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05 September 2018

The Most Important Metrics That Matter for Your App

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Mobile app developers have a lot to measure when monitoring their app performance. With so many metrics to choose from, how do developers know where to begin? In the early days of app development, success was usually based on analytics alone. Knowing how many people used the app and how frequently helped developers learn more about what makes an app popular.

Ratings and download numbers were enough before, but it’s not enough today. Times have changed in the past few years, and as the number of mobile apps grows, so does the competition between apps. Today, app developers need to be vigilant about the best ways to grow their app and listen to feedback. Here are the most important metrics that matter for your app today!

Metrics for mobile apps
Metrics for mobile apps

User Retention

While download numbers are certainly important, user retention is arguably more important. This can be defined as the number or percentage of users that continue to return to your app after the first visit. I’m sure you have personal experience with downloading an app once and then never using it again. This is a common problem for all types of apps in all industries. The higher your retention rate, the moreopportunities for monetizationwill be available to you.

Session Length

How long do users, on average, user your app? This time frame is measured between the open and close of the app. You can take this a step further by segmenting your calculations to see what groups and demographics spend the most amount of time in your app. This is another calculation that can lead to potential revenue. Knowing your audience will help you target investors, advertisers, and more earning potential.

User Acquisition Cost (UAC)

Developers need to be aware of the cost of gaining new users. This cost helps you determine if you’re spending the right amount on advertising and other promotional methods. To calculate this cost, you’ll need to add all the expenses allocated to finding and gaining new users during a period of time and divide this number by the total number of new users in this same period. Your UAC might be low or high depending on where you are in your apps life.

Crash Reports

In this age of apps, consumers have high expectations. They expect their apps to work the majority (if not all) of the time, and they have low patience for broken apps or errors. That’s why crash reports are essential to the success of any app. If you have too many crashes, your app won’t last very long no matter how great it is. Using a professional app monitor likeFabriccan help monitor unexpected events.. Tracking crashes and the reasons behind these errors will allow developers to strengthen the app to prevent problems. Android market is widely fragmented, which mean you can’t test on every device, but analysing logs from crash reporting service will help you know your problems better.  The same applies for backend devopsjava performance & monitoring tools | AppOptics.

User Feedback

Finally, app developers should take user feedback into account. This feedback can be sourced from a number of ways, such asthrough reviewsor in-app metrics. Listen to suggestions for improved user experience and make changes when necessary. Quickly fixing potential and current problems is key to the success of any app! Users like to feel heard, and they’re your most valuable source of feedback since they interact with the app on the ground level.

Monitoring Your App for Success

There are a lot of important metrics to consider when looking into the success of your app. Development is a process, and it isn’t something that stops once the app is launched. If you wish to increase revenue and monetization, you need to be proactive with your app metrics to understand how users interact with your app.



Author
Bartosz Kraszewski
Software Developer

Software Engineer specialised in Mobile Applications development. Focused on code quality and standards, experienced working in fast paced, product-oriented environment - Silicon Valley startups. Co-founder of Mobile Bialystok - local mobile technology enthusiasts group. Also an amateur squash player.