers with your app, increasing the chances of customers using your app again.
Notice how the website shows ratings and reviews for the apps. Again, this adds social approval and motivates web visitors to download the app which thousands of people love. Hotel Tonight uses the “Get The App” button instead of “Download” or “Install” as it resonates more with the user. The website also shows the images of the Hotel Tonight app in action. When you scroll down, you see more testimonials directly coming from Hotel Tonight apps users on Google Play and Apple app store. Near the end of the website homepage, you will again see download buttons for the app.
Big Oven
Recipes website Big Oven also promotes its app on its web homepage in a seamless way. Just below the middle of the page, it says “All your recipes on the go,” with two black buttons to download the Big Oven app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The image with the buttons shows the app’s screenshots. This section also shows one good review of the app. At the end of the homepage, the website shows the “Apps” section, from where you can download Big Oven apps for iPhone, Android, and iPad.
Reddit promotes its app on the homepage in a very simple yet creative way. On the top right side of the website, you see a nice, colored button saying “Use App.” The color choice and position of the button is very smart. The website’s home page, when accessed from the phone, also shows a promoted ad for the Reddit app. This ad also has a direct download option for the app.
Yelp
Instead of saying “Download,” or “Install,” Yelp homepage uses the “Open in App” button on the top left corner of its website. This removes any mental hurdle the user might feel as the word open suggests the app would be opened instantly on your phone. Yelp’s website also shows a sticky ad banner when you open it from your phone. You also see a download button for the Yelp app in the middle of the homepage.
How to Increase Your App Downloads Using Your Website Homepage
Promoting your app via the web is easier said than done. The execution is the key, and that’s where most businesses make mistakes and miss the opportunity to harness the enormous power of web traffic to their benefit. Let’s take a look at some excellent examples of app promotion on web homepages. These examples will give you ideas, inspiration, and tips on boosting your app for practically no costs.
How to Track App Installs from Your Homepage
The only way to evaluate whether your app promotion strategies on your website’s homepage are working is to track app downloads triggered through your website. There are several tools and services which you can use to track your app downloads initiated via the web. Services like TheToo.io allow you to see all organic app installs that result from web traffic. The services also allow you to see the breakdown of app installs based on demographics. For full information on how to best track app installs and uninstalls, we have a comprehensive list of tools here.
However, the best way to track app installs on your website is to use Google’s tracking technology. You just have to integrate Google’s app analytics with your website.