The Pre-Launch Strategy: Why You Need a Landing Page Before You Have an App

There is a dangerous myth in app development: “I’ll build the website after I launch the app.”

This is backwards. If you wait until your app is live on the App Store to build your web presence, you are launching into a void. You will have zero SEO authority, zero email leads, and zero momentum.

Your landing page isn’t just a “download badge” holder. It is your primary marketing engine. It is the only place where you control the narrative, own the pixel, and can capture intent before conversion.

The Limitation of the App Store

The App Store and Google Play Store are distribution channels, not marketing channels. They are terrible places to sell a complex product.

• Strict Constraints: You have limited character counts and strict screenshot guidelines.
• No SEO: You cannot rank for “Best way to manage construction projects” on the App Store efficiently. You only rank for “Construction App”.
• No Pixel: You cannot easily retarget people who viewed your App Store listing but didn’t download.
• High Friction: Asking someone to “Download and Install” is a huge “ask”. Collecting an email is a small ask.

The 3 Jobs of a Mobile App Landing Page

1. The Validation Engine (Pre-Launch)

Before you write code, you should build a landing page. Put up your value proposition. Run $50 of ads or post it on Reddit.

• If people sign up for the Waitlist: You have a business.
• If nobody signs up: You saved yourself 6 months of coding.

Builder’s Insight:
When we launch new products, we aim for a 20% conversion rate on the Waitlist page. If we can’t get 20% of visitors to give us an email for the promise of the solution, the solution probably isn’t strong enough.

2. The SEO Magnet (organic Growth)

Google handles 8.5 billion searches a day. The App Store handles a tiny fraction of that. Your landing page allows you to write content (like this blog!) that solves user problems.

• User searches: “How to track intermittent fasting schedule”
• They find: Your blog post on “The Science of Fasting”.
• They read value -> They trust you -> They download your app.

Related: See our App Store Optimization Checklist to see how Web SEO feeds into App Store ranking.

3. The “Smart” Router (Deep Linking)

Users click links on desktop, mobile, inside Twitter, inside emails. A landing page acts as the intelligent traffic cop.

• On Desktop: Show a QR code so they can scan-to-install.
• On iOS: Redirect to Apple App Store.
• On Android: Redirect to Google Play.
• Already Installed: Deep link directly into the app to the specific content.

Anatomy of a High-Converting App Page

Don’t reinvent the wheel. High-performing pages follow a specific structure:

The Hero Section

• Headline: The Benefit, not the Feature. (e.g., “Sleep Better Tonight”, not “Sleep Tracking App”).
• Subheadline: How you do it.
• Visual: A high-fidelity mock of the app in a device frame (Social Proof).
• CTA: One primary button. “Join Waitlist” (Pre-launch) or “Download Now” (Post-launch).

The “How it Works” (The Value Loop)

Show, don’t just tell. Use 3 steps.

1. Input: “Snap a photo of your meal.”
2. Process: “Our AI calculates the macros instantly.”
3. Outcome: “Hit your fitness goals without tracking.”

Social Proof

• “Trusted by 10,000+ users.”
• “Featured on Product Hunt.”
• “5.0 Stars on App Store.” Without this, you look like a side project. With this, you look like a company.

The FAQ (Objection Handling)

“Is it free?” “Does it work offline?” “Is my data secure?” Answer these upfront to remove friction.

Technical SEO for App Landing Pages

To rank, you need more than pretty pictures.

1. Schema Markup: Use SoftwareApplication JSON-LD schema so Google knows this page represents an app. This gets you those rich snippets (star ratings) in Google Search results.
2. Performance: Core Web Vitals matter. A heavy Next.js site that takes 5 seconds to load on 4G will get downranked.
3. Blog Folder: A /blog subdirectory (not a subdomain!) passes “link juice” to your main domain.

Conclusion

If you rely 100% on the App Store algorithms, you are renting your business. Apple can change the algorithm tomorrow and wipe out your traffic.

A landing page allows you to verify emails, build a newsletter, and own the relationship with your customers independent of the platform.

StartAppLab includes a conversion-optimized Astro/Next.js Landing Page template. It comes pre-configured with:

• Waitlist API integrations (ConvertKit/Mailchimp).
• Smart Device Detection for download buttons.
• SEO Schema Markup.
• A markdown-based Blog (like the one you’re reading).

It allows you to go from “Idea” to “Market Presence” in an afternoon, long before your app is compiled.

Get the Web Template