What Is AppExchange?
AppExchange is the Salesforce marketplace, offering thousands of solutions and services that extend Salesforce. If you’re an ISV partner or consultant, AppExchange helps customers discover your solution or service. If you’re a Salesforce admin or user, AppExchange helps you find tools and talent to unleash your company’s productivity.
How Does AppExchange Work?
An AppExchange listing is your primary marketing tool for promoting your solution. In the listing, you can describe your solution, pricing, support, and other details so that customers can determine if your offering is right for them. You also have a chance to upload videos, white papers, and other content to help customers understand what you’re delivering. Based on the information you provide, an AppExchange curator categorizes the listing into one or more business areas, like sales, marketing, or analytics.
Who Can Use AppExchange?
Anyone can browse listings and test-drive solutions. You need the “Download Packages” permission to install solutions in your org. To create a package and upload it to the Partner Console, you must have “Create Packages” and “Upload Packages” permissions. To create and publish a listing, you must have the “Manage Listings” permission.
Business Plans for AppExchange Listings
To publish a listing on AppExchange, we ask you to provide a business plan for your solution. A business plan tells us about your company and the product you’re building. It helps us verify that you meet our standards for ethics and integrity. Salesforce must approve your business plan. If you recently joined the AppExchange Partner Program, you can sign your partnership agreement after we approve your business plan.
You can create and manage the business plan for your listing on the Business Plan tab (1) in the AppExchange publishing console. A business plan has these sections.
After you finish your business plan, submit it for review. We contact you to discuss your partnership and then either approve the plan or return it to you with comments. If your plan is returned, you can resubmit it when you’ve addressed our comments. To check the status of your plan, go the Salesforce Approval section (5).
After your business plan is approved, we contact you with instructions for signing your partnership agreement. To check the status of the agreement, go to the AppExchange Partner Agreement section (6). If you’re an existing partner, you’ve already signed an agreement, so this section doesn’t display.
Submit a Due Diligence and Compliance Certification
If you’re starting a Salesforce consulting practice, submit a Due Diligence and Compliance Certification on behalf of your company. In the certification, you share details about your company and its business practices and relationships. We review these details to ensure that your company meets our standards for ethics and integrity.
Tip
At many companies, filling out the certification is a team effort. To allow other people to edit your company’s certification, assign the Manage Partnership permission.
Join the Salesforce Partner Community.
If prompted, click Go to Certification. Otherwise, click the Business tab (1).
For Due Diligence & Compliance Certification, click a questionnaire section (2) to provide the related details.
After you've provided all the required information, submit your certification for review.
To check the status of the review (3), go to the Salesforce Approval section. If we approve your certification, you’re a step closer to launching your Salesforce consulting practice. Approved practices get access to tools and features for consulting partners, such as the ability to log completed implementation projects.
Publish on AppExchange
Learn how to publish your solution or consulting service listing on AppExchange.
Connect Your Dev Hub or Packaging Org to the Partner Console
To add a package to your AppExchange solution listing, first connect the Dev Hub or packaging org associated with that package to the Partner Console.Create or Edit Your Provider Profile
A polished, accurate provider profile is a key part of establishing customer trust in your app, component, or consulting service. In your profile, you can share a mission statement and include information such as your location and number of employees. People browsing listings see this information in the Provider Details section.Create or Edit Your AppExchange Listing
Market your solution or consulting service by listing it on AppExchange. Use the Partner Console to create or edit a listing that stands out to customers. To access the Partner Console, go to the Publishing tab in the Salesforce Partner Community.Add a Business Plan to an AppExchange Listing
Before submitting your product for security review, add a business plan to your AppExchange listing. The business plan includes details about your company and its operations, your product architecture, and compliance information. To add a business plan, go to your product listing in the AppExchange publishing console.Make Your AppExchange Listing Effective
A great app, component, or consulting service deserves a listing to match. We gathered feedback from customers and Salesforce marketing experts to provide a list of tips to make your listing stand out.Select an Installation Option
The easier it is for people to install your solution, the more likely it is they become paying customers. Offer the option that gives your customers the best installation experience.Register Your Package and Choose License Settings
If you register a package and set up the License Management App (LMA), you receive a license record each time a customer installs your app or component. You can use licenses to track who is using your app or component and for how long.Complete the Security Review Cycle
To distribute a managed package, Salesforce Platform API solution, or Marketing Cloud API solution on AppExchange, it must pass our security review. Use the security review submission interface in the Salesforce Partner Community to manage your reviews. Submit your solution for an initial review. Resubmit a solution you revised to correct security issues detected in a previous review. Pay security review and AppExchange listing fees.
Connect Your Dev Hub or Packaging Org to the Partner Console
To add a package to your AppExchange solution listing, first connect the Dev Hub or packaging org associated with that package to the Partner Console.
Log in to the Salesforce Partner Community.
Click Publishing.
Click the Technologies tab.
Click the Orgs tab.
Click Connect Technology, and then click Org.
Click Connect.
Enter the login credentials for the org that contains the package that you want to list.
