Mobile Apps Development Trends: Voice-Enabled Apps

Businesses develop mobile apps for different reasons. The main objective is to improve their interactions and relationships with potential customers with higher sales in mind.

Today, every leading brand has a mobile app. Small businesses have also joined in and developed apps to keep up with the trends.

While businesses try to catch up with functional apps, the trends are already changing. Brands have moved from the usual type and swipe interfaces to voice search.

The latest trends in mobile apps development now include voice-enable apps. Some brands like Pandora and SnapChat have already shifted to this trend.

Here is the challenge with many brands. Technology changes every other day as brands try to give their users the best experience possible. Unfortunately, most brands are slow to implement new trends.

Do you remember the response when mobile friendly websites were introduced? Many companies continued with their old website designs until it began to affect their traffic and sales.

Voice search has been here for a while with the likes of Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa.  You must have tried these searches by now. The trend is now infiltrating mobile apps development.

Should you consider the trend or “wait and see”? Before you brush off the idea, let us look at some of the benefits of voice-enabled apps

Stay ahead of your competitors

Very few brands have voice-enabled apps at this time. In fact, some brands are still trying to fix bugs in their apps while the world is moving to voice search.

Your brand can be the first in your industry to add voice commands to your mobile app. Do not sit back and wait to see how the trend goes. Many phone users are already using voice search daily instead of typing.

You have an opportunity as a business or brand owner to stand out before the next trend comes. Voice capabilities can be a marketing tool on app stores and other platforms before your competitors catch up with the trend.

Hands-free operation

Why do users speak into their devices instead of typing? In most cases, they have no time to sit and type every letter. Phone users are looking for capabilities that minimise distractions from their work or activities.

Phone manufacturers identified this need and introduced voice recognition capabilities. Now, phone users can open their devices, call or send a message and exit without touching the screen.

The capabilities enabled phone users to multitask. They can confirm a meeting while on the move. They can order a product while working out.

Voice enabled apps provide the same convenience. Your target customers can search for a product or request for information about your brand while on the go.

Once users know they can give such commands easily and fast, they will interact with your app more every day. Increased interactions will lead to higher sales, especially from returning customers.

Quick search results and insights

Voice capabilities enable customers to find the information to make a purchase decision fast. Customers can easily find out if an item is in stock.

The search results are fast in comparison to a whole page of results that an app gives when a user types in a query.

Your business benefits further from quick insights based on the customers’ queries. You can tell the kind of products that your customers are looking for from their voice commands.

In addition, your app can recommend related or complementary products to the customer while they interact with the app.

All the customer has to do is answer yes or no to the queries and the items are added to their carts.

Low development costs

You might be thinking that voice capabilities will cost you an arm and a leg to implement. No, the trend is affordable. You can redesign your current app to include the capabilities.

When speech algorithm was first introduced, app developers would take years to fully implement it. It is now an easy and fast process with a speech SDK.

Your part is to identify the right mobile app developers that know how to embed speech recognition capabilities to apps.

If you are considering redesigning your mobile app or developing a new app, voice capabilities should be part of your list of features.

User friendliness

A simple task like checking the price of a product will take many taps or clicks to complete. Even if you try to minimise the number of clicks, the customer will still spend more time locating a product.

Voice search makes an app more user friendly because we naturally speak faster than we type. Some devices are also slow in responding to commands.

Speech recognition capabilities enable customers to bypass many steps, which improves their experience with your brand.

Users will begin to associate your brand with speed, convenience, and improved customer satisfaction. In addition to loyalty, you will get more recommendations to potential customers from your satisfied customers.

Remember that e-commerce is only getting better and more competitive. You need every opportunity to market and differentiate your brand.

Customers will expect it

Enabling voice search is not just a matter of keeping up with mobile apps development trends. Mobile phone users have already shifted to voice commands on search engines.

Speaking into devices instead of typing or swiping is the new norm. In the near future, customers will not consider the new technology as an advantage.

Instead, customers will expect competitive brands to have voice enabled apps. Customers expect that businesses follow and implement trends.

