What is App Store Optimization? Complete Guide

Is App Store Optimization Important?

There are approximately 3.48 million apps on Google Play, while Apple App Store has 2.22 million apps for their respective users. Marketing teams face a dilemma today not about investing in apps to engage their audiences but rather how to enable them to discover those apps. And this is where the importance of App Store Optimization comes into play.

So, what do you understand by App Store Optimization (ASO)?

It is known by other names such as Mobile App SEO and App Store Marketing. It helps enhance the visibility of apps in an app store search engine such as Apple App Store and Google Play. In addition to increasing impressions, you can increase traffic to your online app and make it easier for users to download it.

The App Store Optimization checklist also supplements other goals such as:

• Increases the exposure of the brand in front of its audience.
• Helps in getting more positive ratings and reviews.
• Increased and more frequent volumes of getting app reviews.
• Increases the engagement of the audience.
• Helps in getting additional channel diversification.

App Store Optimization: How To Make It Work

You can use various strategies in ASO to make your brand more popular. Let us find out how.

1. Organic Optimization

It is more likely that ASO and SEO overlap rather than compete directly. Many of the techniques used for SEO for search engines, such as Google and Bing, can also be applied directly to ASO.

Some examples of this include:

• Title, App name, and URL optimization.
• Doing research for keywords in ASO.
• Reviews generation and App rating handling.
• Optimization of click-through rate (CTR).

In terms of SEO and ASO integration, the greatest marketing mistake is overlooking the website’s role in driving traffic directly to your store and app download sections.

In order to lead people down the information-seeking and purchasing funnel, your website must be seen as the main conduit through which people can move from your website to an engaged, ready-to-buy, or download audience (your app store).

Discover more about SEO with the best SEO tips for more traffic in 2022.

2. Add a preview video and choose the proper screenshots.

App store optimization is more about encouraging people to click on and install your application as it increases your online visibility. It may get frustrating to have high rankings but poor click-through rates.

One of the effective things you can do to increase your app CTR is to choose the right design to grab the attention of the apple app store. These display both on search results as well as within the listing itself. On google play store optimization, they only show when someone clicks your listing.

This is your opportunity to showcase your app even before the user installs it, so try getting smart and creative visuals that really stand out.

3. Make sure you encourage reviews and ratings

Reviews and ratings indicate your application’s popularity with quality checks. Here are a few tips that you can follow to encourage your users to leave a review or rate your app:

• Provide an option for users to leave a review within the app.
• It would be a good idea to ask your existing audience for reviews through other channels.
• Consider using gamification to reward reviews.

4. Work to maximize the downloads ratio

The more downloads you get, your application’s visibility will improve. All you need to do is work on an app store optimization strategy to emphasize the importance of increasing your presence. At the same time, you also need to work to increase your app install rate because a visible app that is not getting enough downloads would not remain visible for longer.

Take thorough time to research the average in your industry niche and set your insights on improving your install rate above the benchmark.

5. Use Keywords Effectively

Keywords play an important role in ASO success. The apple store allows you to comprise up to 100 characters of keywords within the field, whereas the google play store does not have this feature. Instead, the google play store indexes its keywords within other content elements. So, it is always recommended to include your main keyword in your description and title.

Take enough time to analyze your competitor’s app names and descriptions they use to determine what they are targeting for a good starting point for your key research.

Despite growth trends, app store optimization (ASO) continues to outperform them. An application can be a valuable asset for your brand and business, but it also needs to have an online presence and get downloads to drive value.