It takes a lot of effort to create an app. It requires a considerable amount of time, money, and work. Sadly, that is not enough. How good your app is, if no one knows about it, doesn’t matter.

The Google Play store has over 2.6 million Android apps and the Apple App Store has over 2 million apps, and with every passing year, these numbers are going up. In the overloaded app market, you want your app to be a true hit.

To stay afloat, you’ll need to increase your visibility and encourage downloads. You have to make room for yourself when things get rough. Get the attention your app deserves.

How can I accomplish that?

Well, you’ve come to the right place if you’re wondering how to get your app noticed. The key is to employ effective App Store Optimization (ASO) strategies for both the Google Play and iOS App Store.

This article will teach you all the techniques of the business without having to be involved in expensive procurement. Therefore, let’s start right from the start.

 

What is App Store Optimization (ASO)?

The app marketplace is packed. You can’t trust luck to help your app get discovered in the worldwide app market, where roughly 5 million apps compete for the same clients.

ASO is an important part of the marketing campaign for your app. Its purpose is to increase the visibility of an app in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Your app won’t get very far if you don’t have a good ASO plan in place.

The practice of improving an app’s rankings and discoverability is known as app store optimization. While you shouldn’t stop there when it’s found, it is crucial to convince the consumers to download the app.

You’ll want to encourage downloads, upgrades, and in-app purchases once you’ve arrived at the app’s landing page.

This requires utilizing a number of ASO optimization techniques, often known as Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). It covers topics including writing descriptive titles, providing enough descriptions, placing proper categories, employing effective keywords, and sharing high-quality screenshots, among other things.

 

Why is ASO important?

The more relevant an app looks to users, the higher its ranking. They also save time because they don’t have to scroll through the results of a search. Because the amount of downloads is directly linked to the rank, the higher the rank, the more downloads.

There are various advantages to ASO. Research shows that 68% of all new app discoveries are ASO accountable. You get the following advantages when you use it correctly:

• The app is more explorable
• Further traffic drives
• Increased number of users
• Enhances organic downloads
• User base expansion.
• Revenue grows with CTR
• Reduces user purchase costs
• Help your mobile company grow

 

What are the differences between ASO and SEO?

ASO and SEO are inevitably key marketing and search components. They have complete control over how people find information, content, apps, and other services. For ASO and SEO to succeed, a great deal of planning, work, and monitoring is required.

Similarities between SEO and ASO are:

• Keywords are an essential part of the campaign.
• Organic traffic is acquired through search queries.

Websites, on the other hand, are geared for search engines, whilst apps are optimized for app stores. The search results, therefore, differ dramatically. When a user is looking for a specific feature in an app, he searches the app store. Web searches, on the other hand, are often used to find information, complete a purchase, find a website, and so on.

Learn more about our SEO services here.

 

ASO optimization techniques

According to incipia.co, people take 7 seconds to decide whether or not to download an app. From scannable material to high-quality app store screenshots, the appearance of the app store website is a critical aspect of a user’s decision.

Would you like to enhance the odds of your app being found and standing out?

Learning and investing in the correct ASO methods will help you reap long-term rewards.

This is how you go about optimizing your app for the app store.

 

1. Understand the users

63% of apps are found by app shop searches, according to Forrester. This is the most frequent way to find new applications. However, it also indicates that individuals are looking for a specific program.

Thus, both the target market and the target audience are investigated. Find out how and what they wish to do. Your client’s understanding enables you to get insights that help to build app content. Figure out why they’d use the app, how they found it, what language they speak, and so on.

 

2. Know what keywords to use

Keywords, like SEO, are an important part of marketing. They aid with the discovery of your software in app marketplaces.

See if your app is currently trending in keywords or keyword phrases. Use the first results pages for the search engine (SERPs).

The aim is to provide a list of keywords that you can use to optimize the listing of your app store. Every app listing component in the app store affects ASO. According to Fiksu’s research, inserting specific keywords in an app’s title and description can increase results by 80-100 spots and 10-20 positions, respectively.

