Three ways to get more out of web-to-app campaigns
The Resurgence of Web-to-App
As you've worked your way through podcasts, conferences and masterclasses in the last few years, ‘web-to-app’ has probably felt like a buzzword that’s become more and more prominent as app marketers have expanded their toolkits in order to keep up with an ever-changing industry. It’s far from a new concept though.
In my first few months working on growing Audible’s app in 2021, we were already deploying web-to-app funnels as a way of supplementing App Install advertising on Meta before SKAN had been introduced. We saw this could generate a strong ROI and drove a registration in fewer steps, but tracking for an approach like this was rudimentary at the time (even with one of the highest spending clients in app marketing) and with a wealth of other channels to explore it wasn’t optimised as effectively as it could have been.
However, a few years later, web-to-app is a strategy that’s being not just discussed but actively innovated on far more frequently than when I first started using it. It’s easy to say this is a bi-product of marketers shying away from the challenges that recent privacy updates from Apple have presented when it comes to app install campaigns but it’s actually an equally exciting opportunity in its own right. In this post I’m going to break down what a web-to-app flow actually means and give three ways you can use it to increase user engagement and conversion, using examples from a variety of app categories.
Beyond the Buzzword: What Web-to-App Actually Means
At its core, what actually is web-to-app? Web-to-app campaigns are campaigns aimed at driving users from a web experience, such as a website or a social media page, to download and engage with your app.
Let’s take a practical example. Let’s say you’re running a Meta campaign that’s driving users to the App Store but you wanted to apply the same creatives to a web-to-app campaign. You’d set up a new campaign driving users to a bespoke landing page aimed at bringing your app to life in a way you can’t with the restrictive options of the App Store (maybe a quiz or playable experience), which then has a CTA that drives users to the App Store where they can continue to install and convert as usual.
You might initially think this is adding an unnecessary step to conversion (and surely taking users from Meta, to Chrome and finally to the App Store is exactly what we don’t want to do to improve the user experience?) but used in the right way, I’ve seen this longer flow slash CPAs and improve customer retention. How? You’re able to use a customised experience that’s only possible on web to nurture, qualify and excite the user before they’re launched into the app.
So how can you use this in the right way and stop the web page being an annoying blocker between your customer and the app they’re trying to engage with. We’ve already established that a big ‘download now’ button on your homepage isn’t going to cut it, so here are three ways you can use web-to-app to its full potential and start using it to increase your conversion rates.
1: Marry up the Creative, Web and App Store Experience
One time I’ve seen CPIs climb in the last few months is when working with an app whose App Store product page was giving a totally different message and brand experience to what they were trying to sell in their ads. You could have the highest CTR in the world after pouring your budget and time into killer creatives but if your ads lead to what could easily feel like a totally different app, your click-to-install rates will fall off a click and you’ll end up with inflated CPIs. So how can you set the right expectations among your customers so the App Store page they land on is what they were expecting and they’re compelled to install? Your website is a great tool at your disposal and somewhere you have much more freedom over personalization.
Moneybox:
Moneybox is an example of an app that I think is doing a great job of this. Moneybox is a fintech that helps users in the UK save into an ISA, and their current ad creative is 100% focused on this. They’re not just selling the app, but the concept of saving with an ISA itself. Nonetheless, it’s a full-featured savings app with options for investing, easy-access savings accounts and more. So how do you make sure users you’re engaging with the promise of an ISA don’t get overwhelmed/confused by the number of (possibly irrelevant) options available and still go on to convert into the product you’re trying to drive volume towards?
They’ve made sure that every touchpoint reminds you that this is the app and of the service you were expecting. Their ad creative goes all in on the ISA offering, selling the ISA almost more than it is an app experience.
After engaging with this ad, you’re taken to a web landing page which doubles down on the ISA but also starts to sell the benefits of using Moneybox over a competitor. You’ll notice they use other cues to marry up the ad-to-web experience though (especially through their use of the brand colours). They also use this web page to bring colour to the app, highlighting TrustPilot reviews and walking through the UI. The homepage is peppered with CTAs that direct to the App Store (as well as opportunities to convert online - more on that later) where the user ultimately converts.
Finally, once the user goes to download the app, they’re greeted with a product page that aligns with their expectations (an ISA-focused platform with options to diversify if interested).
Again, pay close attention to the other cues the team uses to marry up to journey to conversion. The H1, image and colours are the same as the ones on the mobile website which minimises confusion and drop-off. The users that are left at the end of this journey are highly qualified and this is likely to be seen not just in the app’s click-to-install rates from the ad but also the percentage of users that go straight towards the ISA product that the app is trying to drive them to.