Packages in the connected org appear on the Solutions tab of the Partner Console. From the Solutions tab, you can submit the solution for security review.
After your org is connected with the Partner Console, you can associate your listing with a packaged solution, API solution, or trial template.
To associate a packaged solution to an existing listing click Packaged Solution, and then follow the prompts to connect your packaged solution to your org. Then edit your listing in the Partner Console and add the solution to the listing in the Link Your Solution section.
To associate an API to an existing listing click API, and then follow the prompts to connect your packaged solution to your org. Then edit your listing in the Partner Console and add the API to the listing in the Link Your Solution section.
To offer free trials for your solution click Trial Template, and then follow the prompts to setup your free trial offer. Then edit your listing in the Partner Console and select the trial template in the Grow Your Business section.
Create or Edit Your Provider Profile
A polished, accurate provider profile is a key part of establishing customer trust in your app, component, or consulting service. In your profile, you can share a mission statement and include information such as your location and number of employees. People browsing listings see this information in the Provider Details section.
To create or edit your profile:
Log in to the Salesforce Partner Community.
Click the Publishing tab to launch the Partner Console website.
From the Partner Console, click Home | Overview | Company Info.
Update your company’s profile.
Save your changes.
Create or Edit Your AppExchange Listing
Market your solution or consulting service by listing it on AppExchange. Use the Partner Console to create or edit a listing that stands out to customers. To access the Partner Console, go to the Publishing tab in the Salesforce Partner Community.
Create an AppExchange Listing
Get started on your listing by launching the Listing Bootstrapper and selecting a listing type. To launch the Bootstrapper, navigate to the Listings tab in the Partner Console, then click New Listing.
You can add three different listing types to AppExchange: Packaged Solutions, APIs, and Consultant listings.
After selecting your listing type, you’re prompted to choose a language. If you plan to publish your listing on AppExchange, select English. If you plan to publish on AppExchange Japan, select Japanese. After making your language selection, the Listing Bootstrapper closes and the Listing Builder for AppExchange launches. The Builder is the tool partners use to create and edit their AppExchange listings.
Edit Your AppExchange Listing
To edit your listing, navigate to the Listings tab in the Partner Console. Find and click the listing that you want to edit. The Listing Builder launches.
AppExchange Listing Builder Sections
The Listing Builder is the tool partners use to create and edit their AppExchange listings. Here are the sections that you navigate through when creating or editing your listing.
Add a Business Plan to an AppExchange Listing
Before submitting your product for security review, add a business plan to your AppExchange listing. The business plan includes details about your company and its operations, your product architecture, and compliance information. To add a business plan, go to your product listing in the AppExchange publishing console.
If your listing is paid, provide pricing details before you add a business plan. Otherwise, you can’t provide compliance information. If your listing is free, we don’t collect compliance information.
Log in to the Partner Community.
Click Publishing.
On the Listings tab, click a listing tile.
On the Business Plan tab, provide details about your company and product architecture.
If your listing is paid, provide compliance information.
Note
If you’re an existing partner with another published paid listing, we already have your compliance information, so this section is marked as complete.
Click Submit for Approval.
After you submit your business plan, we contact you to discuss your partnership. You can check the plan’s approval status on the Business Plan tab.
Make Your AppExchange Listing Effective
A great app, component, or consulting service deserves a listing to match. We gathered feedback from customers and Salesforce marketing experts to provide a list of tips to make your listing stand out.
Tell Customers, Then Show Them
An effective listing combines concise, customer-oriented writing with compelling visuals. As you craft your listing, keep the following tips in mind.
Emphasize a use case—When customers read your listing, they want to understand the problem you’re solving, whether they’re part of the target audience, and what makes your offering different. As you explain your solution, put things in terms the customer cares about. For example, if your component helps support reps resolve cases 10% faster, say so.
Add screenshots, videos, and demos—Customers are more likely to interact with listings that have visuals. Most people like to at least see how something works before making a purchase.
Make the listing easy to read—Like you, the typical AppExchange customer is busy. Help customers understand what’s important by making your listing easy to read. Keep sentences short and use formatting, like bullets, to draw attention to key points. If you’ve added screenshots or a video, use zooming and annotations to highlight features.
Aim for Clean and Simple Design
An effective listing tends to have a clean and simple design. When making design decisions, keep the following tips in mind.
Find a design reference—Before you create a logo, banner, or other graphic, find a design that you like and think about what it does well. For example, does it use a visually pleasing font? Keep these ideas in mind as you begin designing.
Preview before publishing—The AppExchange lets you preview your listing before publishing, and you can see exactly how your offering will appear to customers. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask, “If I saw this listing, would I feel comfortable buying this app or component?”
For more tips, see Partner Logo and Branding Usage Guidelines in the Education section of the Partner Community.
Select an Installation Option
The easier it is for people to install your solution, the more likely it is they become paying customers. Offer the option that gives your customers the best installation experience.