While you research keywords, find those that:

• Describe the main features of your app
• Are synonyms of words describing these features
• State the app’s category
• Are common terms in this category

During your research, learn about the traffic, difficulty, and demand for specific keywords. See how many apps are already using them. Is it true that the most popular apps employ them? A better choice is a keyword with a lot of traffic and a small number of apps.

Keywords are handled differently in the Apple App Store and Google Play. In ASO for iOS, you’ll only have 100 characters for keywords.

Google Play does not have a unique field of keywords. On the other hand, the app description can be found. Use your description by the most successful keywords for the highest ASO for Android results up to five times. But don’t go overboard. Google can penalize you otherwise.

Be aware that it is an ongoing process to identify the appropriate keywords. A range of strategies can be used for optimizing the keyword of an App Store. You do not only track keywords, but also analyze and make tailor-made recommendations for higher-ranking apps.

• Use words instead of sentences
• Do not use conjunctions and prepaid words as keywords
• Use commas in place of spaces to separate keywords
• Use numbers rather than numerals

 

3. Choose the right name & App icon

Much may be expressed about the name of your app. It’s the first thing you notice about your application. A powerful title recognizes potential consumers in your app, even when it needs to be short. You can say what the program does by looking at the name. This can help enhance conversions via names that contain app descriptions.

A detailed title might better aid your software, particularly when a keyword or two are included. The rating of an app can grow by approximately 10 percent according to Mobiledevhq.Com. This is helpful when the understanding of keyword optimization is sufficient and up-to-date.

Whether you are marketing on Apple or Google, you will have distinct regulations. There are 50 characters in the Google Play Store, while only 30 are on the Apple App Store.

And the symbol of the app should likewise be interesting visually. Select a color, size, and geometric palette that will produce a comfortable instant impression and convey the results of the app. This makes your app stand out from the millions on the market. Make sure however you have a separate app icon.

When it comes to app design, both app stores have their criteria.

• The minimum size for iOS is 1024×1024 pixels. App icons include 180×180 pixels, 66×66 pixels, and icons on the tab bar are 75×75 pixels depending on the symbol application. Make sure that even when the image is scaled down, it appears excellent.
• Furthermore, Android has 512X512 pixels as the minimum dimension. Google has set a number of requirements to respect.

 

4. Write accurate app descriptions & Add a preview video

This is an important component of the metadata of an application and you will be limited to four thousand characters. Users can access the main features and information of the app. To persuade and push customers to download your app, utilize natural fluent language. In particular, it must be educational and easy to grasp.

In bullet points, the following solutions are available:

• What does the app do?
• What problem does it solve?
• How will it make the user’s life easier?
• What is the price?

The description of the app also applies to the application store ranking of algorithms. Google Store uses the keywords for indexing an app in this section. However, keywords are less beneficial to optimize the App Store keyword in the descriptions of the Apple App Store.

85 percent of the United States watches internet videos, with over half of them being watched on smartphones, according to Chipthompson.com. This can help enhance conversion by adding a video on an app store page. Include a movie showing the application’s functioning or providing a gameplay look. Videos may last up to 30 seconds for app previews.

 

5. Prepare high-quality screenshots & Ratings and reviews

You must encourage a customer to download it when they reach the app page. Screenshots are a valid sort of visual communication that can be used to show app features, give the user an insight into the app and convey the visual story.

Since 50% of people primarily evaluate their first impressions, these photos have to be wowing. Therefore, be careful about the finer components such as needs in design and size. Screenshots are the 2nd largest aspect of persuading people to download an app according to Mobiloud.com.

This results in the screenshots that are an important component of ASO for conversion optimization. On the other hand, you have no effect on app ratings on your screenshots or video.

Screenshots to help you get the most out of your app store:

• Use large captions
• Show off the brand
• Combined screenshots
• Highlight unique functionality

The Google Play Store can be uploaded to up to 8 screenshots, and the Apple App Store to up to 10. To help you generate sweeping app screenshots, use tools like Figma and AppLaunchpad.

Feedback is a major part of ASO’s success. The comment and reviews by users are taken into account in Google Play and Apple. The higher the degree, the bigger the application and the higher the degree. One of the most significant signs is a reassessment of the App Store system.

