Mobile Marketing: Some App Store Optimization Tips

App Store Optimization, or ASO, is a way of ensuring your app meets app store ranking criteria and rises to the top of search result page. It also improves an app’s overall and category ranking by boosting app download and conversion rates. Due to this similarity with the search engine optimization (SEO), Mobile App Store Development is also referred as APP store SEO, App search optimization, or Mobile App SEO.

To help you boost your app marketing strategy (along with your app store ranking!), here is list of some ASO tips, many of which have their roots in well-known SEO strategies marketers know and love.

1. Keywords are your foundation:

Just like the SEO, keywords are foundation for getting app found in various app store. Start with the keyword in app title and choose it wisely. One big change to the Apple App Store was limiting the character count from 255 to 50 characters. This means tightening your word choice, idea is to find the correct balance between the app’s name and some keywords.

The same goes for keyword field: the App store limits keywords to 100 and each word should be separated by the comma with no spaces.

2. First few Screenshots Matters:

Screenshots are the first impression a potential user sees when visiting an IOS app store or Android app store. First screenshot is your elevator pitch and should clearly and quickly explain the essence of your app and its value proposition. Only use high resolution screenshots and make sure they explain what the app is about. Also, try to show some social proof with the clear and positive customer opinion.  

3. Localize and keep things fresh:

If your business have anything related to the location, make sure that you localize the screenshots and the descriptions for your business’s area.  This should not be the main screenshot but that should be one of the supporting screenshots.

Also keep things fresh with regard to not only updating the app’s functionality but all the app store components: screenshots, app descriptions and keywords. We recommend that people check these factors every quarter. As for the ASO, keywords will change as your business does and you’ll always want to stay on top of trends happening within your industry.

4. Encourage In-App reviews and ratings:

This is one of the frustrating parts of ASO because developers/app owners have zero control over the reviewing/rating process within app stores.

For ultimate success of any app, app store optimization should never be overlooked. It’s as important as app development itself. Follow these four tips for ASO and remember to always study what your biggest competitors are doing.

App store competitive research is some of the easiest research out there. Simply, enter the keywords you are trying to rank for in whatever app store you are using and see what the top ranked competitors are doing.