App Store Optimization Techniques (ASO)for Mobile Apps

With millions of smartphone applications in the app stores, finding the apt app is one of the key challenges mobile app developers face today. That’s why understanding app store optimization (ASO) is so important.

What is an ASO App

App store optimization is the method of designing smartphone applications to rate higher in the search results of the app store. The higher your app rates in the search results of an app store, the more accessible it is to prospective users.

The ASO process also needs a crucial knowledge of your target client base and the keywords that your future clients use to identify applications that are close to yours.

In addition to ranking high in the app store search results, ASO also focuses on click-through rate (CTR). This means you have to persuade users to actually move through your app store page after they discover it. You will do this by improving the Product Name, App Description, App Icon, App Screenshots, and App Ranking.

SEO/ASO: Things you should know!!!

ASO is also referred to as SEO App Store (Search Engine Optimization). Both processes share similarities such as keyword optimization, backlinking and translation optimization. Ranking considerations are the key distinctions between App Store Optimization and Search Engine Optimization. ASO is mostly used for smartphone phones, while SEO is used for websites.

SEO variables for a web browser, such as Google Search, cover more than 200 areas and the list continues to grow. The list of ranking factors for ASO is much shorter, but many people are still not sure which ones will play a part. It’s time to bring an end to this.

Here are a few crucial moves you need to take care of to boost your ASO:

Attract your users with an eye-catching title

A good name not only defines what the app does to potential customers but can also boost your scores. We have illustrated how a good, meaningful title will boost your ASO in this article, with an example of how to make your app title relevant. In reality, using a keyword or two in your app’s title will make you rank at least 10% higher than if you didn’t have one. Of course, both the Apple iOS App Store and Google Play treat titles and keywords differently, but how you tackle your title can depend on whether you’re marketing to Apple or Android customers.

Using smart keywords

Like SEO, keywords are an important part of ASO. Like product names, how you treat app keywords varies from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

With Apple, you only get 100 characters for all your keywords, so clearly you need to make a wise choice; it should go without saying that you should be as close to this 100-character cap as possible.

However, there is no unique keyword area for Google Play. However, the overview of the app is searchable and you have 4000 characters to deal with.

You’ll want to add the most important keywords in your summary five times for the best optimization of the App Store. However, be careful not to overdo it — keyword stuffing will penalize your app (just as keyword stuffing on a website will penalize your domain by Google), leading to a decline in your rating.

Put forth your app well

For all Apple and Android users, the overview of the app is like the landing page of your website. When you’ve got your prospective buyer so far, you want to be able to close the deal and make the offer! Your product overview and page in the app store can also be considered as an integral aspect of the App Store Optimization Plan.

Bring down all the points like What’s the app doing, What kind of problem does it solve, How is that going to make life better for the buyer, Why is the premium worth it?

Add a trailer video

You should use the influence of video on your App Store page to give potential consumers a deeper view into what your app can bring them.

App Previews in the iOS App Store allow you to upload 30 seconds of videos to display the capabilities and advantages of your app.

You can only screen in-app recordings, so make sure your UX smartphone app looks nice and suits what your prospective audience is looking for!

This App Store Optimization strategy can make your App Store page convert higher as you produce useful content.

Choose the right category

Placing your app in the right category on both the Apple App Store and Google Play is not only useful for users who are searching applications by category, but it is also best practice to make the app rank well.

If you feel like your app falls into more than one group, there are three ways to fix your problem:

First and foremost, you’ll want to select the category that best fits your mobile app.

Next, it’s a smart idea to find out how many apps are in each category; picking the least difficult category allows the software a greater chance at being closer to the top.

Finally, look at the average app value (EAW) of applications near the top of those rankings. Put the app in the one with the lower numbers could also be to your benefit.

It’s also important to remember that putting your app in a category that’s blatantly wrong can lead to trouble.

Apple reviews all submitted apps before publishing them to the App Store, and adding your app to the wrong category for App Store Optimization purposes will probably mean a rejection stamp.

As for Google Play, users can report violations for review. If you have a major error like the Sports app in the Medical category, it’s only a matter of time before someone points that out.

Conclusion

If you want to have a successful app with lots of visibility and downloads — and income-generating potential — you’ve got to pay close attention to your App Store Optimization strategy.

While Apple and Google do not share their exact methodology for establishing app rank, it has been established that there are certain things that will have a positive impact on how well your app ranks.

ASO is a process that needs to be monitored and constantly tweaked over a period of time. Your optimal set of keywords rarely is the set that you first opt to put in the app store.

In most cases, little or no research on keyword searches occurs before the app submission, leaving most apps hidden, and the likelihood of discovery quite low.

To reap the rewards of ASO, you need to invest time and effort. If you do, you’ll have a consistent channel driving traffic to your app.