One Code Is Not Enough: Additional Expenses for a Mobile App

Having completed development, a joyful customer uploads the app to the Store and looks forward to success. When it suddenly turns out that in addition to programmers and advertising, something more is needed. Which, as usual, isn’t free. We’re going to tell you what to be prepared for and how much it will cost.

The run-down of prices is large: the novice performer will provide the same service for €15, while a large company will charge several thousand. We will focus on the prices of freelancers with a good rating and portfolio. Expenses for further product support are not being taken into account: we’re only studying what’s needed at the beginning.

Expenses within stores

Registration fees

The publication of apps isn’t free: Apple expects to be paid every year, while Google wants a one-time payment (for registration).

Economical option: find the service “post a mobile app” on freelance marketplaces. The contractor publishes the file on his/her account, and you have the right to manage it. It’s risky, but cheap and simple, because you don’t have to understand how the developer console works.

There are alternative sites for Amazon, Lenovo, Samsung, AT&T, Yandex, and others. There are a lot of stores, some of them are even free. But they are less popular than the App Store and Google Play.

How much will it cost: App Store is $99 per year; Google Play is $25, once; and on someone else’s account it is €15.

Description for stores

An app store will not let you publish the app without filling in all the required fields. What are these fields? Text and graphics:

1. Headline.
2. Brief description (slogan).
3. Detailed description (‘selling’ text written according to certain rules in order to interest users).
4. Image for description (advertising banner).
5. App icon.
6. Screenshots in several versions (for smartphones, tablets, TV boxes, and wearable devices like smartwatches). Yes, you can take screenshots on your own, but they will not work well. Screenshots are framed and given inscriptions to convince and attract attention.

How much will it cost: €150.

External costs (outside stores)

Hosting, domain, and content for the landing page

And also corporate mail, so that after @ comes the name of the product or company.

The landing (product advertising site) does not hang in the air, it needs to be kept somewhere, like any site. Another cost item arises — hosting, that is, virtual server rental.

For the budget conscious, there are free landing page designers; there you do not need to pay for hosting. But with promotion difficulties arise: search engines do not like such sites and don’t display them on the first pages of search results.

And where the landing page, there is content for it: graphics (logotype, icons, and banners) ‘selling’ text, and informative articles. Plus, the selection of keywords, that is, phrases that assist users in getting to the site when they Google their needs.

How much will it cost: hosting — €50 per year; domain — €10 per year; content — €150.

Translation

You’ll need a translator if the product is designed for the international market, and you don’t want to repeat the infamy of AliExpress with their obscure product names. Menu items, button names, agreement texts, notifications that appear on the screen, as well as a description of the mobile app for stores and landing texts are what needs to be translated.

How much will it cost: €0.02–0.03 per word.

Social media networks

The algorithms of social networks are changing in such a way as to stimulate promotion for money. No matter how beautiful the product may be, no matter how brilliant the texts the copywriter writes, the new account will not ‘take off’ without additional pumping. What to buy:

• Profile design;
• Subscribers (better live ones rather than bots);
• A dozen posts so visitors can see that the account is being maintained;
• Meaningful comments;
• Likes, shares;
• The services of an administrator who will support communication with subscribers;
• Advertising in the news feed.

Don’t forget about YouTube: a promo video is necessary. It is also useful for the Store, landing, and advertising. A little something is needed for the video: at least a text description and a banner-saver, or even better — the design and promotion of the channel.

How much will it cost: a minimum of €100; and €300 to do it well.

When to begin

Registration fees are paid at the time the account is created. Nothing prevents you from doing this in advance, especially since new accounts will be checked. This will also take up some time.

Start promotion on social networks at the same time as mobile app development, then on D-Day they will already be waiting for the product. We recommend that you keep the remaining materials on hand two weeks before the planned launch date.