4 tops tips for ASO (App Store Optimisation) effectivity
App store optimisation (ASO) is a crucial factor in your mobile application success. It’s the process of optimising your app in order to improve its ranking in mobile app store rankings and become more visible in search results. By increasing your visibility, your app is far more likely to be seen which could result in more downloads. If you want to gain more downloads for your app, you need to make sure that your app is well optimised.
Your apps can be found based on certain keywords that users type in for it to be found. Mobile app optimisation works very similar to how search engine optimisation works for websites, except there’s one massive difference – when users find your website through search engines the job has basically been done and they’ve clicked on your website to discover it. However, mobile apps require a conversion in order for it to be successful and you need to convince the user to download the app in order for it to be effective.
ASO requires more than simply landing on the page and gauging traffic. You need to be able to convert users to download the app too. As ASO is a relatively new emergence in the digital world, there isn’t necessarily anything to go off in order to rank better than other apps. Nevertheless, there are still tips and tricks that you can use to improve the possibility of your app being seen and downloaded. Here are 5 top tips.
Ensure the correct category is chosen
There are plenty of categories to choose from when assigning your app in the store itself. This will define how well your app will do because choosing the wrong category can lead users to look elsewhere. Not only this, but it can also impact the ranking of your actual app so be sure it’s relevant to what your app does and also consider the amount of competition within the app.
Categories have also changed over the years with the introduction of sub-categories. This allows you to be more specific with your choice of category for your users and provides you with more space to rank your app higher. Become familiar with what these categories are and whether they’ll be suitable to place your app in before choosing the best one.
Utilise the correct keywords
Keyword research for your app is essential to choosing the right category and increasing the visibility of your app. Double-check the keywords that are also being targeted by your competitors so you have a better understanding of what audiences you’re targeting. Initially, you’ll want to target low competition keywords so you can gain some form of interest in your app and rank your app relatively easily. Once you gain some success, you can then begin optimising for larger more competitive keywords.
The Apple app store allows you 100 characters to optimise your app in the keyword field. This directly impacts your search results in the app store itself, whereas the Google Play Store takes keywords used from the app description to determine the ranking of the app.
Encourage rating and reviews for your app
Similar to how rankings and reviews impact search engine rankings, you need to encourage users to rank and rate your app too. This shows trustworthiness and pleasure in your app that it does exactly what it needs to and satisfies other users. The app stores also consider positive reviews as a factor for determining how well your app will rank in the app store search results. A gentle push notification to your users to remind them to write a review can do your app wonders if they provide positive feedback.
A good way to indicate that you’ll get a good review is if the user has used your app multiple times since they downloaded the app. It shows they’re engaged in the app and it fulfils a valuable purpose for them, so it’s bound to result in a positive review.
Make sure your app listing is fully complete
If an app has missing information or doesn’t provide all the information that it needs to, it’s unlikely that it’s going to encourage downloads from users. Certain elements that need to be completed in an app store listing includes having an app icon, providing screenshots and features etc. The app icon is particularly significant as it’s one of the first things that a user sees when they first download the app. It works similar to a brand logo for a business and its purpose is to represent the app for what it is or what it does. This is where a design agency could come in handy as part of your creation process.
There are guidelines that need to be followed in order for your app logo to be accepted and used for your app to save it having issues. Screenshots can be simply used to promote your app as it’s a great way to convince your users to download the app. The same can also be said for images and videos of the app being used or for showing off the features that it has, particularly the key features in the app that will encourage the users to download the app.
Final Takeaways
App store optimization is something that constantly needs monitoring in order to be successful. As well as the points mentioned above, there are plenty of other factors that you need to consider other than just optimisation. Is the app safe to use? Does it work effectively? Has it gone through technical due diligence? These are other external factors that will determine the success of your app because without a working app that’s safe, how are users meant to use it in the first place?
Be sure to regularly check the performance of your app and also provide it with updates to improve its performance. This will contribute to the app performing well in search engines and ensuring it has the best possibility of being found in the search results. Once you get your app downloaded and gaining visibility in your mobile apps, you very well could be on your way to mobile app success and countless downloads of your app.