If you lag behind, you may lose some customers and opportunities to market your brand as a leader in the industry. Your competitors should not set the pace for your brand to follow.

Final thoughts

Mobile apps owners must wake up to the reality that the voice-enabled apps are now a trend. Voice search is becoming the most preferred way of interacting with brands, especially when searching for products or services online. As the technology advances, customers will prefer brands that keep up with trends to give the best experience possible. If you seek to maximise e-commerce sales and increase brand competitiveness, consider embedding voice capabilities to your app.

Top 10 Web Development Tips For Small Business Owners

Have you been wondering how to start a small business without spending an arm and a leg? Well, doing so is easier than you ever imagined! All you need to do is develop a website and design it in such a way that visitors, preferably your prospective clients, will start flowing in and buying your products.

The best thing is that in the modern world, many clients prefer to make purchases on online platforms. That said, you should be ready to pay a price for the best web design services in Kenya. Otherwise, you will join millions of people who have tried online businesses and failed.

What tips should small business owners follow when developing a website? Here are the most important tips:

1. Create a polished and professional logo

A well-designed logo speaks volumes to your prospective clients in the sense that they are able to identify with your brand. It will particularly be beneficial if the logo is placed prominently on the site. Use of a high-resolution image for the logo is equally important.

It is wise to link the logo to the homepage so that visitors will navigate to it without hiccups. A professional logo tells your potential clients the quality of services or products to expect from you. Consider hiring top web developers to design a new logo for your business website.

2. Optimize the homepage

Most of your visitors are likely to land on your homepage depending on your marketing strategies. What elements have you included on your homepage? Is it easy to navigate to other pages from the homepage? Is the experience seamless?

The homepage can include more sections than other pages on the site. However, you must pick the right elements or sections. The most important elements to include are an overview of your services or products, case studies, testimonials, and success stories. Other elements include useful resources, value proposition, an intro video, product features, and about us.

3. Do away with the clutter

It is easy to get caught up in uploading images, links and all sorts of information related to your brand. Even so, you may not be aware that you may be confronting the brains of your clients with too much information that they cannot process it well. The result will be confusion and a failure to focus on what is important in your website.

Hence, you must get rid of all the graphics, photographs, or any other content you deem unnecessary. Be sure to limit your links and options in the header and footer so that the client can focus on what is necessary. You must also create space between images and paragraphs to control user flow.

Hiring reliable web design services in Kenya becomes critical if you cannot identify the clutter on your site. Top developers will clear the clutter and include fresh content that keeps visitors scrolling.

4. Choose your fonts and colors wisely

When choosing your fonts, you must always have in mind the fact that users will access your website using different devices. Thus, whereas fonts may look sizable on a laptop, they may not scale well on mobile devices, which then makes them lose the desirable look. At the same time, ensure that colors are utilized strategically on the site.

Neutral colors are ideal if you want to create an elegant and clean impression. Remember that your colors must complement your logo and any other color used to create the fonts. In the end, your visitors will not only be able to focus on the most important content on your website, but they will also visit it regularly.

5. Review Navigation

You want your visitors to stay on your website as long as possible and order for products. You cannot achieve the same with a confusing website. Make it so easy for visitors to find what they are looking for on your site. A few seconds should be enough to find an item or information if you get navigation right.

Some of the factors to consider when designing your navigation bar include a responsive design and streamlined content. Part of the reason why you need to hire web design services in Kenya is to give users the best experience. The experience should not change drastically when a user switches to a mobile phone.

6. Optimize call-to-action buttons

Getting traffic to your website is one thing but transforming the traffic into sales is a different ball game. After reading about your products or services, what should the visitors do? Does your site give any direction or prompt visitors to take action?

Do not sit and wait for calls or emails without call-to-action buttons on your site. Include them in such a way that they are visible but not disruptive. Try to include most of the call-to-action buttons at the top and middle of the funnel. Otherwise, you will spam your website with too many buttons at the bottom of the funnel.