The amount and quality of favored evaluations and reviews are determined by ASO. 90 percent of users believe that ratings are a significant part of the app evaluation according to Apptentive. 79% of consumers study the ratings and reviews before downloading an app.

Besides ratings and reviews, however, regular updates and external ads, such as marketing campaigns for App Storage, could help you increase your position in the App Store.

 

How can your app be at the top of the app store searches?

This is a secret well guarded. None of Google nor Apple disclose their current application rating. The algorithms governing ASO are continually evolving, like those governing SEO.

You may enhance your app rankings by following app store optimization tips.

 

1. Place the app in the proper category

It could lead you to a lot of trouble if you put your program in the wrong category. It might lead to an Apple rejection stamp. The one you define best in numerous categories can be selected for your program. Choose a less competitive category as an alternative, so that the app has a better categorization opportunity.

 

2. Know your keyword strengths

In both app markets, there are a limited number of free keywords. For example, the phrase “free” does not count with the name of the application category. For other keywords, use more space.

Try to use keywords in the middle or long-distance app store instead of only using renowned keywords. This is because it is harder to classify prominent keywords.

 

3. Revamp visual content

a. Avoid unnecessary elements or text in the icon.

b. Use clear, visible CTAs

c. Screenshots:

• Screenshot or video pages that have no graphic material outperformed.
• Screenshots in the actual world exceed screenshots for animation.
• Change the images to reflect seasons, special events, and festivities in your listings.
• A lot of additional improvements to the Play Store’s search optimization have recently been enabled.
• Check the screenshot direction to verify that the graphics are correct. Vertical creative results on the product pages are better, but horizontal screenshots are better converted into search results in an app store.
• Be careful to increase the spacing when taking split-mode screenshots.
• Font size-impaired readability check.

d. Videos:

• Make sure your video is optimized for maximum conversion within the early few seconds. According to SplitMetrics, only 20 percent of consumers look for over 7 seconds.
• Many individuals watch videos on autoplay with the audio muted. Use text overlays to clarify the features you’re demonstrating.

 

4. Encourage positive reviews

When it comes to ASO, nothing beats a good user experience. If you appreciate an app, people will take a good look.

To encourage users to leave a review of your app, employ push-based notifications or pop-up notifications. However, wait till the user starts and uses the app numerous times before requesting comments. Be careful, too, about the amount of information you request. For example, you may be punished if you ask on iOS more than three times a year.

 

5. Localize app listings

Is the description of your software and your graphics in English only? Location or international To provide a global impression, ASO is needed for an app. Use local languages in the current metadata, keywords, or screenshots of a country to attract a broader audience. It boosts the visibility of apps as well as downloads and profits.

 

6. Maintain the quality of your app

ASO only works if the quality of the app is preserved. Bugs and a terrible user interface will turn off any user. Low-quality applications with high crashes or minor updates are classified below. Effective app management technology can help maintain and improve the ranking of apps.

Monitor your performance to ensure the optimum UX is achieved:

• Running tests routinely
• Ensuring navigation is smooth and quick
• Keeping loading times optimal
• Making sure the app is compatible with all devices
• Providing frequent version updates

 

7. Use app store analytics

You worked hard to construct an application successfully and enhance your ASO method. You must immediately follow the conversions.

To improve your app’s marketing strategy, you’ll need to use app store analytics tools. They also assist you in identifying specific areas where you can improve. From impressions to page views to installs, understanding the ASO funnel is critical for all apps.

If any component of ASO isn’t working for your app, review the data and make changes. Consider making little changes at a time to determine the source of the problem. Furthermore, when it comes to using ASO tactics, be quick and agile. It has the potential to significantly increase conversions.

 

Wrapping Up

Downloads are more likely when consumers realize what an application can achieve and how easily it can be integrated into their everyday life. This is where ASO comes into play in terms of app exposure and discoverability.

Are you struggling to boost your app’s visibility on the app stores? Reach out to us here. We’d love to hear about your business goals.

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