Apart from ensuring technical excellence and user-friendly operations in mobile apps, developers also need to choose relevant, easy-to-remember names for them. To make sure that the app name you select indeed contributes to its success, you need to follow these tips.

Are you even aware of the existence of mobile apps named Eefoof, Crush or Flush, or Pikipimp? Chances are high that you aren’t – and that has not got all to do with the rather substandard features of these applications. The biggest reason why these apps have been lost in obscurity is their confusing (often misleading) names. While selecting a name for your smartphone apps, you need to keep in mind the following guidelines:

1. Do not be in a tearing hurry – Releasing your app within a scheduled timeframe is, of course, important. However, that does not mean you can afford to simply choose the very first name that comes to your mind for the application. Remember, the brand presence and marketing activities of mobile apps are all based on their names – and you need to devote enough time to come out with one that would be really suitable.

2. Refer app functionality through its name – Consultants from every mobile application development company advise developers to choose such app names that would be reflective of their primary features and functionality. For instance, an app like ‘Story Time For Kids’ would automatically tell buyers that it is about storytelling for children. You cannot expect people to go through the entire app descriptions on the iTunes store, to find out its genre.

3. Think simple word(s) – Simple is always more effective from a marketing perspective – and the task of naming an app is no exception to this rule of thumb either. The name you finally select should ideally have two to three words – each of them simple and easy to pronounce. Your English vocabulary might be real impressive, but refrain from showing that off while naming your products.

4. Avoid piggybacking on similarly-named apps – Resist the temptation of choosing a name that would be same, or overtly similar, to that of a popular one already existing in the online app stores. An established iphone application development company would always steer clear of such dubious, misleading means to generate high initial download figures for their apps. Trying to piggyback on other successful app names can even lead to copyright violations and other legal problems.

5. Keep track of the names of all the existing apps in the same category – With the total number of mobile apps at the Apple store exceeding one million and the number of Blackberry and Android apps steadily on the rise too – it is very much possible that the name of your new app becomes, inadvertently, too similar to that of another existing one. To avoid such a scenario, you need to keep track of the names of all the apps that are already available under the same category – and make sure that the smartphone application you have developed remains unique enough. Similarly named apps often have problems in getting approved at the App Store, and generally do not get adequate visibility either.

6. Research for keywords – For consistent success in the field of iphone app development in India, you need to have some basic knowledge about search engine optimization (SEO) as well. In other words, you have to be aware of the ‘keywords’/’keyphrases’ that people mostly use, while looking for smartphone apps similar to your own online. Try making one of the relevant keywords a part of the app’s name. The presence of that keyword in the URL of the app’s page on the online store would be instrumental for getting greater exposure to prospective clients.

7. Avoid numerals and special characters – In particular, the latter. Special characters in the name of an app are not only unnecessary – they can also mess up the promotional strategies for the concerned application. Use numbers in the name of a mobile app, only if you are releasing an upgraded version (e.g., version 2). Otherwise, people might be left wondering as to what the significance of the number is.

8. Make it catchy – The app name should be easy to remember, and have a high recall value. For gaming applications in particular, you have to select a name that would immediately capture the attention of the targeted buyers. A catchy app name would, in turn, make it easier for people to look for it online too. A classic example of a catchily titled mobile app would be ‘Angry Birds’.

9. Do not use too many characters in the name – Just like you should not have more than four words (max.) in an app name, the latter should not have over 12-14 characters either. If the name of the application is too long, it is very likely to appear distorted on the screens of mobile handsets. Shortlist two to three names, and select the one that appears the most appealing on the device during the testing stage.

10. Use characters in caps sparingly – A string of words in all caps conveys the impression that someone is shouting out at buyers, while those with all small letters are generally considered to be too inconspicuous. Only the first letter of the app name should be capitalized (along with, maybe, one other character). If the name of your app has more than one word, capitalize the first letter of each word.

Consult with the other professionals at your mobile application development company, and determine whether the name of your app should be in ‘camel case’ or ‘sentence case’ (which is way more popular). A well-chosen application name should provide buyers a visual feel about the app’s features as well. A simple, catchy, relevant name can ensure greater longevity and appreciation of an app – being too innovative on this count almost never helps!