There are many and by many I mean countless websites that review and discuss iPhone Apps. This is the best way to get exposure for little or no cost. Most of these websites offer free reviews as long as you cover the cost of your app which you can do by giving them a redeem code to download it from iTunes. Some of the more premium websites that have higher traffic ratings may charge a small fee for placement on their site. Below is a list of the review websites I believe you MUST have your app talked about on.

Having your app(s) listed on these websites will help your App and Development company get listed higher in search engines. Speaking from experience, many apps I have reviewed have a link from my website when you search for them by name. The search engines often rank the relevance of something based on how many inbound links there are coming to it. If you have a website for your app, you need to have people linking to it. This is another good reason to have your app reviewed by the sites listed below and are not listed in any importance or rank. I suggest starting with the most popular sites first and working your way down as you submit your app for review.

Reviews of your app are also good because a review will consist of a few paragraphs mentioning your app again and again by name. This is great for the search engines. Some of the listings below I have included the direct link to submit your app. Others will require you to email the website owner or writer and suggest your app.

1. The App Podcast

Of course I am going to plug my own website but before you cast the first stone think about this. The App Podcast receives a ton of web traffic and Podcast viewership in iTunes. I have worked very hard to obtain this viewership. The App Podcast does video reviews of your app which is what sets it apart from the rest of the review websites. The App Podcast does a video walk through of your app showcasing it’s main features for the viewers. It is then up to the viewer to purchase or download your app based on what they have seen. The App Podcast releases front page featured app reviews daily during the week and many more apps on the weekend. The App Podcast has over 600 video app reviews currently. Viewers can suggest an app be reviewed also. Being that the reviews are video and take a great deal of time to produce there is currently a minimum charge of $5.00 plus a redeem code for your app in order to review it. This is a small cost to have a video review from a non-bias individual review your app, post it online and on a popular podcast.

Website: http://dailyappshow.com
Submit Your App: http://dailyappshow.com/submit-an-app-for-review
Suggest An App: http://dailyappshow.com/suggest

2. FreshApps

FreshApps.Com has a very nice looking and easy to navigate website. Most of the content from what I can tell is pulled from the App Store’s information but hey it’s still an external listing which is what we are looking for. You can create an account and add your own app or any app for that matter. One of the features I like is the ability to add freshness (ranking) to each app.

Website: http://freshapps.com
Submit Your App: http://www.freshapps.com/add/

3. AppVee

AppVee is one of the only other websites that offers video reviews. Most of their apps have both video and written reviews which is great. Recently they have added Android reviews as well so if you are thinking about reaching out into that market they can handle both platforms. AppVee has an easy to navigate website that is a bit cluttered but provides good thorough reviews of each app.

Website: http://appvee.com
Submit Your App: http://www.appvee.com/dev_contact.php

4. iPhone Alley

iPhone Alley has reviews on pretty much everything iPhone related. If you have a video created for your app they will list that with the review of your app. iPhone Alley has a nice blog with iPhone related tips and news. Another great feature is their forum which I suggest you sign up for and at the very least introduce yourself and your app in one of the forum rooms. Forums are a great place to post information about your app to get others to talk about it. Take advantage of iPhone Alley’s forum and great written reviews. The confirmation email when you sign up seems to take a while to get there but be patient it took 30 minutes for me to get mine.

Website: http://iphonealley.com
Request a review of your app: http://www.iphonealley.com/contact

5. Gizmodo App Reviews

I am not 100% sure how to get them to review your app aside from emailing them but their reviews are good and their website is VERY popular. Though you may not be able to get them to review their app I suggest giving it a try, you never know. If you do get them to look at your app then you will see a lot of traffic come to your app.

Website: http://gizmodo.com/tag/iphone-apps-directory/
Gizmodo’s Email Address: tips@gizmodo.com

6. iPhone App Reviews dot Net

iPhone App Reviews is another great site to submit your app to for review. The reviews are well written and they include many screen shots to give the viewer a good idea of what to expect from your app. All they ask for is a redeem code for your app and a few to give away to their readers. A small donation would probably speed up the review process and is a good way to help support their efforts.

Website: http://iphoneappreviews.net
Submit Your App: http://www.iphoneappreviews.net/request-a-review/

7. Ars Technica

Ars Technica is another big name site that gets a lot of traffic and reviews iPhone Apps. If you can get your app on here you are in good shape but it will be hard. Their reviews are well written, my guess is that real journalists actually do these reviews. This is why I opted to do video reviews on my website, I hate writing. You can contact them by email to suggest that they review your app.

