Top 5 iOS App Development Mistakes That Will Kill Your Monetization

Monetization is the end goal for almost any iOS app developer, but it takes planning during the design and development process. Having a goal is only as good as the strategy in place to reach those goals; it also means avoiding the common traps even experienced app developers can fall into during app planning. If you’re making these app development mistakes, turn them into solutions to improve the revenue generated from your iOS app.

1. Creating Your App for a One-Size-Fits-All Platform

It might seem kind of silly to have to remind iOS app development pros to keep it centered on iOS, but it’s the biggest and most common mistake made. Before you develop your app, you should have a plan that focuses on building it for the iOS platform. This mistake seems to sneak in when an app is being built for multiple platforms at once, or when the developer fails to understand the difference between monetization policies for iOS and Android.

1. Designing for Multiple Platforms at Once: If you focus on more than one platform at a time, you are discounting the strengths and weaknesses of the iOS platform. When you dedicate your development to one platform at a time, the entire end result will be faster and have features tailored to the platform. This will promote retention to better drive users toward the end goal.
2. Treating All Platforms the Same During Monetization Planning: So maybe you understand how to design a user-friendly app that uses all of the features of different platforms, but you could be missing big time when it comes to monetization policies. As it applies to iOS app development, Apple has a lot of restrictions and guidelines that come with their proprietary platform, but also a lot of benefits when monetization is the goal.

2. Discounting the Value of Engagement

iOS app developers sometimes miss the bigger picture when focusing on monetization goals — you want to engage users to succeed at monetizing an app. Having a well-running app is just one part of the process. App users want to see additional value in layers and fresh content to keep them engaged. Even the best monetization strategy and techniques won’t matter if there’s no one there to advertise to; go back to the basics and make sure each app brings quality content to the table.

3. Not Understanding Ads

There are two mistakes that will kill your effectiveness with iOS app advertisements:

1. Not Planning for the Ad During Development: Gauging metrics will help you plan for your advertisements during the design phase. This means, when the ads are loaded, they won’t interfere with the app’s displays and content.
2. Lack of Creativity: An ad customized to complement the style of the app creates a more user-friendly and uniform experience. On the other hand, not tailoring the ad to the app and using a generic banner or button may result in ads that clash and make the app look messy.

4. Disregarding Performance Data

By keeping a close eye on analytics and available performance data, you can make changes and tweaks to optimize your app after it’s launched. Many app developers neglect to invest any real time into using available data to spot poor-performing features, user behaviors and key demographics. This means they also aren’t putting this information to work to produce a better app.

5. Not Planning for Ad-Blocking

Ad-blocking solutions have cost advertising companies billions of dollars since they became popular. While this is mainly a desktop and mobile browser threat for advertisers, Apple allows third-party programs to disable banners in Safari and native app environments. The best solution is to take a creative approach when it comes to displaying promotional content within the app.

This is in addition to the fact that Apple has a long history of removing apps that are designed with the primary focus of advertising products and services. How do you avoid getting your app removed? Think of the user experience first by creating an app that will bring value to the users, then plan on relevant advertising techniques.

Although planning based on past errors might take some creativity and a little more time, it’s well worth it for your short-term and long-term revenue goals. At times, the routine of making apps can lead to developers coming up with a generic strategy that lets these poor practices slide in. Remember: a great app is only as good as the mistakes you aren’t making. Hope these app development mistakes will help you in your app growth.