Top 10 Tips to Follow for Bettering App Store Optimization
September 3, 2019
Sarvesh Bagla
App Store Optimization – a term which is being heard just as much as SEO – how much do you understand it? In layman’s terms, the process enables an app to achieve a higher rank and better visibility on a mobile app store. So, just as the very term suggests, ASO does to the app store search results what SEO does to the search engine results. The bigger question you should be asking yourself is how can the app store be best optimized?
Techmagnate, a top-rated ASO company follows the below top 10 ASO tips and tricks to give your app marketing strategy a boost. Check them out, and let us know how many of them do you follow.
1. Taking Stock of the Competition
A good ASO strategy involves two parts – knowing the customer and understanding the competition. To achieve this, here are a few points which should be borne in mind –
- Description of the app.
- The language used by their customers.
- Keywords used by the competitors.
- Reasons for downloading and using the app.
Knowing which keywords are to be targeted – the obvious keywords or the less trafficked will make the job of optimization easier.
2. Knowing what Customers Search
App Store Optimization tips suggest thinking from the point-of-view of the end customer.
- What are they likely to search for?
- Why are the benefits of downloading your app?
- Will they share the app with friends and family?
All these questions will better an app’s presence on the app store. Conduct consumer research to identify the queries used by consumers to search your app or related ones. This helps in determining whether the same keywords are to be targeted or separate keywords are to be used.
3. Deciding the App Name
For the best App Store Optimization results, coming up with a unique name for the app is not enough. If the right keyword is used in the title, then the chances of the app being ranked higher get brighter by 10.3%.
Note – Up to 50 characters are allowed in titles of Google Play Store and 30 characters of Apple App Store. However, this does not mean that every word that can be thought of, is to be put in the title.
- The chosen title should have the required keywords and should leave a positive impression on the customer as well.
- Longer titles are also truncated after the 30th character, which includes white spaces on the App Store, and the 50th character on the Play store.
Thus, to ensure that that the app is easily identifiable, the title must be kept short, interesting and apt.
4. Maximizing the Keywords
The approaches for selecting ASO keywords happen to be a bit different for the App Store and the Play Store. They are given below –
App Store
- The keyword field is 100 characters long.
- Makes use of title and keywords to determine the search strings for which the app will appear.
- To maximize organic traffic, the allocated keywords must be used. Keywords must be researched.
Play Store
- Has a similar approach to Search Engine Optimization.
- Google scans the app’s description to extract the necessary keywords.
- A keyword can be optimally repeated 5 times on the product page.
- Any additional mention has no effect on ASO and can even turn customers away.
For best results, write from the customers perspective first and then insert the keywords.
5. Writing the Right Description
One of the vital app store optimization tips is the apps’ description. It should be customer-focused. Some of the other points to remember are –
- The description should have a call-to-action.
- The language used should be simple. It should clearly state the benefits of downloading the app in the first three lines.
- With each update, the description too should change along with the screenshots.
6. Using a Unique Icon
For your app to stand out against the millions available, the visual appeal matters because that is the first impression which your audience has. However, it is essential to remember that both the App Store and the Play Store have their own preset standards when it comes to the color scheme, ideal size, and geometry of the icons which can match design elements of the rest of the OS. A few of such considerations are as follows –
iOS
- The minimum size of the icons must be 1024X1024 pixels.
- Depending on the use of the icon, it is accordingly scaled down by Apple OS.
- These include app icons (180X180), navigation icons (66X66), and tab bar icons (75X75).
- The app icon should thus be designed in such a manner that it looks good even after being scaled down.
Android
- Google Play needs an icon size of 512X512 pixels.
- Even though it is not essential, Google suggests that the app icons be designed in accordance with their guidelines.
- The guidelines list everything ranging from the anatomy to the lighting and shading of the icon.
Irrespective of whether the icon is being designed for iOS or Android, the design should immediately convey what the app does. It should not be cluttered with unnecessary words and logos.
7. Including Screenshots and Videos
Screenshots may not affect the search rankings on an app store, but they do boost the app downloads. Another advantage of having images is that they help in better describing the text to the target audience. They can visualize how the apps look and feel before hitting the download button.
Here’s an overview on using screenshots-
- The maximum number of screenshots which can be uploaded happen to be 5 and 8 for iOS and Android respectively.
- Of these only the first 2-3 screenshots are displayed in the gallery.
- Special care should thus be taken to ensure that these screenshots portray the benefits of using the app.
Ongoing through the screenshots, the user should be convinced of clicking on the download button.
8. Localizing the App Listing
These days, of the total app revenue only 31% is generated in North America. Among these, 72% of the people, who do not speak in English, prefer using their native language when conducting any online transactions. App publishers should thus adapt their language and brand communication according to the preferences of the target audience.
Strategies for achieving this include –
- Speaking to the customers in their native language.
- Using localization or translation services to convert the app’s description, keyword, screenshots, and title.
- Both the App and the Play Store allow the listing to be localized which increases the discoverability and readability for customers in different countries.
- Doing these can increase the rate of downloads by more than 70%.
9. Increasing Traffic using Outside Promotion
Both Google and Apple take into account the total number of visits to a page and the backlinks of the product page. Thus, the more traffic a listing gets, the more its chances of ranking better in the search results. How can you get the required traffic? Here are a few ASO tips with regards to increasing traffic –
- Using social media, content, press, reviews, and online advertising.
- App indexing – this means making the content of the app more searchable and linkable from a mobile or a web search.
10. Regularly Updating the App
Customers using mobile apps are regularly looking for improvisations in the user experience. Apps which are updated regularly are not just liked by customers but are also considered to be of higher value by the app store. Updating the app also brings in better reviews which in turn provides better ratings than before.
Pushing the app to the release stage is one part, the other involves encouraging the users to download the update. Here are few ASO strategies which can help you sell your next update –
- Letting the customers know using a login note, push notification, or an update link informing about the update and the improvisations which have been incorporated.
- Updating the app description to highlight the added or improved features along with a call-to-action.
- Maintaining good reviews for the app. The better the ratings, the higher the chances of the app getting downloaded.
In conclusion, though App Store Optimization (ASO) seems complicated, it is not. Having an understanding of ASO tips can help build an effective strategy. If the above-mentioned points are borne in mind, then it can surely help you move ahead of your competitors in the app store rankings. Keep in mind the need to constantly update algorithms for ranking.
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What is ASO in digital marketing?
Similar to SEO, App Store Optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a mobile app in an app store. The higher an app ranks in an app store, the more visible it is to potential customers.
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Why app store optimization is important?
With so much competition out there, it is a must to invest in ASO:
- increased organic installs
- increased revenue
- Gain visibility
- Decreased user acquisition costs
It is a relatively new field and we can leverage ASO to get your app to the top!
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How does app store optimization work?
The higher an app ranks in the mobile app store, the more visible it is to prospective users. ASO helps you get there – increased visibility, more traffic, and more users. There are a number of ways in which you can improve your app store ranking: keyword research, choosing the right title, a truthful but enticing description, a unique icon, and by adding screenshots and videos. Ratings and reviews, frequent updates, and external promotions can also improve your app store rankings.
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How can I promote my app?
You can optimise for target keywords in the App or play store and encourage ratings and reviews. Submit your app to app review sites will help garner initial publicity and support. Create a buzz about your app through social media, your website, and advertisements. Collaborate with influencers and local audience and submit your app to directories.
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How can I improve my ASO?
- Build a great ASO strategy
- Do your keyword research
- Have a great profile on the app or play store with screenshots, descriptions etc.
- Improve ratings and reviews
- Leverage paid promotions and localisation