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Successful companies win mobile users through utilizing various marketing techniques. Most thriving ones do it right on their websites. In this article, you will learn how to boost downloads of your digital magazine app yourself.

App Store is not a marketing machine, after all, it is just a store selling apps. People have to learn about your app, and initially, they do it through various channels. One of them is your magazine’s website. Based on the Forrester report, almost 23% of people landing on the App Store page come from browsing websites.

apps discovering channeles
New apps discovering channels by Forrester Research

It is because the people who visit your website and stay there longer than the blink of an eye, are very much interested in the published content. Your goal should be to capture their attention and drive them right to your magazine’s App Store’s page. There they can download your magazine app onto their mobile devices.

YouTube and Ustream use Apple smart banner

Being John YouTube

YouTube, Ustream, and other successful mobile companies use Apple smart app banner in order to attract website visitors and persuade them to install their apps. Smart banner is a well-designed piece of information about your (magazine) app that is displayed on the top of the website only when viewed on Apple mobile devices, such as iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Visitors to the website can see and act upon the following information:

  1. App name
  2. App rating
  3. Price (hey, your magazine app is free to download too)
  4. Link to the App Store

Why it is so powerful

Based on the eyetracking study, it is placed in one of the most visible parts of your website.

Surprisingly, our attention doesn’t immediately go to the upper left of the page – but to the middle. Our eyes are focused there for around a third of a second before moving to the upper left. This same information applies no matter what industry your site is in, and it will likely also apply to mobile websites and smartphone applications(…)

What is more, smart banner works great even if the visitor of your site has your app already installed.

YouTube uses Apple smart banner

Take a closer look at this screen. It has been taken on my iPhone.

What can you learn from it?

Yes, I do already have YouTube app installed on my iPhone.

While browsing YouTube website on my mobile, I get an instant reminder to open this app. A simple and clear notification that people do respond to. It can work for your magazine app the same way, too.

smart banner promote your app

How to Install Apple Smart Banner on Your Website and win mobile users

PressPad smart banner

Apple smart banner is easy to install on your website. Basically, you paste a simple line of code on your site, inside the section. If you are our publisher, here is how to do it:

  • Log in to your PressPad account
  • Click on “Promote” from top bar menu
  • In new view choose “Widgets and Banners”
  • Copy Smart Banner’s code
  • And paste it in the section of your website and blog.

That’s it.

The more websites display your Apple smart banner, the better. That is why you should use it on your main website, blog, and any other pages that your potential readers might visit.

Key takeaways

  • Numerous people get informed about an app via websites of their interests.
  • The more websites drive users to your app the better (whether it is your magazine website, blog or a dedicated landing page).
  • You can install your app’s dedicated smart banner on any page the code of which you have access to.
  • Smart banner shows up only on Apple devices, and it pushes the user to discover your app, whether it has been installed or not.
  • Big names, like YouTube, Ustream and others, use smart banners to boost app popularity every day.