App Store Optimization – ASO
To put it elaborately…it is a protocol to ensure the apps meet app store ranking criteria and rises to the top rung of a search results page. As a marketer, tread on the correct path to optimize for better visibility and quick discoverability in an app store.
Do you know your customers and your competition in the market? A perfectly planned and well hosted ASO strategy offers a complete understanding of about the usage of your app in addition to the ability to perceive your competitive scene.
Significantly enough, you may have to put some efforts to survey your competition for identifying whether the appropriate keywords are being targeted by apps that are more or less similar to your apps.
By only christening a unique name for your app does not going to augur well as far as branding is concerned. For optimum results with ASO, you may have to complement with relevant keywords applicable within your title because these texts with the right keywords influences into app store search results.
By default, app titles get condensed after 11 and 14 characters for installed apps in a device’s navigation menu or home screen, respectively.
Remember to use only URL-friendly characters in your title, mostly in the App Store for better results and visibility.
Make the most of and take advantage of using keywords at the right place. Despite the fact many of these strategies apply across the board when it comes to the different app stores; but the App Store and the Google Play Store have distinct approaches as far as ASO keywords go.
The App Store
The App Store has a field of 100-character keyword to play with. It is capable of exclusively using title and keywords or keyword phrases whatever you include in these 100 characters for defining which search strings your app will show up for; very intelligent indeed!
Google Play
Further, the Google Play Store has a different method of processing almost similar to modern SEO. Google eliminates the specified tags and scans descriptive details of your app to extract only relevant keywords that are applicable to the context.
Barring a few of the strategically placed keywords stated above, the description of your app should necessarily be targeted toward your customer base. No need to focus on a search engine index. Moreover, your description should be viewed as a call-to-action for potential customers and it is result oriented.
Your visual icon must make heads turn. When your potential customers browse more than a dozen lists of apps at any given time; here your visual icon is the first impression that strikes them immediately in terms of visual appearance. Essentially, you need to stand in the crowd of competition.
Your potential icon design, though an important element; but the App Store and Google Play vary in their approach to, and rendering of, app icons. In order to match the rest of the OS, app icons are designed to be compatible for both stores that have preset standards for the ideal size, geometry and color scheme.
Screenshots and videos in your description may not have a direct effect on search rankings like icons, but they do drive downloads. It is important to note that Images convey and enhance by giving life to your descriptive text. This lets potential customers to think and visualize by using your app before they decide to download.
Take a note that although you can upload up to 5-screenshots for an iOS app and up to 8 for an Android app, but only your first 2–3 screenshots will show in the gallery on page load.
When a situation entails to global marketing, a “one-size-fits-all” method would be flawed or inadequate. You have to put in extra effort; consider adapting your brand communication language to the needs of each audience segment if your audience goes beyond the English-speaking lot.
Basically, you can try speaking to your customers in the language they use at home. Both the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store allow you to localize your listing and make customers in different countries understand and discern the nuances involved….raising the customer experience.
Your SEO knowledge comes in now as you remember that on-page optimization is just one tool in your mobile marketing kit. It is important to note that the more traffic you drive to your listing, the higher it will rank in search results. Obviously, to drive traffic, you may have to build an online presence around your app with social media and backed by relevant content. You may also need to solicit press and reviews, apart from investing some amount in online advertising.
Today, mostly the young mobile customers are looking for apps that are updated constantly with new versions and regular updates based on customer feedback. Thus, apps that are frequently updated are considered to be of a high value benchmark product and more customer-centric by both the app store and the customer.
Customer feed-back is always welcome for improvisation. A consistent flow of positive reviews serves as the validation of the quality of your app and also considered to be one of the highest contributing factors of rank.
At any time, apps with a large volume of positive ratings dominate the top charts across the board.
Incidentally, the apps with the highest rating counts are well-thought-out as they keep their customers engaged by seeking their intended feedback to work out the strategy of the product with future updates.
In Conclusion
In brief, App Store Optimization is an ongoing process. The continually evolving ranking algorithms and the competitive nature of the app stores are commendable. A successful ASO strategy requires a sharp focus apart from having a penchant for analytics, proactively responding to situation and regular check-ins. Manage this and your investment will pay off many times over; your success is guaranteed.
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