One important tip when designing call-to-action buttons is to help your visitors solve a problem. For instance, lead them to materials that relieve their pain points. You can offer video tutorials, webinars, price lists, or offers to meet different needs.

7. Add social share buttons

You can generate new traffic to your website from your visitors. Prompt visitors to share your content on social media by including social share buttons. You can reach the same visitors if they follow or connect with you on social media. Hence, it should be easy to access all social media platforms directly from your website.

8. White space is acceptable

You do not need to fill all the space with text and images. Leaving some white space is okay because it helps you break a page. Extra space improves readability and overall outlook of your site. However, you must be careful to retain a professional design.

It may be difficult to add white space if every page is full of content. The reality is that some of the visuals and links on your site may be unnecessary. As you clear clutter, think of the white spaces you can create on each page. Another important tip is to group content and then use white space to separate different groups.

9. Mobile optimization

We mentioned this briefly when discussing navigation and clutter. Most people prefer to access the internet on their mobile phones, which means that they will view your site on their smartphones. Hence, you must optimize your business website for mobile.

Before saving or publishing any changes on your website, check its outlook on a mobile phone. Most content creators will give you a mobile preview of your website. If you created a site without this tip in mind, it may be time to search for web design services in Kenya

10. Search Engine Optimization

You now have a responsive website with a professional design. Your visitors can easily navigate the pages and find whatever product or information they need. The next big question to ask is, will your target clients find the website on search engines?

A clear search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is important to help internet users find your website easily. The basic goal of SEO is to ensure that your website appears among the top search results for specific search terms or phrases. Luckily, you have multiple tools online to help you optimize your website.

The right approach to web development and design will usher you into a world of success and growth in your small business. If you still have queries on how to develop your site successfully, you may want to seek for the help of top designers in Kenya. Professional advice is particularly important if you lack basic web design skills.

How to Market Your App: Important Tips From the Leading App Developers in Kenya

Whether you develop an app on your own or hire the best App Developers in Kenya, its performance will largely depend on your marketing tactics. Be realistic from the start. Millions of apps exist around the world in app stores. If you narrow down your search to one category, you are likely to find hundreds or even thousands of other apps. Hence, you must be creative with your marketing strategy to increase downloads. We offer a few tips to anyone struggling to get new downloads

1. Conduct market research

Most people associate market research with physical products. You need the same for your app. If you have already launched your app, it is still not late to conduct the research. It could be the difference between success and failure after a large investment. Start where you are even if you may need to change almost all the features after.

The purpose of the research is to define your target users and their needs. Develop such a clear definition of the user’s persona to the extent that you can almost predict the next move. If your app is already in use, analyze the users’ habits including any complaints about its functionality.

For new developers, market research will help you develop a viable app idea. Real data helps you to determine if the investment is worth. Is there a need for such an app in the market? What are the gaps in the market? Does your idea fill any gaps or are you reinventing the wheel? Extensive research answers such questions.

2. Make your app useful

If your app is not solving a problem, you are likely to get a few or no downloads. While conducting your research, identify the target user’s pain point. The app does not have to be an extension of your website or online store. You can borrow a few functions but then create an app that solves more than one problem.

If users can only buy your products or services via the app, they are likely to uninstall it after purchase. Give them a reason to keep the app and open it daily. What tips or useful information can you share with the users? How else can they benefit from your app apart from learning about your company or brand?

3. Analyze your competition

We mentioned this at the start; app stores are flooded with millions of apps. However, that does not mean that the apps are solving all the problems in the world. App developers in Kenya are still creating new apps for the same population of mobile phone users. As you analyze your competitors, you will realize that even in a pool of apps, only a few are real competitors.

Check the features, functions, and reviews of leading apps. User feedback is also a good place to find the unmet needs in the market. You can narrow down your competitors to the top five for easy analysis. Find out why their apps are outperforming your app.

Analyze their marketing tactics and borrow some ideas that apply to your type of app. Check the pricing, pros and cons of their apps, and monetization strategies. You will certainly learn new ideas that will boost your downloads.

