So, for all of us who don’t have luck with Google Play (constant banning) I was thinking of going in other direction. I was thinking of making my own website with several of my apps, like a mini market of my own, just for my apps, with downloadable apk’s and then advertise this website as much as I can via social media, paid advertisement and stuff like that. I think it’s easier to advertise my own website then it is to make it on some 3rd party market.
Does any of you have similar experience with this?
Yes, I have been trying to do this after being banned and suspended. I think it’s a good idea, you can check my own website for my apps in my signature. Marketing on social media works best, joining android groups and pages and posting links to my apps in website also works. However still can’t compare to downloads on Google play but atleast I have a place for my apps where I don’t have to be afraid of being banned
One issue I see is about educating users how install direct apks by enabling unknown sources on devices. That’s the only blocker I see in acquiring users who have non-tech background.
If you check my website where I post my apps and apps of friends, you will see that each post single post for each app has in block quotes complete instructions how to install apps from apk. I saw that as as problem earlier and that’s why I had to post the instruction on each app to make sure that site visitors would be able to do it…
Maybe we developers should unite and start alternative to play store.That is the only way we could survive. Monopoly is not good in any business.i personally think developers could join and be successful. Developers could not survive playstore after three or more years which already is influenced by big companies .Third party stores never will stand a chance against playstore.
This works, at one point i was getting 5,000 unique visitors to my website Aniwidgets’s Profile - mobile9 and was getting like 6-10,000 installs a day from my website, but then my word press got hacked so now i just point it to my mobile9 profile until i get my website rebuilt. I was also making an extra $500-750 a month on my website from adsense ads, so its double income going this route, at one point i was number 1 search on yahoo and google for the search term “free live wallpapers”. But all went to hell when my wordpress got hacked. Torrents is a good idea too.
