How about a little backstory on some of the greatest apps of now?

Google

Given the ubiquitous nature of search engines today, it’s hard to believe that there was a time when all webpages were just individually indexed and had to be searched by their www address. But that’s true, the Web became publicly accessible in 1990, but the first engine showed up only in 1993. And no, it wasn’t Google. In fact, Google stepped into the game only in 1998. There were at least 20 other search engines before Google and you probably remember Alta Vista, Web Crawler and of course, Yahoo! and AOL. If being the first to get the idea was the only scale to success, any of those early search engines would have been at the top today and not the late entrant Google.

Yet Google rose to the top because it did it better than the others. As the pages on the web exploded, all these other search engines couldn’t keep up, while Google developed a ranking system that was far more comprehensive and consistently brought better search results.

Facebook

Not only was it not the first idea of its kind, but it also wasn’t even Zuckerberg’s own idea, if you believe the Winkle Voss Brothers. Legalese aside, Facebook wiped out names like MySpace, Orkut, Friendster and many others to become not just a social network but a worldwide phenomenon. Facebook did not have a first-mover advantage but still managed to rock the world, because of not one thing but years of evolving. A stylish news feed that is addictively engaging, great photo sharing capabilities, easy accessibility and the Facebook API that allowed it to connect will almost all other sites on the web, making Facebook omnipresent and often the easiest one-click sign in on a slew of shopping, entertainment, and other sites.

Instagram

Instagram said I let users share photos. Facebook said I already do that mate. Instagram told I got excellent filters that perform ordinary pictures to look fabulous.

To help make things easier for you, here are a few things you can do to make a used idea work for you and rise above the current rivals:

1. Find a Way

In many ways, working with an idea that’s already been done before is a great advantage. You already know the market and its expectations. You know what your prospective users expect, what they already have and what more they’d like. You need to look very closely and find the pain points that consumers experience with the current apps. Now eliminate these pain points with features.

2. Create a Better Design

If you are serious about building an app, you probably understand that design will be the big differentiator that could set you apart. As Instagram did, make it stupidly simple to get things done. The lesser your users have to work, the better they like the app. eliminate all the clicks you can. Place important buttons within the thumb’s reach. Stay clean and minimal.

3. Target a New Market

You don’t have to go global from the launch. To be conservative, you should focus on a strong niche market by offering something very specific that a lot of people really value. This will help you develop a strong and loyal brand following quickly. You can push the envelope once you have a foot in the door. Increase to different markets, add new features and develop as you grow. But at first, work really hard on a focused market.

4. Think a New Monetization Strategy

Maybe users love the current apps but hate in-app advertising. Maybe you could give them an ad-free experience and come up with a better monetization model.

If you are really excited about your thought, work for it. Of course, follow the above points, do your research and make your app better than the currently available options. And then, it really doesn’t matter if a dozen people have already made an app with the same idea. Yours could be much greater, and finally more successful, like Facebook, Instagram, and Google.