Top 10 App Store Optimization Tips for ASO Experts
October 19, 2023
Sarvesh Bagla
What has been updated from the old blog: New sections on reviews and ratings, backlinks, and enhanced introductions and conclusions have been added to enrich the blog post.
Summary: The top 10 app store optimization tips outlined in this blog post offer valuable expertise for achieving higher rankings, driving organic app downloads, and building a robust ASO strategy.
With over 290 billion apps downloaded all over the world, optimizing your mobile app’s visibility in app stores has become paramount. For ASO experts branching into the world of mobile app promotion, mastering ASO is like a mandate if you really want to boost your downloads.
ASO shares some similarities with SEO but comes with its unique set of challenges and strategies.
Whether you’re a seasoned SEO professional seeking to expand your expertise or a business owner aiming to improve your app’s discoverability, this blog offers you the top 10 App Store Optimization tips designed specifically for ASO experts.
By the end of this guide, you’ll possess:
- The knowledge and strategies required to elevate an app’s rankings
- Best practices to drive organic downloads
- Ideas on creating highly optimized ASO strategy
Let’s get started!
App Store Optimization Best Practices
1. Customer insights and competitor analysis
A strong ASO strategy comprises two crucial elements: understanding your audience and gaining insights into your competition. To achieve this, consider the following key factors:
- App Description: Craft a comprehensive description of your app that effectively communicates its purpose and features.
- Customer Language: Identify and incorporate the language and terms that resonate with your target audience.
- Competitor Keywords: Analyze the keywords your competitors are using to gain a competitive edge.
- User Motivation: Understand the reasons why people download and use your app to tailor your messaging accordingly.
- Keyword Selection: Strategically choose between targeting popular, high-traffic keywords or less competitive ones to optimize your app effectively.
2. Know the search intent
App Store Optimization tips suggest thinking from the point-of-view of the end customer.
- What are they likely to search for?
- Why are the benefits of downloading your app?
- Will they share the app with friends and family?
All these questions will better an app’s presence on the app store.
Conduct consumer research to identify the queries used by consumers to search your app or related ones. This helps in determining whether the same keywords are to be targeted or separate keywords are to be used.
3. Deciding the App Name
To get the best results in App Store Optimization (ASO), having a unique app name isn’t enough. Adding the right keyword to the title can increase your app’s chances of ranking higher by up to 10.3%. But remember, there are character limits in both the Google Play Store (50 characters) and Apple App Store (30 characters) for titles.
However, don’t try to stuff as many words as possible into the title. Your chosen title should include important keywords and leave a positive impression on potential users. Keep in mind that longer titles get cut off, especially after the 30th character (including spaces) on the App Store and the 50th character on the Play Store.
To make sure your app stands out, keep the title short, interesting, and relevant.
4. Focus on app design
Visuals stay in a human mind more than text. The art of crafting a captivating app icon holds significant importance. With just a single image, you must convince potential users in the app store that your application grabs their attention, hence your selection should be deliberate.
It’s advisable to assess four different variations of your app icon before releasing it or you can also try A/B testing internally to gauge what is attracting people. Your app icon serves as the initial visual introduction to your application, and choosing the right icon also impacts its number of downloads. To add more visual appeal, you have to apply a similar approach to your app screenshots.
5. Writing the Right Description
One of the vital app store optimization tips is the apps’ description because it should be customer-focused. Some of the other points to remember are –
- The description should have a call-to-action.
- The language used should be simple. It should clearly state the benefits of downloading the app in the first three lines.
- With each update, the description too should change along with the screenshots.
6. Including Screenshots and Videos
Screenshots may not affect the search rankings on an app store, but they do boost the app downloads. Another advantage of these ASO tips of having images is that they help in better describing the text to the target audience. They can visualize how the apps look and feel before hitting the download button.
Here’s an overview on using screenshots-
- The maximum number of screenshots which can be uploaded happen to be 5 and 8 for iOS and Android respectively.
- Of these only the first 2-3 screenshots are displayed in the gallery.
- Special care should thus be taken to ensure that these screenshots portray the benefits of using the app.
Ongoing through the screenshots, the user should be convinced of clicking on the download button.
7. Localizing the App Listing
These days, of the total app revenue only 31% is generated in North America. Among these, 72% of the people, who do not speak in English, prefer using their native language when conducting any online transactions. App publishers should thus adapt their language and brand communication according to the preferences of the target audience
Strategies for achieving this include –
- Speaking to the customers in their native language.
- Using localization or translation services to convert the app’s description, keyword, screenshots, and title.
- Both the App and the Play Store allow the listing to be localized which increases the discoverability and readability for customers in different countries.
8. Encourage Reviews and Ratings
Reviews and Ratings is an App Store Optimization (ASO) strategy that involves prompting users to leave feedback and rate your app on platforms like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This practice is crucial for several reasons:
- Enhanced Visibility: Apps with higher ratings and more reviews tend to rank better in app store search results. This ASO strategy helps your app to appear at the top when users search for related keywords, improving its visibility.
- Trust Building: Positive reviews and high ratings instill trust in potential users. When they see others who have had a positive experience with your app, they are more inclined to download it.
- User Feedback: Reviews offer valuable insights from users, helping you identify and address issues, bugs, and areas for improvement in your app, effectively serving as direct user feedback.
- App Store Algorithms: App stores often use engagement metrics, including reviews and ratings, to determine which apps to feature. Consistent reviews and high ratings increase your chances of being promoted by the app store.
Techmagnate, an ASO agency, undertook comprehensive campaigns to enhance app reviews. Over a 12-month period, our team of marketing experts successfully increased Google Play store reviews by 56%, and the proportion of 5-star reviews rose from 52% to 63% within the same timeframe.
9. Build Backlinks
Building backlinks in App Store Optimization (ASO) means getting links from trusted sources to your app’s store page. This boosts an app’s visibility in app stores. Ways to do this include:
- Reviews & Blogs: Ask app review websites and blogs to feature your app with links.
- Social Media: Promote your app on social media for users to share store page links.
- Guest Blogging: Write for relevant blogs, including a link to your app’s page.
- Press Releases: Distribute app news with store page links.
- Influencers: Partner with influencers to create content with store page links.
- Online Communities: Share your app in niche forums with store page links.
- App Directories: Submit your app to directories with built-in links.
- ASO Tools: Use ASO tools to manage and track backlinks.
- App Store Badges: Display app store badges on your website or materials.
These backlinks enhance your app’s visibility and rankings in app store searches.
10. Update your app regularly
Customers using mobile apps want a better experience, so regular updates are important. Apps that get updated are liked by users and app stores. Updates often lead to better reviews and higher ratings. But, it’s not enough to just release updates; you need to encourage users to download them. Here are some ASO strategies to help:
- 1. Let users know about the update through a login note, push notification, or update link. Explain what’s new and improved.
- 2. Update the app description to showcase the added or enhanced features and include a call-to-action.
- 3. Keep good reviews for the app. Higher ratings increase the chances of more downloads.
By following these strategies, you can promote and improve your app effectively.
In short, ASO might seem tough at first, but it’s doable. By understanding these app store optimization tips, you can build a strong foundation for your strategy. Consistently using these principles can help you do better than your competition in app store rankings.
Remember, the digital world keeps changing, including the rules for app store rankings. So, stay updated and adapt to these changes for long-term success.
If ASO feels overwhelming or you want expert help, think about working with an ASO agency like Techmagnate. They can help you create a plan to improve your app’s performance and get more downloads. Teaming up with professionals can be a smart investment in reaching your app’s goals.