Installs are the metric every Shopify app founder watches — and the one most apps grow inefficiently. Here are the five channels that produce installs, ranked by how we deploy them across 100+ apps.
Shopify search drives the most free installs for most apps. Rank one position higher for a valuable keyword and installs arrive monthly, forever, at zero marginal cost. The lever is methodical keyword placement in your listing — we’ve grown Shopify search installs 3× doing exactly this.
Merchants searching the store have the highest intent anywhere. With clean campaign structure and value-based bidding, Shopify ads have delivered 2× installs at ⅓ the cost per install.
Cover the app store first — most merchant searches happen there — then scale to Google. More volume than Shopify search, less competition than you’d expect (most apps are scared off by the Shopify-brand bidding ban — the workaround is standard). With AI campaigns fed real conversion values, Google Ads returns multiples on spend.
Search caps at existing demand; Meta finds lookalikes of your paying customers. New Maximize ROAS campaigns make it viable for apps for the first time — early movers get uncontested auctions.
Cross-promotion, outreach, content, affiliates, influencers, email. Different tactics fit different apps — the rule is measurability: connected to Prys, you see which tactics produce revenue, not just installs.
Installs aren’t the goal — paying merchants are. A channel producing cheap installs that never subscribe is a cost center wearing a growth costume. Attribute installs through to revenue before scaling any channel.
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