Quick start guide

💻 Step 1: Download the Appcues Builder and Install Appcues

We assume you’ve created an account already, but if not register here. Then, download the Appcues Builder. You'll use this to build some of your content, directly on your website, no coding is needed.

When you're ready to publish your content live, install Appcues. It takes just a few minutes. For web apps, add the Appcues snippet to your site or install the Appcues SDK via another tool like Segment. For mobile apps, use the native SDK for iOS or Android and follow the setup steps in your project.

😀 Step 2: Set up user identification and track key user actions

Identify users so you can target content, personalize experiences, and track results. Pass key traits such as plan, role or lifecycle stage, and key events like uploaded file, created project or completed onboarding. If your app supports accounts, include account-level properties too. With identification in place, targeting and measurement will be accurate from day one.

🌈 Step 3: Design your Theme

Make your Appcues content feel instantly familiar with a theme that reflects your brand from day one. Set typography, colors, button styles, and corner radiuses so every experience looks consistent and professional. Use CSS to customize your experiences and create a few reusable components like headers or footers to speed up future builds.

🚀 Step 4: Create your first experience

Start with a simple, high-impact use case: a welcome modal or a pin that explains a key action. In the Builder, choose the pattern, write clear copy, and add simple visuals. Keep steps short and focused on one task at a time.

🎯 Step 5: Configure targeting

Define who should see the experience and when. Start broad but safe: show to new users, on specific URLs or screens. Layer in properties to refine your audience. Target by role, plan, or lifecycle stage. Use event-based conditions such as “has not completed onboarding” or “has viewed feature X fewer than 2 times.” This ensures the right people see the right guidance at the right moment.

✅ Step 6: Test and publish

Before publishing to your broad audience, test your experience on a staging environment or limit it to internal users. Use the Appcues debugger to confirm targeting and placement. When everything checks out, publish with confidence. Start with a small audience or time window if you want to minimize risk, then expand once metrics look good. Monitor initial impressions and completion rates to confirm the experience is performing as intended.

Your first 30 days with Appcues

In an ideal first month, you’ll move with purpose through a clear weekly plan—install, launch, learn, and expand—so by day 30 you’re not just up and running, you’re ready to roll out Appcues at scale. Complete each step, build momentum with quick wins, and finish the month confident, data-informed, and primed to multiply use cases across your product.

Week 1: Installation and basic setup

Week 2: Create and launch your first experience

Week 3: Analyze results and iterate

Week 4: Scale to additional use cases