I just launched my very first Shopify app called LinkGuard (it helps merchants automatically fix 404 broken links using Shopify’s native features to protect their SEO).
I made the app 100% free because my main goal right now is purely learning. I wanted to master the Shopify ecosystem, build something clean, and understand the full development cycle. I’m not looking to monetize it at this stage.
Technically, everything works great. But as a solo developer, the marketing side is a real wall. I’m currently stuck at 0 installations. Since I have 0 reviews, the App Store algorithm doesn’t push the app at all.
For those who started with a “free learning project”: How did you break the “0 to 1” barrier? Did you do cold outreach to merchants, or did you find beta testers here on the forums?
I’m not looking for a magic bullet, just real feedback from peers who started from scratch.
I am interested in this too. I also launched my first app recently and since tons of old apps are there and they have good amount of reviews already, what ever I do, advertising , SEO nothing brings my app on search results first page and it is a very big pain to get installs. My app is named Suggestif AI , a visually advanced and customizable, AI backed fully automated Quiz generation app with tons of features but nobody can use and see its functionality if it is not shown and suggested…
Getting your first installs is always the hardest part, but here is what actually works.
Message small Shopify store owners directly and keep it short. Tell them what the app does and offer it free in exchange for honest feedback. Ten personal messages will get you more installs than waiting for the algorithm.
Post in Facebook groups for Shopify merchants. Free tools that solve real problems get a lot of attention there.
The truth is, your first installs will come from you reaching out personally, not from the app store. Once you have a few reviews, the algorithm starts helping you automatically.
SectionKit is right that the first ones come from you, not the algorithm. I would add one thing specific to your app though. A 404 fixer solves a problem merchants cannot see. Nobody wakes up wanting to fix broken links because they do not know they have them. So reach is not really your blocker, awareness of the problem is.
The move that tends to work for that kind of app is to make it surface its own demand. A free public scanner that takes a store URL and shows how many broken links it found, no install needed. Now the merchant sees a real number that bothers them, and installing to auto fix becomes the obvious next step. You are not selling a fixer, you are showing them a problem they did not know they had.
Brand new apps cannot rank in App Store search with zero reviews anyway, so your first ten will never come from there. They come from places where you control the context. Are you able to run the link check without the merchant installing first? That is the whole wedge if so.
Thanks @lumine ! You are right, merchants don’t know they have 404 errors, so awareness is the main blocker.
I like the idea of showing them the problem. I already automated the redirects for deleted products, and I am now adding a sitemap scanner to show merchants their broken links right after install.
Since free apps can sometimes look unprofessional, I want to add a price. For an app with auto-redirects and a sitemap audit, would you choose a flat $7-$9/month fee or a freemium model?
The forum bot blocked my direct App Store link, but you can easily find it by searching for “LinkGuard SEO Protection” on the Shopify App Store, or I can PM it to you. I’m currently adding the sitemap scanner feature, so I’d love to get your feedback !
Getting the first 10 is usually the hardest part, especially on Shopify where ranking depends on early signals. What worked for me was skipping the App Store at first and going direct: Shopify merchant groups, Reddit, and cold outreach to small stores that clearly had broken link/SEO issues. Offer to install it for them and even help set it up, conversion is much higher when you remove friction.
Also, ask for feedback/review from those first users immediately after you solve a real issue for them. Those early installs don’t come from “launch”, they come from hands-on help.
Answering Shopify Community posts with clear explanations, screenshots, or short videos helps build trust over time. We’re also active on Reddit and other communities, focusing on solving real merchant problems and sharing what we’ve learned.
Even if someone doesn’t install your app right away, being genuinely helpful builds credibility, and many users remember you when they need a solution later. For a new app, this can be a much more sustainable approach than spending a large marketing budget on ads from day one.
Living the same climb, so sharing what I’ve learnt the hard way. My app sat listed for three weeks as paid-only with zero reviews: five installs, four uninstalled the same day. The listing alone converts nobody when you have no reviews, free or paid — I switched to a free plan this week and I’m not expecting the badge alone to change anything either.
What’s actually producing conversations for me: reading recent 1-star reviews on the big apps adjacent to mine, finding the stores behind them, and writing each owner a short personal email about the exact thing they complained about, with an offer to set everything up for them. They’re already unhappy and already know they have the problem, so there’s no convincing step. Ten personal emails beat a month of waiting on the algorithm.
And @PL_Dev — Sozoli’s comment above is the most important one in this thread. A public “it found no 404s but Google says I have plenty” does more damage than zero visibility ever could. I’d drop everything, debug it with their store, and reply here with what you find. Handled well, that exchange becomes your first proof story instead of your first bad review.
Hello @Sozoli, thank you so much for taking the time to test LinkGuard and for sharing your feedback.
To clarify how the app currently works: it is actually running exactly as intended, but right now it acts as a real-time monitor. This means it automatically catches and redirects 404 errors the exact moment a product or collection is deleted after the app is installed. It prevents new errors from happening, but it doesn’t automatically scan your store’s past history for older 404s yet, which is why your dashboard currently shows 0.
However, you hit on a very important point! I am currently building a Historical 404 & Sitemap Audit feature to solve exactly this. In a few weeks, a new update will roll out that will scan your entire store’s history, detect those existing errors Google is reporting, and allow you to resolve them.
I would love to reach out to you personally as soon as this update is live so we can clean up those existing 404 links together.
Thank you again for your patience and for helping me make the app better!
Thanks a lot for the wake-up call and the solid advice! You are 100% right about the damage a comment like that can do.
I just replied to clarify that the app currently acts as a real-time monitor (catching deletions as they happen) rather than a historical scanner, and that the historical audit feature is exactly what’s coming next.
Also, your strategy of tracking down merchants who leave 1-star reviews on big apps is absolute genius. That’s a brilliant growth hack. Appreciate the solidarity, and best of luck with your app launch too! Let’s keep pushing
One low-cost channel I’m testing is value-first community posting, but the piece that seems to matter is making the post useful even if nobody clicks.
Concrete example from RadarDrop: instead of leading with “subscribe to my newsletter,” I share 2–3 product signals Shopify sellers can validate immediately:
PDRN toner pads / booster toners — good short-form test because the pad format gives creators a visible swipe/texture/routine, not just an ingredient claim.
Facial sunscreen sticks — the content angle is specific use cases: reapply over makeup, commute/travel, no-mess application. That is easier to test than generic SPF positioning.
Privacy tempered glass screen protectors — clear 3-second demo: front-view normal, side-view blackout. Bundles by phone model can lift AOV without confusing the offer.
So for early installs, I’d look for communities where your app can answer a real question with a concrete example first, then add one transparent disclosure at the end.
Disclosure: I build RadarDrop, a weekly TikTok Shop product-signal newsletter for Shopify sellers. The first issue is free from RadarDrop.