2: Master the Onboarding Journey
A huge benefit of directing users from your ads to a web experience you control is how much more you can do to customise and optimise this outside of the App Store’s limited set of features. One way you can get the most out of this is by shortening the journey between click and sign-up to get emails and leads more quickly than through an App Install campaign.
In the average App Install campaign, users have to leave the Meta/Google/TikTok experience to go to the App Store, then install, wait for the app to download, pass an ATT prompt and finally complete a sign up process that’s totally dependent on how optimised your app’s onboarding experience is. This leads to a huge amount of drop off and if a user exits the app before completing that registration your options when it comes to reengaging them are extremely limited. So how can web help with this?
One clear example is by allowing users to carry out the onboarding process on mobile web. After directing users to an engaging web experience we want them to, if not convert, then at least register at the earliest opportunity. Web onboarding allows you as a marketer to then continue to nurture this customer via email or other angles to then drive a qualified, high-intent install afterwards. Mobile-first bank Starling do a great job of this: they have an onboarding flow where a new customer can apply via web or app and can capture first party data either way.
After a successful application, the user is directed via email to download the mobile app where they are already primed to make a deposit and become an active user as they’re already onboarded. This is another example of a way a brand has adapted to serve a user regardless of the device they’re discovering them on while still achieving a sign-up as early as possible and nurturing them towards becoming a loyal app user.
3: Reach Your Customers Wherever They Are
For a developer whose product exists only on mobile, the fact that 37% of all web traffic visits are from desktop presents a considerable challenge. Even in an increasingly mobile-first world, your customers may still be spending a large proportion of their time on a desktop device. Nonetheless, this doesn’t need to be something that holds you or your marketing back. If a user reaches your website on desktop through organic social, content or a paid channel like Google Search, trying to get that potential customer to pick up their phone and search for your app (which can be totally dependent on your ASO) is a tall order. Nonetheless, a little investment can marry up that journey and reduce drop off with a number of advertisers using one of two methods to drive users from desktop to an app install while still keeping attribution as clean as possible.
One option is to send an SMS to a user’s phone with a link that directs them to the App Store. Fitness subscription app 1Fit takes this one step further, sending a deferred deep link to a user that allows them to enjoy a one week trial in-app after the point of registration. This marries up the desktop and mobile experience effectively and this incentivisation encourages the user to install and convert despite the otherwise clunky experience of changing devices.
Another option is to present a QR code on the website, which also offers the opportunity to use deferred deeplinking to create a personalised experience.
Dating app Feeld has a persistent QR code on their website which gives a constant opportunity to download as desktop users continue to navigate the experience and learn more about the app. In this use case, the QR code works for both iOS and Android. Once they’ve seen enough to ultimately want to download, the option is always there and Feeld end up with a highly qualified user (even as they’ve gone from one device to another).
Pitfalls of Web-to-App Campaigns
This is just the tip of the iceberg of ways you can deploy web-to-app funnels to compliment your existing App Install campaigns but it’s worth noting that it isn’t without it’s complexities, especially when it comes to tracking. Here’s a few initial pointers that the team watch out for when setting up these campaigns.
Has the Conversions API been set up?
If you’re kicking off this activity on Meta, it’s crucial that you have cAPI set up on your website. As a mobile-first offering, it’s easy to overlook keeping your website up to scratch with best practices but this is something we recommend if web-to-app is something you’re investing in. cAPI allows advertisers to send web and app events to Meta through a single endpoint rather than across multiple sources. This can help reduce duplicate events or even missed conversions on web and is a significant advantage as iOS attribution only increases in complexity.
Is the landing page experience up to scratch?
If you’re going to be engaging in web-to-app campaigns, that means it’s time for your website to be getting the same amount of love as your app when it comes to speed, design and the overall user experience. This means following web design best practices where possible and deploying A/B tests where possible to continuously optimise the web experience. If web design isn’t your skillset, we recommend employing a consultant or an agency like Revolve Digital to develop this with an app-first approach as without a first class landing page, you’ll see the same level of drop off here as you may do on the App Store.
Embrace the Opportunity!
While web-to-app has always been something app marketers have flirted with, increasing auction costs and complexities when it comes to mobile measurement means we have to continue to innovate and diversify as a community. While investing resource into web when app growth is front of mind might seem daunting, web-to-app presents more opportunities than challenges and can give you the ability to slash CPAs by adding this tool to your arsenal. Your app should still be your priority (mobile users spend 88% of their time on apps and just 12% on websites). With MMPs like AppsFlyer beginning to roll out solutions specifically tailored to web-to-app campaigns, it’s safe to say this isn’t a fad and is something to look at weaving into your marketing mix in 2024.
If you have any questions about our experience running web-to-app campaigns or are having trouble getting these off the ground, please feel free to drop me a line at ben@revolvedigital.io and we’d be happy to set up a free consultation with the right specialist.