jkhowland . me

I know multiple companies that were built around app store search terms. For those companies being able to dominate the top of a specific search meant good app sales each month. Certainly Apps by Lift fits this description. 

Over on Techcrunch:

Apple is now putting a heavier emphasis on app downloads, so that BestParking has pulled ahead of apps with better names (at least, for a given search) but fewer downloads. 

That could mean developers who built localized versions of their apps to target different search terms are going to get screwed, while more generalized apps that serve multiple geographies will benefit.

This is far from the worst thing that could have happened for these businesses. We still have a product, and a market. 

Make the product awesome and find a way to get the market to see it. 

Previously a powerful way to get the market to see your app was to focus on search algorithms. As things settle down the future might be something more conventional. Maybe it means mobile ads — like Lift Media. 

It’s also possible that we need to create single broad reach apps, rather than multiple search target specialized apps. This is something we’ll be considering at Lift moving forward. 

I dare say that the search results (while certainly detrimental to my app business in the short run) are more representative of the apps the user is trying to find. 

This may just push us, as developers, to make apps that more people want, rather than apps that rank well.

I wrote a post over on Apps by Lift’s blog:

The app store gold rush is over. If you want to be successful you really have to take care of your users. Focus on the experience, and make it the kind of app that they will want to keep using.

If you want to have success in the app store it isn’t enough just to throw an app together, and launch it onto the store. There is competition, and it is fierce. 

It is important to ship, and make sure that your product actually gets to market. However, I think that you have to take the time to build a high quality app.  

LDS Word Search Weekly has been in the works for over a year. 

We decided this was going to be the best word search app possible, or we weren’t going to deliver it. It took a lot longer than we’d hoped, but we really think we’ve done it.

Easter Word Search is the first of a series of Word Search apps from Lift Media. It’s a lot of fun, and looks gorgeous on the new iPad’s Retina display. 

Go check it out.

Apps by Lift has just released LDS Sing Along to the Android Marketplace. It’s one of the best apps on iOS, and we think it’s going to be adored by Android users as well.

Go get it - and leave a nice 5 star review.

Curtis Ross wrote a kind post on our app over at Mormon Life Hacker.

It is as simple as typing in part of or a full address and the information about the ward for that area comes up. It looks nice and works great. Those that will find this app useful are people who travel on Sundays either once and a while or on a regular basis. This app makes finding the right ward, and a map to get to navigate there, very easy.

Check out the post and download the app.