4. Create a unique brand message and style

At this point, you know the persona of your target users and understand your competition. The next step is to differentiate your app on the market. Create a unique branding message that will run in all your marketing campaigns. The message should state clearly the unique needs that your app meets. While we recommend that you analyze your competitors’ strategies, the idea is to learn and not copy everything the competitors do.

Look for a message that resonates with the users. It should be easy to remember to the extent that they recite it when your app is mentioned. Give a story of why the app was created instead of just stating its features. In addition, give the brand message a human voice. Customers connect with people and not automated voices.

Top app developers in Kenya recommend consistency in branding. Be specific with the colours, fonts, and design styles. We will discuss some marketing platforms in the next section. Your brand style must be consistent on all platforms. Users should associate an ad with your app with just one glance.

5. Use multiple marketing platforms

It is now time to make noise about your app. You have a unique branding message that every phone user must hear. For mobile apps, the best place to start is mobile ads. Your target users are likely to be browsing on their phones when downloading apps. Google ads are a good place to start. If you have a website, talk about the app as well.

You can create a microsite or mobile website for the app. You can also develop a full website or a dedicated landing page. Include a short video that displays the app features and functions. Teach visitors how to download, install, and use the app. Make the process appear seamless and most importantly useful.

Social media is another great advertising channel that you cannot afford to ignore. Start by sharing the same videos on your site to social platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. You need to brand your social media accounts or pages and spread the word about the app.

Guest posting is another way to reach more users. Prioritize news websites and other high-ranking websites or blogs. A link back to your site or a mention of your app will generate more views on app stores. Explore email marketing as well. Remind your subscribers to download and recommend your app to others. Look for ways to collect email addresses on all platforms and use them for advertising with the subscribers’ consent.

Our Final Thoughts

Marketing tactics cannot replace the need to offer a quality product or service. We have offered a guide to help you market your app. However, you must start with a good app for the tactics to give you results. A poor-designed app will frustrate your marketing efforts. Work with reliable app developers in Kenya to improve the design and functionality of your app before marketing it. If users have a great experience when using the app, they will recommend it to others.

 

The List is here! Top betting apps in Kenya (2020)

Betting apps in Kenya have remained popular despite the changes in government regulations.

The Kenyan government imposed a 20% tax rate on betting winnings but the gambling craze is still on.

Some companies have had to battle in court to maintain their licenses.

International betting companies dominate the betting world in Kenya.

The highest percentage of companies offers their services on websites and not betting apps.

A few have developed mobile apps to improve the experience for their users.

Mobile apps give players the same experience of a betting website with increased connectivity.

Some companies offer the option of betting via SMS or USSD code to save on data charges.

In this review, we focus on companies that have both a betting website and functional mobile app.

1. SportPesa

SportPesa is among the most popular betting apps in the Kenyan market. It was also among the first apps to hit the market.

The developers emphasize on the simplicity of following and placing bets on the app for the users.

In addition, the developers have been updating the app to optimise its performance.

The speed of placing bets on teams is important to users because it has an effect on their data usage.

Another top feature of the SportPesa app is the intuitive user interface. A large number of football fans have limited technical skills.

A simple and intuitive interface makes the app a favourite. The app is free to download and use.

Users enjoy a variety of sports to place bets on including tennis, football, and rugby among others.

2. 1XBET

The 1XBET betting company has a large international clientele of more than 400,000 site users.

Betting fans consider the stability of the betting company when choosing an app. 1XBET offers this guarantee, which partly explains its growing popularity in Kenya.

The app is available for both Android and iOS devices. The first deposit bonus of up to Ksh.10, 000 attracts many users.

The company has an excellent live betting platform and its jackpots are high.

Kenyans also use 1XBET because of the reliable customer services and high odds across all sports.

3. Betika

Betika has done a considerable good job of marketing the app across all online and offline platforms.

Many betting apps in Kenya emphasize on large initial bonuses. Betika attracts users with the betting amount.

Kenyan users can place a bet with as little as Ksh.49.

The app offers high odds as well across all sports and a great experience on both the app and website.

Kenyans run for the daily Betika bonuses and jackpot matches.

