What Are the Best KPIs You Should Measure Your Mobile App With?

Mobile key performance indicators (KPIs) and app metrics are two things that help you evaluate your app after it has launched for both performance and overall value. But what are the best KPIs you should measure your mobile app with? There are a lot of metrics available for review however in our experience as an app design company there are a handful that you should be looking at as part of a proper evaluation.

Ideally the tracking of KPIs should be part of both your development and marketing plans because those metrics can show you the good and bad of your apps performance. Analyzing metrics also helps you value your app which can be important when you are looking for investors or reporting to shareholders.

Top KPIs to Monitor for your App

• Mobile Downloads – This is the most basic way to calculate popularity.
• Installations – A useful sidekick to downloads is confirming the app was actually installed and the setup process is complete.
• Install Source – This is an important piece of information to help understand the value of marketing.
• Keywords – What are the keywords or phrases used to find and then download your app in the App Store?
• Views to Installs – Another App Store metric that tracks how many times a user viewed the app listing before the installation. This can help determine the effectiveness of listings.
• User Growth Rate – This helps show how your user base is growing which then allows comparison to marketing plans, updates and the like.
• Daily Active Users – This is useful for determining value and future growth when tracked over months.
• Retention Rate – This is a key point for showing how valuable the app is because people use it regularly and keep coming back.
• Sessions – Similar to retention, this stat tracks how often an app is opened. Depending on the type of app you have often it is useful to track session interval and session depth to determine more about each session and how long between them.
• Session Length – How long a user interacts with the app. This can vary based on the type of app and what your projected average should be. Shorter times should be investigated as to why they are occurring.
• Crashes – A must statistic is the number of crashes along where they happen.
• Load Time – The time from first tap to use and can also track in-app transitions.
• Uninstallations – This is useful as it can help understand “why” if a lot of people suddenly un-install the app such as after patches or updates.
• Registrations/Subscriptions – If you make use of either of these options then they should be tracked. Useful information includes tracking the time between installation and either registration or subscription.
• Upgrades – Similar to the above, it is important to understand how long after installation a user decides to upgrade to paid or premium versions.
• Time to Purchase – This is the time between installation and any type of purchase which includes in-app, upgrades or subscriptions.
• Average Revenue Per User – A key metric that helps you understand the value of the app based on the current user base and for forecasting the future.
• Customer Acquisition Cost – This is based on the gross revenue over the period of time being tracked divided by sales and marketing costs over that same period.
• Social Shares – Total number, when and where are also useful data points.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of metrics out there for measuring the performance of your mobile app; some might say too many. The items in the above list are the best KPIs you should measure your mobile app with at a minimum. More is often better, but this list is an excellent starting point for almost any app to help gain a good understanding of performance and value.

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