App Store Optimization (ASO) Secrets to Boost App Downloads

It’s really hard work to implement an application and it’s ridiculous if you don’t get the fruits of any hard work. Defiantly you require a good return for your app development work. For this App Marketing is important because your main aim of making the app is to get revenue through maximum downloading. Now you might be thinking how it is possible? Here I’ll share some of the tips that will help you in boosting your application with ASO App Store Optimization.

What is ASO or App Store SEO?

App Store Optimization in short ASO is a process of optimizing the App for achieving the higher app ranking in the app store. You might be aware of the SEO which is known as Search Engine Optimization for the website. ASO is similar but the difference is only about app and website. ASO is for Application and SEO is for the website. In other words, it is called an app store SEO.

Guidance for ASO App Store Optimization:-

Keyword and App name:

There is a chance of 10.3% boost of an app in the ranking if there is the use of the keyword in the App Name. It is obvious that whenever a user searches for an app, the app store and play store scan as per the algorithm. In this case, if there is a keyword with the name of the app there is more chance for the app to catch by algorithm and present to a user.

But be aware while adding a keyword. You must justify the most important keyword to add in the title. This keyword must be high in traffic, low in difficulty and relevant to the app.

Suggestion:

Use the most important keyword in terms of relevancy and traffic

App Name Format:

Make it sure that your brand name is short simple and understandable. You can add keywords in this name with the help of a semicolon or dash for ASO App Store Optimization.

Suggestion:

The app name format is like this

“App Name: Keywords or App Name – Keywords”

Remember that you use URL friendly characters in the app name. Don’t use any kind of special symbol or character in the app name.

App Name length:

In the case of App Store, there are 30 characters of limit in iOS 11 and one must not cross this limit. So you need to make good use of this space. The idol use can be like this for ASO App Store Optimization.

Suggestion:

• Length in the name: Use only 23 characters or less than that in the brand name.
• Total length: Use more than 20 characters in the total length. You can do this by adding relevant keywords.

Google Play: The app name in the Google play store is also about 50 characters. In this also you must use short and simple brand name. Don’t forget to add relevant keywords.

Subtitle:

Introduced in the iOS 11, this is another important field after the title of the app. If you place keywords in this title, app store index all those keywords which will be another beneficial point. So make a good use of this field to avail the chance of getting rank.

App Description & Keywords:

In the case of iOS, the app store does not pick keywords from the app description. But it does not mean that you can totally avoid this strategy. In the case of the Google play store, the algorithm picks keywords from the description. It is important to put keywords in the description and the first two-three lines are very much important. It is because the user will only impress with the first line and then click on the “Read More” button.

You must avoid blank lines and spaces. Tell user why your app is important and what are its values to the user?

You can go with the following points:

• An impressive line at the beginning of the description.
• Highlight all the features of the app in bullet points.
• List all the awards, social proof, and appreciation which your app received.
• Emoji and Rich formatting are allowed in Google Play so you can use that.
• More than 589 characters and less than 3385 characters can be the best range.

App Promotional Text:

This field is available in the App Store only. The limit of this field is 170 characters. This field is not indexed by App Store but still, it is important to fill out this field. It is because through this field you can easily tell the important factors about your application in a brief manner.

Suggestion:

Without doing a version update you can easily use the promotional text to do A/B test of different messages. Whichever message gives you the best conversion rate you can convert the message content into the app store keywords.

App Icon:

The design of the icon should be simple and attractive. Make it sure that there is no effect on the icon when it is exposed in the dark or light background. Don’t go with the similarity of the icon with your competitors. Your app’s icon should be your own and does not copy from anyone. Adding the colors, different shapes and framing can be very helpful in making your app icon attractive.

Suggestion:

If your app has an established branding then use the logo to make your brand recognizable. In the case, if your app is a functional one then use one object to describe your application.

Getting keyword ideas:

To get the best result, you must use the best keywords. For ASO App Store Optimization keyword research, you can go for tools that will help you in getting ideas with the popularity. Remember that avoiding relevancy can lead to big loss i.e. you must be aware that your finalize keywords are relevant to your application or not. Don’t judge keywords on basis of their traffic and popularity.

Suggestion:

Following tools can help you in getting the keyword ideas:

• Sensor tower
• Searchman
• Mobile Action

Selecting your keywords:

Always select those keywords which have high chance and traffic and low difficulty. To finalize ASO keywords, always focus on these points because selecting the right keyword is really important for the App Store Optimization.