Similar to most betting apps, Betika offers instant deposits and withdrawals

Betika app is free and compatible with both Android and iOS platforms.

READ ALSO: Why are Instant Loans Popular in Kenya Despite Metropol CRB Listings?

4. Sportybet

The company offers a fast and light betting app to users. Users can complete the process of placing bets within 6MB.

Such a rate is affordable to many Kenyans given the declining data charges across all mobile carriers.

Another amazing feature of the betting app is instant notifications. Users know instantly when they win to cash out their returns.

Sportybet gives users the freedom to choose between full and partial cash out. Every bet has a return despite the outcome.

The app allows users to bet with any amount from Ksh.50 to Ksh.300. The Karibu bonus for placing an initial bet within that range is Ksh.1, 000.

The Sportybet is different from other betting apps in Kenya in that is allows users to bet on virtual games.

5. M-Bet

Kenyans have preferred international companies for a long time because of the risks involved in the game.

However, Kenyan companies such as M-Bet have managed to penetrate and gain a significant market share.

The company is fully incorporated according to the laws of Kenya for gaming sites.

M-Bet gives an easy experience to users and is available on all mobile networks in the country.

The company started by building its betting site before introducing its free apps to its users.

App users can bet on multiple sports and virtual games.

6. Mcheza

Developers have worked hard at making betting apps appealing to Kenyans.

The Mcheza app is among the apps that resonate with users right from its name to its unique features.

The company provides an option of using USSD code to register and place bets in case of internet disconnection.

Users can cash out their bets at any time during a live game or even before a game starts.

In addition, users can withdraw their bet via SMS at any time.

Mcheza offers virtuals sports in addition to other international sports such as rugby, football, basketball and tennis.

Similar to other betting apps in Kenya, the Mcheza app uses the Lipa na Mpesa payment option for deposits and withdrawals.

The app is available on the Android platform, which is the most popular mobile platform in Kenya.

Quick tips on how to choose a betting app

1. Privacy policy

Avoid betting companies without a privacy policy if you want to keep your personal data safe.

Remember that you will be required to give your personal details for registration.

You will also provide your mobile money account for deposits and withdrawals.

2. Betting odds

Go for betting apps in Kenya with high betting odds.

High odds help you to lower your risks of overspending on betting.

3. User interface

The best betting apps should have a simple and friendly interface.

Betting is a fun game. You do not need long manuals to learn how to use an app.

4. Customer service

Betting apps and sites sometimes develop issues, especially when you want to place a bet or withdraw.

If you have any issue with your account, the customer care staff should be available to resolve it fast.

Read other client’s reviews and test the customer service before betting huge on a new app.

5. Payment options

Mpesa and Airtel Money are widely accepted in Kenya.

Get an app that supports your preferred payment method for deposits and withdrawals.

6. Bonuses

Every player deserves a good bonus from the preferred betting company.

Check the bonus policy right from the initial bonus and other bonus products.

Watch out for companies with a high initial bonus but low earnings on other products.

7. Variety

Football is huge in Kenya but you need more than one sport.

What happens when a league ends? Do you stop winning?

Choose an app with a variety of games, especially your favourite games.

Final remarks

Choosing the best among the top betting apps in Kenya is now easy for you. However, you must play responsibly to enjoy the game. The list of apps will grow as more betting companies develop apps to enhance user experience.

Web Design in Kenya: Why is Your Website Traffic going Down?

One of the top reasons why you should invest in the best for web design in Kenya is to attract traffic to your website. The number of visitors affects your bottom line at the end of the year.

You may not admit it but you get worried every time you see a downward trend on Google Analytics. What is wrong? Where did all the visitors go?

Let us look at the top reasons why your website traffic may decline.

1. Outdated keywords

Keywords or key phrases drive traffic to your website. Internet users end up on your site if it appears among the top results for their search phrases.

When is the last time you updated your keyword strategy?

We understand the demands of building a business. You do not have all the time to follow up on the website after the web designers hand it over to you.

The common practice in many businesses is to search for keywords when developing a new website. The website owner will then write content based on the keywords.

