---
name: web2app-funnels
description: Use when designing, auditing or optimising web-to-app (web2app) funnels for mobile/subscription apps — web onboarding quizzes and quiz funnels, web paywalls and web checkout for app subscriptions outside the App Store/Google Play (Stripe, Paddle), upsells/downsells, tripwire pricing, deferred deep links into the app, winback emails for quiz completers, Meta ads optimisation events for web funnels, or teardowns like Headway and Coursiv.
---

# Web2app funnels

Paid ad → web quiz → web paywall → upsells → deep link into the app → winback emails. Knowledge
comes mainly from [[people/steve-p-young]] and [[people/igor-lyubimov]] (web2wave CEO — a vendor), plus
operators on Sub Club: [[people/ethan-ethier]] (Built With Science) and [[people/yoav-sharon]] (Simply).
Treat numbers as practitioner rules of thumb, and re-check platform rules (Apple/Google/Meta), which change often.

## Core playbook

1. **Use web2app for paid UA when store fees, payout delays, ATT attribution or store rules hurt — or to reach Android/older buyers.** Don't just bolt web checkout onto an in-app paywall. → `why-web2app-funnels`
2. **Copy the proven structure (Headway) rather than inventing UI**: hook → trust → easy questions → rewards → value prop → psychology → curiosity → late social proof → loader → results → email → future → paywall → downsell → upsells → deep link → winback. → `web2app-funnel-structure`, `headway-web2app-teardown`
3. **Win the first screen** (~50% drop): outcome headline in "you" language, quiz duration, an easy first question, one variant per winning ad angle. → `web2app-first-screen-hook`
4. **Quiz questions are about the user, not the product**: labeling, false dichotomy, near-universal yes-questions, feedback after every answer, implied features. → `web-quiz-psychology-questions`
5. **Build trust the web lacks**: user counts and logos early, local/real-time proof late, FAQ and ratings on the paywall — truthful only. → `web-quiz-social-proof-and-trust`
6. **Length follows purchase type**: ~50 screens for education/fitness/self-growth, short for utilities; one question per screen. → `web-quiz-funnel-length`
7. **Never show a bare loader or bare email field**; give a profile/goal payoff and a before/after. → `web-quiz-results-and-email-capture`
8. **Paywall: hard, no free trial, ≥50% real discount, real timer, long with FAQ, per-day pricing, intro price renewing higher, Apple/Google Pay, personalised coupon.** → `web2app-paywall-best-practices`
9. **Replace trials with tripwires** ($3–10 intro or one-time unlock) and recover CAC fast. → `web2app-tripwire-pricing`
10. **Downsell on exit; one-click post-purchase upsells on the saved card, each at a distinct price.** → `web2app-upsells-and-downsells`
11. **Confirm email, then deferred deep link with subscription active — no password copying.** → `web2app-app-access-deep-linking`
12. **Winback quiz completers**: ~8 emails, ≤2–3 days apart, one button, discounts rising to 90%; expect ~10% of sales from email. → `web2app-winback-email-sequence`
13. **Optimise ads for the deepest event you have volume for** (Purchase > Initiate Checkout > Complete Registration > Start Quiz), never clicks. → `web2app-ad-optimization-events`
14. **Web quiz vs store:** a long quiz beat direct-to-App-Store for Built With Science (90% of paid traffic) and made Facebook work for Simply; treat web as audience expansion, not fee savings. → `web-quiz-vs-direct-to-store`
15. **Trials can work on web too:** annual-first page with a day 1/7/12-reminder timeline took annual mix 60% → 75–80%; frame no-trial vs trial options both positively. → `web-paywall-annual-default-and-trial-framing`
16. **Sell partner/family/bundle plans in the quiz** (15% off each → ~15% take rate). → `web-funnel-partner-and-family-plans`
17. **Stay honest:** full renewal price visible, explicit opt-in upsells, easy refunds — regulators and payment providers are closing in on "black-hat" quizzes. → `web2app-dark-patterns-and-compliance`
18. **Experiment problem-first**, big bundled swings, document every test (≈70% fail first time); re-check winners by segment. → `funnel-experiment-process-problem-first`
19. **Feed the quiz from SEO/AEO** with free calculators/tools. → `free-web-tools-feeding-quiz-funnel`
20. **Stack**: funnel builder (web2wave, RevenueCat Funnels), Stripe/Paddle, wallets, web events to ad platforms. → `web2app-tools-and-providers`

## Note map

| Note | Read when |
|------|-----------|
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/why-web2app-funnels.md` | Deciding whether web2app is worth it; fees, cash flow, attribution, audiences |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-funnel-structure.md` | Planning a funnel from scratch; need the full step list and each step's job |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/headway-web2app-teardown.md` | Want a concrete screen-by-screen reference (education/self-growth) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/coursiv-web2app-teardown.md` | Want a second example (AI learning) incl. ad, profile, timer paywall |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-first-screen-hook.md` | Writing the landing/first quiz screen; ad-to-quiz alignment |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-quiz-psychology-questions.md` | Writing quiz questions and feedback screens |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-quiz-social-proof-and-trust.md` | Placing social proof, logos, live counters, FAQ |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-quiz-funnel-length.md` | Deciding how many screens; whether to try novel UI |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-quiz-results-and-email-capture.md` | Designing loaders, results/profile, email screen, before/after |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-paywall-best-practices.md` | Building or auditing the web paywall/checkout |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-tripwire-pricing.md` | Choosing intro offers vs free trials; sizing a tripwire |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-upsells-and-downsells.md` | Adding exit downsells, post-purchase one-click upsells, in-app upsell on saved card |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-app-access-deep-linking.md` | Handing buyers from web into the app |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-winback-email-sequence.md` | Writing emails to quiz completers who didn't pay |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-ad-optimization-events.md` | Setting up Meta/other ads and the optimisation event |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-tools-and-providers.md` | Choosing funnel builder, payment provider, measurement |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-quiz-vs-direct-to-store.md` | Deciding where to send paid traffic; evidence web quiz vs App Store |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-paywall-annual-default-and-trial-framing.md` | Designing plan layout, annual default, trial vs no-trial on web |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web-funnel-partner-and-family-plans.md` | Adding two-person, family or multi-app bundle offers |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/web2app-dark-patterns-and-compliance.md` | Checking a funnel for predatory patterns; refunds, chargebacks |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/funnel-experiment-process-problem-first.md` | Planning and documenting funnel experiments |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/web2app/free-web-tools-feeding-quiz-funnel.md` | Building SEO/AEO entry points (calculators) into the quiz |

## Gaps (say so, or research)

- No hard benchmarks for quiz completion, email-capture rate, paywall CVR or refund/chargeback rates by category.
- No comparison of payment providers' fees, merchant-of-record tax handling (VAT/OSS) or chargeback policies.
- Deep-linking vendors and implementation details (attribution of web purchase → app install) are not covered.
- Legal/compliance: practitioner view in `web2app-dark-patterns-and-compliance`, but no statute-level coverage (FTC negative-option/click-to-cancel, EU/UK dark-pattern rules, GDPR email consent).
- Current Apple/Google rules on linking out and in-app charging of web-saved cards (US-only per Dec 2025 source) — verify live.
- Ad creative for web2app and TikTok/Snap/AppLovin specifics are only touched on.
- Retention/LTV of web-acquired vs store-acquired users not covered (only Simply's/BwS's qualitative claims).
- Sources disagree on free trials on web (Steve/Igor: no; Built With Science: 14-day trial wins) — test per brand strength.