Register Your Package and Choose License Settings
If you register a package and set up the License Management App (LMA), you receive a license record each time a customer installs your app or component. You can use licenses to track who is using your app or component and for how long.
Note
Before you register a package, make sure that:
Your app or component is in a managed package.
You’ve installed the LMA. In most cases, the LMA is installed in your partner business org.
Log in to the Salesforce Partner Community.
Click the Publishing tab to launch the Partner Console website.
In the Partner Console, click the Technologies tab.
Click Solutions.
Locate the package version that you want to register, and click Register Package.
Log in to your License Management Org to edit the default license settings.
Select whether your default license is Free Trial or Active. For Free Trial, enter the up to 90 for the number of days.
Select whether your license is applied Per seat or Site-wide. For number of seats, enter the number of seats to assign to the license.
Save your changes.
Complete the Security Review Cycle
To distribute a managed package, Salesforce Platform API solution, or Marketing Cloud API solution on AppExchange, it must pass our security review. Use the security review submission interface in the Salesforce Partner Community to manage your reviews. Submit your solution for an initial review. Resubmit a solution you revised to correct security issues detected in a previous review. Pay security review and AppExchange listing fees.
Required Materials for Security Review Submission
Learn about the materials that you must provide, such as test environments and documentation, when submitting your solution for an AppExchange security review. Mobile apps have platform-specific submission requirements. Extension packages undergo security review and Salesforce requires the same materials for them as for a standalone solution.AppExchange Security Review Fees
Before you list a solution on AppExchange, we review it for security vulnerabilities and share any findings with you. For freemium, paid, and paid add-on solutions, we charge a security review fee to help cover the cost. The fee is waived for free solutions.Submit Your Solution for Security Review
Use the security review submission interface in the Salesforce Partner Community to submit your solution for review. Share your solution and all required materials, and pay applicable fees.Check Security Review Progress and History
After you submit your solution for review, find key review information in the progress and history components on your listing’s Security Review tab. Check the progress component for review status. Scan the history component for data on past and current reviews.Act on Security Review Results
Approximately 3–4 weeks after you submit a solution for an initial review, your security review report arrives in your inbox. Check the report to learn if your solution is or isn’t approved. Learn how to request a follow-up review for a solution that isn’t approved and how to publicly list an approved solution.Periodic Re-Reviews
We conduct periodic re-reviews for solutions listed on AppExchange. These reviews include automated and manual testing. We also reserve the right to conduct random security pen tests on your solution throughout the year. Re-reviews and pen tests ensure that solutions continue to help safeguard against the latest security vulnerabilities.
Analytics Reports for Publishers
AppExchange analytics reports are powerful visual tools for understanding how your app, component, or consulting partner listing is performing. These reports provide metrics related to the web traffic, number of installations, and other user activities over time. By looking at the reports, you can quickly gain insights about the aspects of your listing that resonate with customers and which areas need refinement.
To access a report for your listing, open the Publishing page in the Partner Community, and then click the Analytics tab.
Report Types
For app and component listings, the available reports are:
Installs (Get It Now)
Leads
Resources & Promotions
Test Drives, Demos & Screenshots
Web Analytics
For a consulting partner listing, the available reports are:
Leads
Learn Mores, Videos & Screenshots
Web Analytics
Report Attributes
All the reports share these common attributes.
Listing Name
The title of the listing shown at the top of every report.
Back to Publishing Home link
Returns you to the Publishing Home page.
Show Menu
Allows you to choose from one of the available reports. The reports are sorted alphabetically.
Date Range Menu
Allows you to choose the date range. Last 30 Days is selected by default.
Metrics
Line Graph
Shows one or more lines for each metric you’ve selected for display. Select the checkboxes beneath the graph for the metrics you want to see. By default, all metrics are included in the graph. The reports show metrics over time grouped by created date. When you click the graph, the date and selected metrics for that date display. Next to each metric, the number of items in the metric over the selected date range displays regardless of whether you have chosen to include the graph of that metric.
Table
Each report includes a table. The first column on all reports is the Date, and the rest of the columns correspond to the metrics associated with the report. The table shows 30 rows at a time. Click Next to see more data. By default, the table is sorted by date from oldest to newest. Change the sort order by clicking the column headers. Clicking the selected sort column a second time sorts the data in the opposite direction. The small triangle pointing up or down next to a column header indicates the sort direction and marks that column as the sort column.
Update the Package in Your AppExchange Listing
If you add features to a published solution, update your AppExchange listing so that new customers get access to the latest version. You can associate a package version to your public listing before you submit the version for security review, but you can't publish the updated listing until the version passes.
Note
We conduct periodic re-reviews of solutions listed on AppExchange. If your solution shows significant change, we contact you to arrange a review of the new version.
Log in to the Salesforce Partner Community.
Click the Publishing tab.
On the Partner Console page, click the Listings tab.
Click the listing that you want to update.
Click Link Your Solution.
Locate the version of the solution that you want to associate with your listing.
Click Listing Summary | Publish.
References: Publish Your Solution on AppExchange
Comments
Post a Comment