The technology has changed, and now users are moving to mobile for day-to-day activities, so app store optimization is most important to improve visibility and sales for any online business. According to Bankmycell, in 2029, there will be 8.06 billion cell phone users in the world, so every online business must have a mobile marketing strategy for its business presence.
App store optimization is a technique to improve the visibility of mobile apps in the app store, especially in the Apple App Store and Google Play. First, you need to understand the difference between the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Let me differentiate it:
Apple App Store vs. Google Play
The simple difference between the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store is that iPhone users can use the Apple App Store, and Android smartphone users can use the Google Play Store to browse and download Android and iOS apps on their mobile phones.
And if we talk about the Apple app store optimization and Google Play store optimization, there are a few functional differences in their features:
- In the App Store, you will find an additional field of keywords and the app subtitle tag, which Google Play doesn’t offer.
- Similarly, you will see there will be a short description field in the Google Play Store, which the Apple Store does not provide.
There are two major functional differences between the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Why and what are the benefits of app store optimization?
According to Bankmycell, there will be 3.950 million apps on Google Play, and the App Store is expected to have 1.83 million apps available in 2024. Online games, businesses, and education-related apps will be the most popular categories of apps in the app store in 2024. Due to the number of apps available on the app store, getting ranked on the app store is becoming very challenging, so getting app downloads and improving visibility are the most important KPIs for app marketers. First, what you have to understand is what the key ranking factors are for Google Play or the Apple Store. Check it out below:
Apple App Store Ranking Factors: If you are targeting Apple users, then you must know what the main ranking factors for iOS apps in the Apple App Store are:
- App name
- App subtitle
- App URL
- App Keywords
- App installs and engagement
- Customer reviews and ratings
- App updates
- In-app purchase titles and descriptions
Google Play Store Ranking Factors: And if you are targeting your app for Google Play, then here are the most important priorities:
- App title
- App short description and long description
- App installs and engagement
- Customer reviews and ratings
- In-app purchase titles and descriptions
- App updates
Both have almost similar ranking factors and functionalities.
How do I promote your app on the App Store?
The first and simple question that comes to mind is: how will users get our app-on-app store? The optimization technique is almost similar to SEO; you have to understand that users use search queries to find apps or websites that are similar, so you have to first find the relevant keywords for your apps to make your app easily discoverable by the right users.
How do I do ASO keyword research?
Finding relevant keywords for a website is similar to finding keywords for your app; the main goal is to improve the visibility of your mobile app on the app store. Keywords are most important to understand your app and its functionality. You can use several keyword research tools, like:
- SEMRUSH Keyword Magic Tool
- Google Keyword Planner tool
Or you can use dedicated ASO keyword research tools like:
Another option is to track your competitor’s apps by using dedicated tools like Mobile App Insights. With the help of this tool, you can monitor your competitor’s performance, like their current ranking on keywords, what keywords they are targeting, and how many downloads their apps are getting.
Finally, you have a list of relevant keywords for your mobile app. Now you have to move forward to the next step.
Optimize Your App’s Title, App Name, and Subtitle
App title or name is the main key to finding your app on the app store, so make it under 30 characters and leverage your keywords in your app title or brand name. Initially, you need to check the performance of the app and test your app names and keywords until you find the best one for your website to get visibility and downloads.
For the Apple App Store, you can add an additional subtitle tag for your app; this field also allows up to 30 characters.
Add keywords to the Apple App Store:
The Apple App Store allows us to add related keywords in the keywords field. You need to add your main keywords that describe your app and help in ranking. You need to use low-, medium-, and high-competition keywords initially so that you will get ranked quickly. Keywords must be separated by commas and limited to 100 characters or fewer.
Use engaging app descriptions.
App description fields are most important for your ASO strategy. The Google Play Store allows two options to add descriptions: the first is the short description field, which allows you to add 80 characters, which is not in the Apple Store, and the second is the long description field, which allows us to add 4000 characters. Both are used for app store ranking purposes.
Try to add your researched keywords to it and make it available for users and app store searches to get ranked on the app store. It will help your users understand your app and download it.
Use App Visual Elements:
If you want to get visibility and increase the chances of your app downloads, then you must add visual elements to your app store, like screenshots and videos. You can add up to 10 visual elements for your app; you can add videos of 15–30 seconds; videos must be related to your app; and you must use the right image size or screenshot for different devices.
Get some reviews and ratings:
Customer reviews and ratings are most important to force users to download your app. Ratings and reviews show the popularity of your app and help rank it at the top. You need to ask your users to share feedback for your app after using it. Don’t worry about negative reviews that will help you fix your app issues or bugs; just try to solve or answer their queries.
As per Google Pay guidelines for reviews and ratings, you can ask users to rate and review the app once they have completed an action, level, or task, and you can prompt for ratings up to three times in a 365-day period.
Apart from this, you can ask your users through social media marketing, WhatsApp, or email marketing to share feedback about their experience.
Incorporate other marketing channels.
You need to leverage other marketing channels to gain popularity and increase the number of downloads. Yon can use offline media channels, online media channels like news, ads on TV, an SEO, a social media platform, email marketing, WhatsApp marketing, or even paid ads on social media, etc. use user-generated content, and the most important is word-of-mouth marketing, which is the key to success.
Update your app regularly.
Nothing is ever perfect; no one can create a perfect app or application; technologies are changing, and the user requirements of functionality or user experience need to be modified every time because the expectations of apps keep getting ratcheted higher and higher. So, you need to ask your users to share their feedback every time you update your app. That will help you improve the user experience and fix bugs in your app.
Factors to Consider When Scheduling a New Update
- App Bug Fixing Updates: This will help you fix your app issues and make them work properly.
- App Feature Release Updates: This will help you add additional features.
- Enhancing the app UI/UX: This will help you analyze and improve the UI/UX of the app so that users can use it without any complications.
- Operating System Updates: Every time OS gets updated, it can affect the performance of your app, and some of the features may refuse to work properly. To avoid this issue, you should release a system update that will ensure the application is working correctly.
