Mobile is not the future, but it is the PRESENT. As per Statista, there will be 4.77 billion mobile phone users by 2017. With this ever increasing growth of mobile users, the number of mobile apps is also increasing. By the end of this year, we can expect 224.80 billion app downloads.
With so many apps entering the market, it has become imperative to make your app stand out from others. App Store Optimization is one of essential mobile marketing techniques that helps in driving traffic to your app. ASO has become a must-have strategy for the apps that are developed by startups or lesser-known brands.
What is App Store Optimization (ASO)?
ASO is a process of optimizing the mobile app to achieve higher rankings, visibility, and downloads in the app store. ASO aims at driving more traffic to your app page so users can take particular action i.e. download your app.
Why ASO?
Optimizing your mobile app with the right ASO techniques can result in following benefits:
- Increased Downloads: ASO helps you reach your potential audience who might be looking for a particular app. By showing your app in top results for a given search query in App Store or Google Play Store, ASO tends to increase your app downloads.
- Increased Visibility of App: By showing your app in top results, ASO also enhances the visibility of your app.
- More Reviews and Ratings: By increasing the reach and downloads of your app, ASO also helps in getting more reviews and ratings.
Best Practices of App Store Optimization in 2016
Here are some tips that you should follow to get your app noticed in the app store:
Choose the right keywords
ASO is nothing, but the SEO of mobile apps. Most of the SEO principles apply in ASO. The way you research keywords for the website in SEO, you need to research the right keywords for your app. You can find the most searched keywords related to your app and utilize them in:
a) App title (Most important element)
b) App description
c) Keyword data
Following are some steps that you can follow to find relevant keywords for your app:
- Brainstorm keywords that are related to your app and its niche.
- Put your primary keywords in App Store/Google Play Store search to identify your competitors.
- Get keywords ideas from competitors
- Make a list of keywords that have high or medium search volume with low competition.
- You can also localize your keywords to target specific geographic locations.
- You can also get keyword ideas from App Store and Google Play Store search suggestions.
Here are some tools that you can use during keyword selection phase:
Searchman :
Searchman helps you find keywords of competitor app.
SensorTower :
SensorTower gives insights about any app. You can just add the name of the app and it will show results like this:
AppAnnie :
AppAnnie provides more detailed information about apps. It also shows trending search terms. The best feature of this tool is that it shows iPhone, iPad, and Google Play store apps at one place.
Focus on App Icon
People don’t pay much attention to their app icons. However, it is one of the most important aspects of ASO. App icon is the first thing that user will notice along with your app title. Hence, your app icon should be designed in a way that users are encouraged to click and download the app. Here are some useful tips for app icon:
– For entertainment apps, make sure your app icon reflect the essential element of the app. If you have a game app, then the primary element of the game should be reflected in the app icon. Some of the great games app icons are:
– For business apps, keep your app icon consistent with your company logo.
Write Attractive App Description
The next thing in app store optimization is to create great app description. Writing a good description will help users understand your app and encourage them to download your app. Here are some essential tips for writing app description:
- Write simple and to-the-point description explaining your app.
- Avoid writing long paragraphs. Instead, write bullet points.
- Highlight the USPs of your app
- Provide contact email for app support and queries.
- Do not use jargons and use easy to understand description.
Use Great App Screenshots
Also, remember that for Apple’s App Store, your screenshots can be changed only with every new update so make sure you get them right.
App screenshots play a vital role in convincing the user to download your app. While optimizing your app, make sure you pay considerable attention to the app screenshots that will be shown on Google Play and App Store. Use high-quality screenshots to show the unique features of your app. Most of the users will consider your app’s screenshots before downloading the app.
Use Video
Videos are in trend. You can also take the advantage of this trend while doing app store optimization. You can provide a video showcasing what your app is all about and how it works to engage the users. However, make sure you use high quality and professional video that intelligently demonstrates your app features.
Ratings and Reviews
Ratings and reviews are crucial to the success of any app. Higher ratings and positive reviews encourage users to download the app. On the contrary, an app with lower ratings and negative feedbacks discourage users to try the app. Here are some tips related to app reviews and ratings:
- In case your app has received lower ratings then, you must check the reason the user has criticized your app.
- Share the feedback with your team and make efforts to correct the bad.
- Take your users’ feedback seriously and incorporate their feedback in your app.
In App Store, apps with higher ratings rank better. Hence, you should work on getting positive feedback with higher ratings. You can personally ask your users to write an honest review of your app. This will help you understand their needs and on what areas your app needs improvement. You can build a trust among users by incorporating their feedback in your app.
These were some App Store Optimization tips that you can consider for optimizing your mobile app in 2016. In case, you have any other point that can join the above list then feel free to post them in comments below. If you are looking for mobile app marketing experts, then contact the adept team of SEOwhizz to market your app