Website: http://arstechnica.com/apple/iphone/apps/
Ars Technica’s Email Address: apple@arstechnica.com

8. Apple iPhone School

The Apple iPhone School is a clean looking website with a lot of content ranging from App Reviews to News and other good stuff. Their site puts a lot of focus on jailbreaking your phone but they do reviews so who cares. I suggest submitting your app for review regardless.

Website: http://appleiphoneschool.com
Submit Your App: http://appleiphoneschool.com/contact

9. What’s On iPhone

What’s On iPhone has a ton of reviews and multiple writers. From what I read most of the reviews are well written and outline the main features of the app well. They include screenshots, pricing and category info. If you want to write for them they are currently looking for additional writers. With tons of categories, reviews and additional information What’s On iPhone is a good site and you should submit to it.

Website: http://whatsoniphone.com
Contact Form: http://www.whatsoniphone.com/contact

10. I Use This

I Use This works a bit different, you can submit your app and post your own information. Users can then click “I Use This” on the website which increases in number similar to Diggs on Digg.com. I Use This lists much more then iPhone Apps but also Mac and PC apps. This is a great way to keep a community of users updated on your app. I would also add a widget or link to your website so people can go to I Use This and click the I Use This link. If you want an actual review you could ask your users to post their own reviews of the app in the comments.

Website: http://iphone.iusethis.com
Submit Your App: http://iphone.iusethis.com/app/add

11. iPhone Toolbox

iPhone Toolbox has short descriptions of apps including links to download them. Everything is categorized and there is a screenshot of your app posted as well. People can comment on the app and give them their own rating as well.

Website: http://iphonetoolbox.com/
Submit Your App: http://iphonetoolbox.com/submit/

12. AppleTell.Com

AppTell has a ton of news but also a lot of app reviews. From what I can tell you just submit your app through a contact form. The reviews are written well, are lengthy and have good quality screen shots.

Website: http://www.appletell.com/apple/archives/category/iphone-sdk/
Submit Your App: http://www.appletell.com/apple/contact/

13. 148Apps

148Apps is a great review site which boasts lengthy reviews and screenshots. 148Apps name comes from the limit that the iPhone has as to the amount of apps that can be installed at once. 148Apps also lists Sales on Apps. 148Apps has several writers ready to review your app so wait times should be short.

Website: http://www.148apps.com
Submit Your App: http://www.148apps.com/about/

14. MacApper

I have been following the MacApper blog for a long time because of their good reviews on Mac Apps, they have been reviewing iPhone Apps for a while now as well. They do not post a whole lot of iPhone App Reviews but they do post reviews on apps that are good apps. I do not believe their goal is to review as many apps as possible and provide a resource, they only desire to review apps worth owning. So if your app is worth owning I would contact them and suggest they review your app. If you get on their website then you can expect to see an increase in downloads for sure. I would draft up a nice email to them and include some redeem codes for them and any one close to them they may wish to share them with. They also have advertising opportunities on their website which seem to yield decent results.

Website: http://macapper.com/category/iphone-apps/
Contact Form: http://macapper.com/contact-us/#contactform

15. iLounge

iLounge has been around for a long time and is known for great mac info and accessories. They also review Apps and you can submit your app for review. The iLounge website gets a ton of traffic and has a busy forum as well. I would suggest going into the forum and introducing yourself at the very least.

Website: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/software/iphone/
Submit Your App: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/software/iphone-submit/

16. iPod Touch Fans

iPod Touch Fans is a forum so this will work a bit differently. I would start with joining, then post a thread on your app. The next thing I would do is look for forum members who seem to be quite popular and send them redeem codes for your app. Ask them to review your app under the thread you made or they could start their own thread if they wish. The nice thing about the forum is that you can return and post updates about your app and keep their community informed. Of course this is a iPod Touch website so posting iPhone only apps would not be wise.

Website: http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=132

17. App Craver

AppCraver is a review website with news and troubleshooting information. Submitting your app for review is as simple as visiting their contact form. AppCraver’s reviews are well written and include several screenshots. If you have a video for your app they will post that as well. Overall AppCraver has a nice site and ranks well in Google.

Website: http://www.appcraver.com
Submit Your App: http://www.appcraver.com/contact/

18. iFones

Another good ranking website is iFones.Com. Their site is lacking a bit in design the blog view gets a bit messed up because of the ads that are placed in the reviews (simple wordpress error with the plugin being used) but never the less they rank well in Google. The reviews that are written for the apps are very good. I just read the review for Zagat To Go and found it very useful.