As time goes by, you forget about the website especially if you have steady traffic at first.

The right keywords for any business will change over time as search trends change. For instance, internet users were concerned about the best web design in Kenya in the past.

Today, the users are more concerned about a responsive website design.

If your traffic has declined, it is time to review your keywords. Rewrite the content or write fresh content for the website based on those keywords.

Schedule keyword review in a way that you do not forget to keep your content updated.

2. Google Algorithm update

Many website owners are victims of algorithm updates from Google and Bing. Unfortunately, the search engines do not give any warnings.

The greatest concern for search engines is to give internet users the best experience possible. Remember that they are also in business.

Happy internet users mean higher returns and loyalty to a search engine.

When Google updates its algorithm, the ranking of your website will either improve or decline.

A decline in ranking means that fewer internet users see the website when search for your line of business. The result is low traffic.

Combine this with the wrong keyword strategy and your website will be invisible to your target audience.

You cannot do anything about algorithm updates. However, you can watch the trends in ranking websites and determine what you need to change on your website.

If an update pushes your website to the second or third page of results, use alternative ways to drive traffic as you fix your website.

Social media and email marketing are proven strategies that drive traffic to websites.

An alternative is to run Google Ads for the keywords that your business targets.

3. Security issues

Security is a big issue in online business. A small security issue will affect website traffic almost immediately.

The downside of it is that even after you fix the issues, some visitors will never come back.

You need to fix any security issues immediately.

Start by ensuring that your website is HTTPS and not HTTP. What is the difference you may ask?

HTTPS encrypts user data when transferring data. Hence, sensitive information like the user’s bank details is encrypted when using your website.

Internet users are aware of this difference. In addition, Google always notifies users when they visit a HTTP website.

For most internet users, such a notice means that they need to run or look for an alternative.

Some visitors may proceed after the notice just to get information but they will not purchase anything or provide any personal data.

When choosing a company for web design in Kenya, ensure that you purchase and activate a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.

If the SSL certificate has an expiry date, update it before that date. Otherwise, you will lose traffic when Google starts indicating that your website is insecure.

READ ALSO: How to Keep Visitors Longer on Your Website

4. Slow speed

Nothing puts off internet users like slow speed. As long as they have fast internet, they expect your website to load in 3-4 seconds.

If your website takes longer than that, they will be clicking on the next best result.

Check the site speed regularly especially after uploading media like videos and images.

Delete unnecessary files and pages that slow down the website. In short, you cannot just develop a website and forget about it until you hear of a complaint.

Be proactive in checking for issues even when the traffic looks good.

Test it on different devices and different internet connections where possible. Remember that most of your visitors are likely to visit the site on their mobile devices.

All pages must be responsive and load fast.

5. A poor SEO strategy

Keywords are a large part of SEO but not everything. You need to update your SEO strategy as you update your keywords.

Your SEO strategy determines your ranking on search engines for specific keywords.

Having the right set of keywords is not enough. You need a good strategy to outdo your competitors in ranking for those keywords.

Follow the latest SEO trends and update your strategy accordingly.

If you have little knowledge and experience in SEO, consider outsourcing the service to experts.

SEO companies come in handy when you are in a highly competitive field.

Be careful with your SEO strategy when redesigning your website. Many companies lose traffic while trying to improve user experience.

6. Poor Server Performance

Everything we have talked about so far relates to issues you can fix internally. However, external issues like an unreliable server or hosting company will affect your website traffic.

If you pick the right provider for web design in Kenya, you will get a good recommendation for a hosting company.

A big mistake that website owners make is to go for the cheapest deal to save costs.

You may save money on a hosting service and then lose traffic when you need it most.

An expensive package, on the other hand, does not always mean a reliable server.

Check the experience of other website owners with a hosting company.

If you are using an unreliable hosting service, do not wait too long to make a move.

Make quick changes even with the other issues mentioned above. If you wait too long, your potential customers will have moved on to your competitors.

It is advisable to track the performance of your website daily to identify issues that need immediate attention.