Helpful set of practices to get more visibility and organic downloads in the app stores in 2022.

To make your mobile app more visible for users and earn valuable organic downloads it is essential to come up with a bold and effective App Store Optimisation (ASO) strategy.

There are a lot of factors that can impact your app’s position in the search results. App stores use sophisticated algorithms to sort them. Here are some factors that can influence your app store rankings.

To get your app in front of the right audience you need to invest time into ASO. Let’s take a look at several practices to benefit from the app stores.

Identify the right keywords

Start optimizing your ASO strategy with carring out a keyword research.

To choose the right keywords, first, you need to make a long list of keywords and keyphrases that define your product the best. Analyze your competitors to understand which keywords they are getting ranked for. Also, you can check user comments, forums and groups on social media to find out which terms your audience use more frequently. Other than that, you can add a few trending ones at the moment. Though, it’s not a good idea to use popular keywords only, since you can face tough competition for top search results rankings.

Choose the most relevant keywords and keyphrases, and run a test before releasing the update to find superb combination. Keep in mind to adapt your keywords to other languages, update and optimize your keywords regularly. That can help you to increase your app’s traffic and have more success in reaching the right audience.

Improve your creative assets

To make a strong first impression is essential for every app.

Let’s start with app name. To make your app’s name stronger and more searchable, place 1–3 relevant keywords following the brand name. Choose them wisely. An app name can be up to 30 characters long in App Store, and up to 50 characters long in Google Play. Keep in mind that popular keywords and keyphrases like best, free, new, download now, etc., are forbidden to use in Google Play.

While composing your app description put forth the strongest features of your app. Write an informative paragraph starting with a powerful and catchy first sentence that sets out what the app is intended for. Then add a short list of main and unique features to make your description clearly structured and easy to understand.

In Google Play, your description fields are the areas where app store’s ranking algorithm finds the keywords to rank your app for. Try to repeat any crucial keywords five times.

As for Apple App Store, it doesn’t use the description for ASO purposes. Nevertheless, this section is important in helping users make a decision to download your app or pass it over for another one.

Every word counts. Apple App Store allows up to 4,000 characters. In Google Play, the app description is split into two fields: short description (80 characters limit) and full description (up to 4,000 characters limit).

App icon is another crucial element of ASO. Your app icon can be the reason why users click on a search results. A great way to design the icon is to make it clean, simple and recognizable, avoiding too many elements and text. Try to test different variations to determine which one resonates with your target audience the most.

App screenshots and preview video play a huge role in convertion rate optimization. Pay close attention to your visuals. Choose screenshots that capture app’s user experience and highlight its main features. Apple App Store allows up to 10 screenshots, Google Play allows up to 8 screenshots.

As for preview video, it’s an effective tool to show the capabilities of your app to users for better decision making. Keep it short, up to 30 seconds.

Rating and reviews

These pieces of user feedback also have an impact on your app positioning in the search results. They can affect install number and conversion rate per install as well. For this reason, encourage users to review your app. For example, you can set the pop-ups after the tutorial or level completion.

User feedback is helpful for both users and developers. On the one hand potential users get the insight they need to make a decision, on the other hand app developers can discover and fix bugs or other technical issues to improve their app. It is essential to monitor and mange your ratings, address negative reviews and reply to them. It’s even more important to do in Google Play since they scan review comments for keywords. Also, keep in mind that perfect ratings lead to a drop in conversion rates as the result of users’ disbelief.

Localization

If you want to grow globally and have an international presence, adapt your app description, keywords and visual assets for markets in which you want to offer your app. Reflect the values, local culture and customs of each market to be more appealing to your audience in different countries.

ASO is an essential mobile app marketing tool to increase traffic and improve the app’s conversion rate. Don’t forget that it’s an ongoing process. Try out different keywords, text and visual assets to find your perfect formula.

We can assist you in growing your app audience and increase visibility on Google Play and App Store. If need help, don’t hesitate to get in touch ?