The Ins and Outs of App Store Optimization - an Essential Aspect of Mobile App Marketing
“Mobile is not just a platform. It is an opportunity to transform your business.”
Below are the insights to validate the statement:
Source: comScore
Businesses are presently focused on allowing customers to use their services as seamlessly as possible by leveraging technology that suits them and adds value to their experience. So, what is the best way to provide your services to customers? The answer is via a Mobile App.
As per the statistics, time spent by users on the mobile platform and mobile apps is higher than that of desktop. But, how can you leverage the power of mobile apps to greatest?
Let’s say you built a seamless application. An incredible designer helped you with the UX, an experienced developer helped you with the tech stack and you are almost ready to launch it. What’s next? With over 6 million mobile apps in major app stores, have you ever thought of how your target audience will find your app? The answer is App Store Optimization (ASO) – an essential aspect of Mobile App Marketing.
As per statista, 50% of app marketers said that app discovery is one of the biggest marketing challenges for them. This makes it crucial for appreneurs to pay close attention to App Store Optimization (ASO). Let us dive down to know the ins and outs of ASO:
What is ASO?
App Store Optimization (ASO) is a procedure to increase the visibility of a particular app in the huge sea of mobile applications in various App Stores. The higher you will rank in app stores, the higher the visibility and organic download rates.
To show up in the App Store’s search results, a mobile app must meet all the ranking criteria of the app stores and must be also completely optimized.
Higher rankings will drive more traffic to your application's page ensuring visitors take some actions like downloading the app. Below given stats clearly proves the fact as to why ASO is considered as the crucial aspect of Mobile App Marketing:
Tips to Create an Effective App Store Optimization Plan
Find Your Keywords
Just like SEO, finding potential keywords is an essential step that you need to make before executing your ASO strategy and even before releasing your application.
To start with, keywords are anything that strikes your mind and is important for your application; it could be related to the functions it performs and/or the fundamental features it offers. Another best approach is to do competitive analysis. To accomplish this, accumulate keywords your competitors are targeting and ranking for. To aid you in your search for keywords, there are several tools available in the market. Here are few of them:
- Ubbersuggest
- Keyword Planner
- Meatti (for iOS apps)
- OneLook Reverse Dictionary
Select as many keywords as possible and check the traffic for each one of them. You need to focus on those keywords that have low or medium difficulty and at the same time good volume. These keywords are not highly competitive and therefore getting rankings for these is comparatively easy. High rankings of these keywords will enhance the visibility of your application drastically in App Stores.
A Tip to Grasp
For new applications, it is quite challenging to get into the top-results for mid-tail or short keywords. This requires loads of efforts and time. This is the reason the best technique at the start is to go for long-tail keywords (ones that are more specific than common search queries and have less competition). The search volume is less for these keywords but at the same time competition is also low.
Compose the Title of Your Mobile App Carefully
The title of your application influences the search results and additionally the conversion rates.
The most critical choice for application title is whether to incorporate keywords into it or not. Some big brands may choose not to incorporate keywords in the title for a sleek look. However, this approach functions admirably only for established brands. Keywords embedded in the title often helps your applications rank higher.
Ideal Approach for Mobile App Title:
When it comes to App Title, to rank higher in App Stores, keep the following points in mind:
- Keep the app name short.
- Ensure it is simple to spell.
- Make sure it is easy for users to remember.
- Incorporate most important keywords(s) along with your brand name.
Pay Attention to the App Store Description
One of the most essential parts of an awesome ASO plan is getting your users to rapidly understand that you are giving them what they are looking for. To show the same, utilize clean and short sentences in app’s description. It should be focused toward your customer base and not towards the search engines. Your description must act as a call-to-action for your potential clients. Try to describe what your app does in concise language and list the advantages it offers in such a way that it compels your visitors to download it.
Also, remember that there's a distinction in the policies for Apple and Google Play Store. For instance, unlike Apple Store, Google Play does not accept a space between 2 words. So, try to fuse more keywords in Android description.
Use Engaging Icons, Screenshots and Videos
App icon is the very first thing that is noticed in the application by users. So, it is essential to keep it simple but attention-grabbing for your target audience. Ensure your application icon conveys the fundamental function to the target audience clearly.
The other tactic worth considering is to incorporate a screenshot or video that displays how your application functions. The current trend is to put one video in portrait mode and 2 other screenshots of your app. Make your video short and punchy.
Leverage App Analytics
The biggest concern of appreneurs is finding the real source of revenue. This is where app analytics comes into the play. App Analytics gives you a clear picture of number of people who are using your application and how you can gain the maximum advantage from your app.
With analytics, you can generate data-driven results, gather accurate statistical data, align towards a user-focused view of marketing and increase the ROI of your mobile app.
Out of the varied options available in the market, some of the best analytical tools worth utilizing are Google Analytics, Flurry Analytics (Yahoo), and Localytics. It helps you make efforts in the right direction to achieve your marketing goals.
Localization
Application Localization is an incredible method to get high rankings in as many countries as possible. Take the first step by localizing your application's metadata i.e. Title, Keywords, Description and so on.
Mobile app localization leads to higher number of downloads and generates revenues in the targeted markets. This is because people like to spend time on apps that are in their local languages. So, it is best to localize your app.
Test, Test and Test
Testing is the key in ASO; it basically gives clear insights on how minor changes influence your App Store conversion rate. With experimenting with the latest trends, you can increase conversion rates drastically.
Ensure you update your app’s description and the product page periodically. Each time you release a new version, make sure to reflect the update in your product page’s screenshots and description to show new features to the users.
Final Words
Are you looking for your app to get viral? Goodfirms has crafted a complete array of top app marketing agencies that consider all of the above-mentioned points to ensure their clients’ app is ranked higher in App Stores. Hire a firm from the list that best matches your budget and requirements.