Suggestion:

• Removing old and poor keywords: Always monitor your app and check the current status of keywords. Keep all those keywords which are coming within the top 10. Replace the rest of the keywords with new keywords which are relevant and has high chance and ranking.
• Make character space to 500 for keywords: Multiply the character space and store your more keywords for getting a lot more traffic.
• Use of long-tail keywords: Using long-tail keywords can be one of the effective ways to get good ranking. In simple term, they are a group of several single words. The combination of several keywords gives a good exposure on the App Store.

In-App Purchases:

As far as if the IAP is considered, maximum of 20 IAPs on the product page. In the search result also, they can appear and can be featured also. Each IAP has its own display name, description, and promotional image. Here also there is a big game of keywords which you can add in In-App Purchase.

Learn more about App Promotion 

App Screenshots:

Remember that the first two screenshots are very important in terms of ASO App Store Optimization. They can increase your conversions by 25%. Each screenshot should be unique, clean and relevant. You can also add a caption in the screenshot. To impress your user, use all the 5 screenshot slots.

Suggestion:

• Go with Vertical Screenshots: The reason behind this scheme is that it enables a user to see more screenshots even if the screen is narrow.
• Check screenshot: Always check your screenshot before implementing them. Check the dimension, compatibility, count, and orientation.

Major changes in iOS 11

App Preview Video:

Adding a video can boost your install rate at a great level and can be important regarding ASO App Store Optimization. In this, you can use feature graphics for Google Play and a good poster frame for iOS.

Suggestions:

• Grab the viewer’s attention in the first 5 second.
• Only focus on the best features.
• Don’t use any welcome type of message in the video.
• You must use video in such a manner that it makes the effect even in the sound off mode.

App Store Ratings:

Rating and reviews have a great effect on the app download. There should be an average rating of 4 stars or above it.

Suggestions:

• Go for user sentiment analysis for the application.
• If there is any negative review regarding shortcoming and error about your app then you must work on it.

App Localization Strategy:

App Localization is a process in which you translate your app into the different languages so that it can be useful for all the different users regardless of language and region he or she belongs too. As per the experts, if you even localize the app title and a few parts of your description you can get a massive boost in your app downloads.

Suggestions:

• Firstly localize a small part of your app. After getting a good result you can go for further process and full localization of the application.
• Different countries and locations have a different kind of preference in terms of screenshot layout and icon.

What are the best countries for localization?

There are different countries which are on the top priority regarding localization. You must check the official languages of the top five countries. You can easily find the top countries through app analytics.

Suggestions:

Based on the conversion rates, ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and more you can easily predict your next successful markets.

App Indexing – Spotlight Search

With the help of Apple’s Spotlight, the user can search for their iOS app which they installed on their device. For iOS app developers, improving the user engagement can be done through NSUserActivity and Core Spotlight.

App Indexing – Firebase Indexing

In the case, if your app is having a rich description, you must go for Firebase indexing. It is helpful in getting the good user engagement.  It allows users to search for the content of app even though the app is installed or not.

App Conversion Rates:

The conversion rate is a term used for comparing the total number of visitors to a website to the number that becomes subscriber or customers who are paying.

The conversion rate can be calculated as like this

App Store Page Conversion Rate = App Store Downloads/App Page Views (%)

The following points can be consider

• App Units (number of downloads)
• Featured (number of times app is featured in App Store)
• Product Page Views (visit number)

App Size:

Believe me app size matters and there is a limit in both platforms. For iOS the app should be smaller than 150MB and for Google Play, the size should be 100MB.

Suggestions:

Always compare your app with top 100 apps and check the app size with the help of a tool.

Price of the app:

Always keep a reasonable price of your app by comparing it with your competitors.  $0.99 or $1.99 can be a good starting price. If you wish to keep your app price above $1.99 it will be not so beneficial.

App Pricing – Free with Ads:

As compared to traditional banner ads, using native ads can be the best choice. In reality, they serve as extra content for your app and effect on ASO App Store Optimization.

App Compatibility – iMessage:

With the help of iMessage, you can easily engage in a conversion, share a song, decorate message with stickers and more. This approach helps you in making your app viral with the help of the user’s phone contacts.

For more guidance ask our ASO experts

So this is all about the App Store Optimization Guidance that you can follow. Hope the information will be useful for you.