Website: http://ifones.com/
iFones.Com Email Address: info@ifones.com

19. iCali.Tv

For those of you who don’t know, Cali and her husband run the Geek Brief Podcast. I have been watching the briefs for a long time, Cali is funny, informative and um… Cute! On her website iCali.Tv she reviews apps and talks about the iPhone. You will have to contact her and ask that your app be reviewed. This may not guarantee you a review but be persistent. Give her a redeem code (who doesn’t like free apps), and email her some information on how to use it. If she really likes the app then she may even talk about it on their podcast which is very popular.

Website: http://icali.tv/
Contact Form: http://icali.tv/contact

20. The iPhone App Review

The iPhone App Review has very nicely written reviews and a clean looking website. Their website also offers inexpensive advertising space. The owner of this website seems to have the right idea when it comes to running an app review site. He does not see himself in competition with other review sites but as another resource for App enthusiasts out there. I highly recommend contacting The iPhone App Review and submitting your app for a written review.

Website: http://theiphoneappreview.com
Submission Email: webmaster@theiphoneappreview.com

21. Touch Arcade

TouchArcade holds the gaming niche when it comes to iPhone and iPod Touch games. Their reviews are well written, provide screen shots and sometimes video if it’s available. They have a forum for game discussion and from first glance it appears that their reviews receive a decent amount of interaction from the readers.

Website: http://toucharcade.com/
Submission Email: tips@toucharcade.com

As time goes by I am sure more review sites will come up. I will post more as I become aware of them. Do you know of a great review site I forgot to list? If so, let me know in the comment box below.

A couple of days ago I posted a video tutorial on my blog, JeradHill.Com/blog, about the benefits of setting up a Google Profile. The about or info page on countless apps I have used and reviewed usually has the developer’s name and/or link to their website listed in the app. What I rarely see on these websites or about us links is any information about the app developer that would put the average person or company at ease about hiring them to develop an app. When it comes to software development it is easy for a person to take money and provide next to nothing in return. I am sure many of you have heard stories and maybe even fell victim to someone who said they could deliver and did not. In software development I can promise you that the job will go to not necessarily the person who can name off the most languages they can proficiently code in but the one who is most transparent about them self and can show that they plan to stick around for a while. The best way to show that you are in it for the long haul is to put your face out there and information about you. I would not suggest getting to personal or providing your home address and contact information but you need to put enough out there that it would break down that wall that could be keeping someone from hiring you to develop their app.

Use my profile as an example. I barely scratch the surface as to what I am about but I provide enough information to let a person know that I am human and that my heart pumps warm blood. In a world where deception is getting easier it is more important then ever to show that you are real and that you care about what you do.

My Google Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/hill.jerad

If you are reading this blog then you are probably in a similar boat that I am in. Much of my online success has came from communicating with others. I use most of the popular social networks to do this and it is a 24 hour a day job. When you create a product to sell it is important that you put a face behind it, just like major companies have. A good example is Steve Jobs with Apple. He is the face behind Apple. When Apple releases a new product we are trusting Steve’s word that it is going to be amazing and that Apple will support it should it have any issues, and it always does (sorry Apple). If you have not done what I am about to outline yet it is probably due to the fact that you think you don’t have the time. Most people think that having an online social life will take over their actual life when in all actuality it does not. If you go about it right, your offline and online social lives will compliment each other.

Here is what you need to do to get started. Go create a Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace profile. This is the most amount of time you will spend logged into these services through your computer. Spend some time filling out the details sections and put some personal information in there. Don’t be afraid to be real. If you already have these social networks set up then simply modify the details to include your App Development ventures.

On your Mac, download the Tweetie app which will allow you to manage your Twitter account with out visiting the website. The Tweetie app is free.

On your iPhone, download the following apps: Tweetie, Facebook, Myspace. The Tweetie App is the only one that costs a few $$ but it’s worth it.

Your profile on Twitter:
You should design your profile on Twitter to be professional just as I have on mine. See my Twitter Profile. If you really believe in Twitter then I would suggest creating Twitter accounts for each of your apps. It will be easy to manage these accounts because Tweetie allows you to manage multiple accounts from with in the app. If you create a profile for each app then you can put the Twitter name in the About section of your App so that people who have downloaded your app can follow you on Twitter.

Create a Facebook page for each of your apps:
Facebook has been putting a lot of time and effort into their Pages. You can create a Facebook page for free and manage all of them under your own Facebook account. This makes it easier because you will only need one login. Being that there are so many people on Facebook you can use post updates for your app to the page and keep your users up to date with what you are doing with the app. You can see how some other companies like Pepsi and Nike are using Facebook pages to update their customers with information they want to share with them. Each user that has decided to become a fan of your facebook page will have a link to it on their Facebook page. Another good example is how I am using Facebook Pages to promote my photography business Jerad Hill Studios.

