Himanshu PatelOne question.
How do you download the App Store Optimization?
The answer- the mobile app on app stores search is the most common way to search and download new apps.
It implies the users consider the app more relevant that appears higher in the search results. It’s like search engine results where the first five results on the first page get maximum clicks, and no one likes to scroll down or search on the second page. Therefore, making the app top the charts is very important to app success, else you miss out on the potential users.
But it’s quite a daunting task. Why?
Two app stores- Google play store and Apple play store are ruling the world with around 5 million apps. That’s where making your app stand out and get to the top position is not a bed of roses. However, in the same vein, it’s not impossible but requires great effort to achieve.
App store optimization (ASO) is considered the most effective marketing channel to hit the sweet spot. It’s a time-consuming method but very effective in bringing fruitful results for the long term in a sustainable way. Additionally, it offers a bouquet of advantages to the businesses that embrace it.
The perks of app store optimization
- Enhance visibility
Unless the app is not visible in the top ranking, it won’t appear to the users in the search results. With ASO, the higher rankings make your app unique and visible at the top position and your app gets notified by the users.
- Make the app discoverable by the right audience
The app’s success depends on quality traffic, which comes only when the app is found by the right users who are interested in the app. With ASO, the app with relevant keywords gets matched with the search term that users are using for app search. Thereby relevant keywords bring high-quality traffic.
- Improve organic download
The ASO certainly helps in increasing organic traffic and downloads as the right keywords are bringing only those users who are willingly searching for the app. Continuous efforts and updates ensure the download rates for the long term.
- Diminish user acquisition cost
ASO means no pennies you need to spend on the advertisements. By following the app store guidelines, when you optimize the app, the users automatically drove to the app.
- High conversion and ROI
Conversion rate optimization under the app store optimization umbrella motivates the users to click and install the app. Besides, the in-app ads, in-app purchases, and subscription models help you earn additional revenue.
- Increase global outreach
ASO helps in taking the app to global users by making the app available in different languages, enabling currency conversion, and introducing other localization elements. With little effort, the local app becomes global for a worldwide audience.
The impressive results showcase that app store optimization is a nice approach to improve mobile app growth. However, the process for both leading players- Apple app store and Google play store to review and publish the app is different.
We will first take a look at the differences between the two app stores’ ranking criteria. Let’s dig deeper!
The app review process undertaken by Google play store includes- all the texts are considered during keywords indexing, keywords repetition must be at least 3-5 times across all the fields, app title and short and long description, quality backlinks, continuous updates, rating and reviews, and download and engagement rates.
According to the Apple app store review process, the specific field is provided for the keywords, and there should not be any repetition of keywords across any field. The sophisticated search algorithms are influenced by a couple of ranking factors like- app URL, app name, app subtitle, continuous updates, ratings and reviews, and download rates.
The process for app store optimization
- Create an ASO strategy
Market research and then in-depth analysis of collected data are vital to creating an ASO strategy. It gives meaningful insights about the language translation to enable, keywords to keep, and how to optimize the app. Later, the ASO foundation is built.
- Select the app’s name judiciously
The app’s name is the first thing that appears to the users first when they search for the app. That’s why the name should be relevant, easy to read, and appealing, which improves the recognition value. From the ASO point of view, the character count of the name should be 50 for the Google play store and 30 for the Apple store. The main keyword is placed in the name to increase the rank.
- Conduct keyword research intelligently
Before doing the keyword research, the main features, synonyms of the features, similar app’s name, app’s category, and commonly used terms help in finding the first group of keywords. Later, the ASO tools are leveraged to track, analyze, and get recommendations to improve rankings. Mostly, AI-powered tools have been used that end up with the arduous task of searching and providing intelligent suggestions for more keywords.
- Write a thoughtful app description
The app description provides an overview of the app and its features. It must be relevant to the users and app store ranking algorithm, but that’s taken differently by the different app stores.
For instance, Google play store search the keywords in the app description. If the keywords are incorporated into the sentences naturally, then the algorithms find the app more relevant, and the users consider it attractive.
On the other hand, the Apple store never indexes keywords from the app description. Here, you get the opportunity to showcase the value and benefits of the app. Make the description informative, easy to comprehend, and organized by using bullet points.
- Choose the right app icon
Multimedia elements out pass text elements when it comes to catching the maximum eyeballs. This is where you can add wings to the creativity to design the app icon that conveys a ton. Remember, the phrase- a picture is worth a thousand words. Beware! Don’t add too many elements in the icon else it turned out messy.
To get sure about the app icon, it’s better to conduct A/B testing with various icon variations. The testing helps in identifying which icon suits best and get maximum clicks. Once you get the result, finalize the icon for the app.
- Craft audio-visual attraction
When you succeed in landing the users on the app page, it’s a half-won battle. Convincing the users to download the app makes you win the rest half of the battle. That’s where screenshots and videos play an important role in conversion optimization.
The screenshots and videos have nothing to do with ranking, but they give the first impression of the app and showcase the functionalities of the app appealingly. The screenshot is the best way to tell the app story visually, and they work as the app preview. The app videos leveraged referred to as app preview in the app store.
You should pay heed to the layout, size, and orientation needs for screenshots and videos.
- Up the localization game
The best visuals and app listing preparedness don’t guarantee that your app is accepted worldwide. The same mistake businesses make by setting English as the standard language for the app. To make the app embraced in every corner of the world, targeting the local market is all-important, which is possible with localization.
It doesn’t require extraordinary efforts. You just need to translate the audiovisuals, metadata, and keywords into different languages. The localization helps in increasing the users’ outreach and app store visibility which results in improved downloads and revenue. It’s so because the native language strengthens the trust in the app.
- Feedback is critical
The app stores and the users pay special attention to the user’s comments and ratings for ranking the app. The better the reviews and ratings will be, the higher the rank it becomes.
Also, the users leaving feedback expect to get a reply in return and feel good if the users’ feedback is considered. There are various ASO tools to manage the app store reviews.
- Track performance
ASO is not a one-time process. Tracking the app performance and optimizing the app regularly is vital to sustaining the downloads and ROI. Performance tracking helps in identifying the app’s strength and weakness so that the app stay tuned to the users’ expectations.
It’s impossible to achieve manually and quite exhausting too. The ASO tools like- Radar, AppsFlyer, and SplitMetrics works best in tracking the performance at the fingertips.
What is App Store Optimization?
Similar to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which helps improve web pages’ rankings on the search engines such as Google or yahoo, Bing, App Store Optimization or ASO is a process to optimize a mobile app to improve its ranking or boost its visibility on the app store’s search results. The higher the ranking, the more the chances of the app reaching its target users. In other words, ASO tends to drive more traffic to your app’s page on the app store optimization so that it gets more downloads from your potential customers.
Why is App Store Optimization Important?
Google reports that nearly 59% of smartphone users discover apps while browsing through their phone’s app store. So, if your app isn’t optimized for the app store, you may be missing out on a huge opportunity to get it discovered and downloaded by millions of users.
