What is App Store Optimization?
App store Optimization or ASO is the process of improving your ranking in app stores such as Google play (on Android phone) or App Store (on iOS phone). It is similar to Search Engine Optimization to rank higher on a Google search, the difference being that here you are vying for the top spots in an App Store search. An experienced app store optimization company can help you in achieving this ranking.
Why should I focus on ASO?
So, why should you focus on ASO and how is it going to help your business? According to Nielsen, 63% of customers search in app store to discover new app. Other channels like app discovery through media, word of mouth and advertisement rank lower than app search when it comes to app discovery. Simply put you are missing out on reaching a large number of potential audiences if you are not making efforts in ASO.
Building an app and putting it up on an app store is only half the job done. The app is not going to have significant benefits unless it is discovered and downloaded by many users. With little but consistent efforts in ASO you can reap the benefits of ranking higher in app searches and hence have more downloads.
How can you do it?
- Keyword in Title and description
Just like keywords in SEO, Keywords play an important role in ASO as well. According to MobileDEvHQ, apps that have the relevant keyword in their title rank on an average, 10.3% higher than those that do not. It is important to research what keywords the audience is using to search apps in your category.
Including the keyword in title and description will help the App Store to sift through the thousands of apps available in your category. It will also draw the attention of customers when they see clearly that the app addresses their requirement. The next point talks about how to get the title right once you have zeroed in on the keyword to be included.
- How to get the title right
The title should be short, unique and navigational. Titles with more than 25 characters will run off the screen and are less likely to be downloaded.
Unique titles are the ones that are creative and stand out in the crowd of similar sounding apps. Eg: AirBrush: Easy Photo Editor is good versus Photo collage editor, Photo Editor, Photo editor Pro, PhotoDirector, Photo Editor etc.
Navigational titles are the ones easy to remember and don’t get lost in the generic names of the category. Eg: Tinder
- Increase number of downloads
This is obviously something that is out of your control. Nevertheless, this is one of the criteria used to rank an app. All the other attributes remaining same, an app that has higher number of downloads is considered more useful by the app store and hence ranked higher.
- Ratings and Reviews
Apps that have higher ratings are ranked higher and also have higher number of downloads. You can incentivize users to rate and review your app by giving offers, upgrades, discounts etc.
- Ongoing process
ASO is not rocket science. An app with user centricity, simple user interface and good amount of thought and research is more likely to get great reviews and downloads. An app that addresses the core problems in a user’s life will definitely get huge word of mouth referrals.
ASO is more of a consistent effort everyday rather than getting a magical formula at launch. It takes time to get to the top in a world where millions of apps already exist. However, monitoring your app and making necessary tweaks every now and then will reap more benefits than possible otherwise.
Conclusion
The field of mobile marketing is changing daily and so are the rules. An experienced digital marketing expert can help you in app store optimization for Android and iOS Apps.