Using Myspace:
The good thing about Myspace is that you can do status updates, below I will outline how you can do this easily with out logging into Myspace. It has been 5 months since I have logged into my personal Myspace account through a web browser. I use the iPhone app to check messages and respond to them quickly. I can also add friends and comment people back. I would simply have a Myspace available with some information about your app and links to it. Myspace users could stumble upon it and make it back to your App’s website which could result in a purchase. Hey, it’s free so why not!

Link to these profiles:
Link to your profiles and pages on the web page for your App. Faithful users of your app will friend you up on all platforms if they truly like your app. This will allow their friends to see your page as well. Create a Linkshare account and generate revenue off of sales for your own app. Place links to your app on all of the profiles you have and on the web page for your app. Linkshare will also give you good analytics which will help you determine which social network’s users are paying more attention to what you are doing.

How to update them all at once!
Now for the exciting part. How do you update the status of each profile at once using one app? It’s simple, set up an account at Ping.fm. Once you have that set up link up the accounts you have on the other social networks in the settings of your Ping.fm account. Once you are done download the Mac Widget titled Pingboard which will allow you to update all of your social networks from the dashboard on your Mac. On your iPhone you can use Tweetie to update all of your social networks through Ping.Fm all you need is the mobile key from Ping.Fm. You get to this screen by clicking accounts, choosing your account name, clicking edit, choosing advanced and enter the mobile key. Now you can update your social networks from your Mac’s dashboard and your iPhone with ease.

If you really want to go crazy you can sign up for all of the social networks that Ping.Fm supports. This can help with your website’s SEO also because in each profile you can post a link back to your website. There are also members on each of those social networks who could be potential purchasers of your app. I check Ping.Fm once a week to check for new social networks they work with. If there is a new one, I create a profile and link back to my website. It’s all about creating buzz around your product and making sure that no matter where a person is they can find your product easy, even if they don’t know they are looking for it.

Buy the Textually Active Shirt Here.

When creating a new website to promote a product you need to think about how people are going to find this website. A huge factor in the performance of a website is how it was coded and how the content was written. Below are some basic tips on website SEO.

1. Meta Tags
Unique META titles, descriptions and keywords for all of your pages. Each page should have it’s own unique title and description. The keywords should match words that are used in the content of the page.

2. Sitemaps
Create an HTML sitemap for your website. A sitemap is a single page that includes links to the pages of your website. This helps the search engines find those pages. It is often that the search engines only crawl the first page of a website. You can create a Google Sitemap here. You can hand feed that sitemap to Google in their Webmaster Tools section. https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools\

3. Long Tail Keywords
Target “Long Tail” keywords or Keyword Phrases as opposed to short one or two word keywords. If your app is a sports app using the word “sports” as a keyword is not a good plan of action. Doing a search for something so general will not result in your website showing up. Now using a long tail keyword such as “basketball final 4 iphone app” would perform much better and direct the kind of traffic to your website that you are looking for. Long Tail keywords are less competitive and much more in line with the way the average individual searches using the web.

4. Text Modifier Tags
In the body of your website use underline, strong (bold) and italics tags for the keywords that you are trying to get noticed by the search engines. For example if your long tail keyword was “basketball final 4 iphone app” then in the body of your website while describing your app you would bold, underline or italicize the words basketball, final 4 or iPhone App. This is just an example. Only do this with your keywords and only do it once per word so your page does not look annoying to it’s readers. I would suggest doing this only to the keyword phrases you want to focus on for each page.

5. Header Tags
Add emphasis to the titles on your web page by using H1 and H2 header tags. Use H1 for your main title for the section and include some of the keywords in that title that are relevant for that page. Under that you can do a subtitle and use H2 tags to add emphasis to the other keywords that you could not work into your title. You can read more about H1 Header Tags here.

6. Image Alt Tags
Describe your images with the use of the alt tag. This will help search engines that index images to find your pages and will also help readers who use text only web browsers. This is especially important to do with your screen shots. Learn more about image alt tags here.

7. Make sure your website validates
If your website validates then it will be easier for the search engines to load it and rank it.
W3 HTML Validation Tool
W3 CSS Validation Tool

There are many more tips and tricks for good SEO which I will write on more in the future. I often write about what has worked for me on my personal blog, feel free to check that out also. http://jeradhill.com/blog

The Music Store search function in iTunes and the search function in the App Store on the iPhone/iPod Touch device is not as touchy as Google. For the time being this can work to the advantage of the app developers of the world. In the future Apple may start filtering the way you write your descriptions for your apps but as of right now it seems to be a free for all. Here is how it currently works.

