How to Choose the Right App Development Company for Your Startup

The world is overflowing with apps good, bad, and just plain ugly – and seemingly just as many mobile app developers! If you’re serious about building a powerful, useful app that will help your startup or small business to grow, then you need to know how to identify the best startup app development company for you and your audience’s needs.

You already know that building a solid app is key to your business growth, but there’s no denying that it can be a minefield looking for the right mobile app developer. Get it wrong, and you may get “crApp” results!

Apps are popular with today’s consumers – you likely use many on a daily basis yourself. There are apps for just about everything, with a staggering 2.87m apps on Google Play and 1.96m in the App Store. Your audience prefers to use apps when it comes to interacting with businesses on their smartphone; apps account for 57% of digital content consumed on the small screen today.

But what’s in developing an app for you as a business? That depends on your goals and how you develop your app. But typically, apps can drive a 5% increase in customer retention that can drive profit increases by as much as 75%.

If you want to enjoy the benefits that a great app can deliver to your business, then you absolutely need to spend time researching the best mobile app developers, because these are the people that will build the app that achieves your goals. There are a lot of things that can go wrong (and the fickle nature of development means that things will go wrong no matter what: be prepared for unwanted surprises!), so finding a business partner that puts your interests at the forefront is essential.

In this article, we’ll explore hiring a company that specializes in app development for startups, simply because this is a more cost-effective approach that doesn’t come with the expense of hiring a full in-house team. After all, as a startup or small business, you need to keep a tight rein on your budget, and contract work offers all the benefits of seasoned professionals without the financial burden of their payroll.

All Successful Mobile App Development Starts with Research

Before you start shopping around for mobile app development companies, you need to sit down to research what you want and plan how you will get it. This step can be boring and methodical, but it is crucial if you want your app to succeed.

The first question you need to ask is what you want your app to do for your business, and how you can design an app that works toward that goal. For example, an app that’s designed to grow your audience will look different from an app that is designed to maximize your profits. It’s worth checking out your competitors to see what they’re doing, too. This is a great way to get ideas and find out what works… and what doesn’t.

You will also want to consider your audience: how will your app help them? What do they want that might be missing in the current app landscape? This step can seem tough, but it’s a lot easier than you think: checking out social media and forums where your target audience hangs out is a great way to see what pain points they have – and even get some ideas of what your app could include! Remember, your app’s success depends on people using it, so give them what they want.

Finally, settle on a budget and timeframe. You want this to be realistic and somewhat flexible. Mobile app development costs vary, so it’s worth researching what to expect. An app can cost anywhere between $16,000 to $300,000 to develop depending on its complexity. It goes without saying that the more complex your app vision, the bigger your budget and timeframe should be. You may find that you cannot afford to include everything you want in your initial version of the app. It’s important to know that this is OK: you can always launch a simpler app with essential core features and add the more complex features with an update once you have users and your app is already successfully making your business money! We wrote a comprehensive article that goes even deeper in answering the question: How much does it cost to create an app.

How to Find the Best Startup App Development Companies Online

Now you’ve finished your market research, you should have a clear idea of what you want and an appropriate budget to go with it. You’re ready to start looking for professional mobile app development services for small businesses! A word of caution: don’t just go with the first mobile app developers you find with a beautiful website and seductive sales writing.

Instead, spend time finding the best candidates for your project. You can look for local mobile app developers or go online. Here, you can find agencies through Google, or explore the huge array of freelance offerings on platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork.

It’s important to check portfolios at this stage: you’re looking for startup app development companies that have a fantastic track record. Their portfolio is a showcase of what they can do. You should also check out their testimonials, explore their LinkedIn, and see if they have any relevant awards and credentials. While not necessary, finding a mobile app developer who is also an expert in your industry can be a big bonus, as they will understand what you and your target market are looking for!

Once you have a shortlist of no more than five strong candidates, you should contact them with questions. This is a great way to check that they have the tech skills and knowledge they claim to – or if they’re full of the hot air of suave sales and marketing talk.

How to Choose a Professional Mobile App Developer for Your App

One reason to contact mobile app development companies is to test their communication skills and get a feel for their workflow and working style. You are looking for compatibility here; you could hire the world’s best startup app development company and still get terrible results if you simply can’t get a good fit.

How do you avoid this?

Just like any good relationship, the key lies in communication. At this early stage, you simply want to get to know each other, and that means asking a lot of questions. For example, you could ask:

• How the developers communicate during a project
• How project management is handled throughout a mobile app development project
• How much QA (Quality Assurance) and testing is done to limit bugs at launch
• How they approach UI/UX (User Interface and User Experience)
• How they handle security with regard to private data
• Whether there is ongoing tech support and troubleshooting post-launch
• Whether you can speak with any prior clients about their experience
• What their understanding of your business or industry is 

These are just a few broad ideas – be sure to add questions that get answers on what matters to you. Think of this like a job interview: you’re judging the prospective development company’s ability to work well with you and your team as well as understand the vision that is driving the development of your app.

You will also want to make sure that they are interested in a long-term partnership and can help you to keep your app updated and current to meet the ever-changing needs of the marketplace – from both your audience and the demands of the app stores. You may think you don’t want a long-term partnership now, but you will almost certainly change your mind down the road. Either way, it’s good to know that you’re working with someone who is interested and available for long-term work and not just a “one-and-done” project.

Ultimately, you’re looking for a reliable mobile app development team that offers a team of skilled and experienced programmers ready to dedicate all of their attention to your project. They should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the latest mobile app technologies and showcase a great portfolio of user-friendly apps that deliver results.

If they can’t, or something doesn’t feel quite right, you should move on. Think of this in terms of relationships: don’t settle!

Know the Key Steps for Successful Mobile App Development for Startups

If you want your app to succeed, then rushing into development with the first mobile app developer you find is a terrible idea. Sure, you may save time and maybe even money in the short run, but the odds are strong that in the long run, your app will be an expensive failure.

By taking the time to understand every facet of your app and its development process, you’re gifting yourself with invaluable knowledge on how mobile apps are created, how to build something that people want, and how to make sure that you’re hiring the best team. If you want to make the right decisions, you need to be informed!

No matter what your business, niche, or industry, success always has one foundation rock. That rock is careful research that delivers actionable marketing data that you can use to build something your customers want to use, built to that spec using the right teams within a clearly defined budget.

Yes, it’s a long, slow, and even boring process, but following this path will save you time, money, and splitting headaches from stress. If you want your future app to succeed, then you absolutely need to maximize your time in research to ensure that you’re following an optimized path at every step.

Work with Houston’s Best Mobile App Developers for Startups

71Three is a team of mobile app developers based in Houston, TX. As a small business, we understand the challenges that you face as a startup and how to help you meet your goals.

With over a decade of experience in mobile app design and development for bootstrapped startups and small businesses, our focus is on delivering results based on data, not guesswork. If you’re seeking a mobile app developer that can also assist with other key areas such as web development, then contact us today to find out how we can help your business to grow!