I see it now and again: Developers and everyday folk jumping on the 21^st century gold rush of app creation wanting to know the answer to that one question that plagues them after getting an app into the iTunes App Store:

How can I make my app popular and get lots of downloads and viral user engagement?

Well, from my observations of the circuitous paths of popular games lately, getting there involves more than positive press and trickery – although those factors might be involved as well. Here are a few more tips for increasing the chances of a game going viral:

Tip #1: Make a good game

It sounds obvious, but at the heart of all the machinations for creating a popular app is to start with a good game. Yeah, sometimes the makers won’t know it is a good game that people will love until they release the thing on the world, sort of like the way Make it Rain: The Love of Money went viral.

Perhaps think of what you’d enjoy playing, or at least test out your concept on a focus group of kids prior to paying a developer thousands of dollars to code a game that no one will want to play.

 

Tip #2: Make it as challenging as Flappy Birds but as easy to understand as Kim Kardashian: Hollywood

There’s a difference between a game that’s difficult to understand and one that’s challenging and fun. If my kids don’t readily understand the rules of how a game is played, they lose interest. It becomes too frustrating.

On the other hand, if a game has the rules clearly spelled out, like Kim Kardashian’s game does – so much so that a non-gamer like me played it – then the frustration level drops. Even other games that make the gameplay hard to “level up” but the tactics are clear become a fun challenge for some people.

 

Tip #3: Use iTunes App Store SEO

Don’t underestimate the power of good SEO, even in the app stores. There’s a reason why some apps are named “Black Emoji” and other non-creative names: App creators know they can grab downloads from people typing in exactly what they are looking for in the app stores, whether it be a math game or science app or something else. So don’t throw practicality out the window if you want your app to go viral, especially if you don’t have a lot of money to spend to pay for ads and people to download the app all over the world.

 

Tip #4: Code it again, Sam

Maybe your first app game or the tenth one isn’t a hit, so try, try again. The 11^th one might end up going crazy viral and become your “money site” that puts your mobile development company on the map right next to Glu Mobile.

If app making is in your heart, don’t give up.