You do a search in iTunes and it yields a result. The result will include the most popular choices for the words you entered. For example, I just did a search for “Tap Tap Revenge” and it resulted with many more options then just the games Tapulous developed.

This was one of the major problems of the past with using search engines to find relevant content. In the old days before the search engines got smart, you could list whatever keywords you wanted in the Meta-Tags of your website and yield results based on those keywords even if your website had nothing to do with them. Even though it was a major no no you could even list your competitors in your meta tag keywords and possibly show up when someone searched for your competitor. Not long after the search engines started matching content with keywords. This meant that if you were going to place a keyword in the meta tag of a page then you would have to write about it in the body of your website also. There are still shortcuts around this as you can see below.

One of the apps that were displayed in the results when I searched for Tap Tap Revenge was ZapTap. ZapTap used their head when they wrote their App’s description just as many Music Artists and marketers of new products do. They use the “For Fans of…” or “If you like Brand A you will like us” angle.

I would not suggest going overboard on this and make sure that the items you refer to in your descriptions are relevant. Nothing makes me more mad then a product that includes items in its description that have nothing to do with it.

Do your homework before writing your description. Make it short and easy to understand. Do not write long descriptions as nobody will read all of it. Write a short and to the point description and leave some room to list the names of the popular app review websites that have talked about your app. I would direct them to the website for your app where you can link to all of the reviews that have been done for your app. If you want to see a good description check out the ZapTap description in iTunes. I have no idea what there game is like as I have not downloaded it but I do know the basics and understand that if I like the other apps and games listed I would enjoy ZapTap.

Do Not Limit Yourself. Continuing to use ZapTap as an example, the description included more then just references to other iPhone games. It also included references to Guitar Hero, 80’s Music, Madonna, Miami Vice and others. If you were doing a search for Miami Vice in iTunes because you wanted to download some good old Vice episodes you would also see ZapTap. See the image below. This could result in some additional downloads of the app because some Miami Vice lover also had an iPhone and an extra $4.99 laying around.

Use your best judgment and remember that you can try a different approach whenever you want. Just like Google, iTunes just updates your information on the fly and the search results will respond accordingly. You can look at your sales or website traffic to determine if your changes helped or hurt your app.

Lastly, remember that a good description of your app is first priority. Giving the viewers suggestions comes second. Do not abuse this because you could loose credit from the potential customers if you waste all of your description space on non-relevant search terms. Everything you include in your app’s description needs to be relevant. If you are having a hard time writing descriptions for your apps that sound compelling I would suggest hiring a copywriter (Professional Writer) to handle it for you.

My next SEO blog will discuss SEO Tips for your website.

One of the least expensive ways you can market your paid app to iPhone users is to create a free app. There are so many free apps out there that are fun and people download them. In our current times it is harder to get people to spend money on your apps but if you give them something for free then you can also include advertisement for your paid app.

How to get permission to market to iPhone users

In my opinion once I download something for free I am giving the developer permission to speak to me. If I downloaded a simple app that looked appealing to me for free I would not mind if there was a More button or About button that took me to a page where I could see descriptions of other apps. In all reality this is the same thing my local tire shop does with flat repairs. I took my Volvo S40 in a few weeks ago because I had a small leak in the tire. They fixed my leak and told me that the next time I needed tires I should come see them. All I needed was a plug in the tire where a small nail had poked its way through which was something simple for them to provide assuming that I would return with in the next year and spend several hundred on a new set of tires and labor to install them.

Don’t be afraid to give something away for free. Choose something you are passionate about or make an app for someone popular online who will promote this free app. The more creative you are the more popular the app will be. The more downloads your free app receives the more likely your paid apps will be downloaded also.

How much would it cost to drive $100 worth of app sales marketing with Googlewords or Admob? Assume that each click will cost you $.10 (ten cents), you know it will probably cost you more. The app you are advertising costs the user $1.99. To make $100 in sales from that ad for your paid app it would have to be downloaded 770 times ($1.99 – Apple’s cut of 30% = $1.40 – $0.10 ad = $1.30 / 100 = 769.23 downloads) which also means that it would take at the very least 770 clicks on your ads to reach $100 in sales resulting from that ad. What is the likelihood of each of those clicks resulting in a purchase? Slim to none, so my example is a best case scenario.

What I am trying to get at is that you could spend your time and energy creating an app rather then spending money on ads. Your free app could even make you money if you linked it up with Admob or another service.