We understand building an app requires a lot of time, energy, money, and, most importantly, creativity. But, unfortunately, that still is not enough. No matter how exceptional your app, it will all be an effort gone to waste if it doesn’t reach enough people.
The market is extremely competitive and highly concentrated. This means you need a very effective strategy in order to be successful. You need to ensure that your app is visible to most people and consequently increase drive downloads to continue in a market such as today. Thus, when the time comes, take time out and treat your app with a lot of care and attention. Give your app the devotion it deserves.
If you are wondering how to get your app noticed, then trust me, you have come to the right place. This blog will accustom you to all the tips and tricks to boost your app store optimization.
In 2021 mobile apps are a great way to earn money. There are multiple ways to do so but app store optimization is the most effective process with longterm results.
What is App Store Optimization (ASO)?
When we say the App Store is a crowded place, what we mean is that there are around 5 million apps in the global app market that are all fighting for the same customer base. This means that if you rely on fate for greater visibility of your app, then you may be making a huge mistake.
App Store Optimization might just be one of the most critical sections of your app’s promotion campaign. The ASO checklist underneath will help you enhance your app’s listing in the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Without an effective, efficient ASO, sadly, your app won’t go very far. Regardless, how much effort you put into developing it.
Often people confuse SEO search engine optimization with ASO, however, both of them are entirely different in terms of platforms having some similarities in implementation.
Work on Brand Awareness
We realized users in 2020 have started to explore less on app stores. They have been avoiding general search terms, such as ‘flights’ or ‘maps’ due to lockdowns. They are beginning to have an eye for some apps and games instead, for which they searched specific names in the app store search.
It seems as if this trend will stick in 2021; it is of absolute essence to improve your brand awareness.
User acquisition is ever-changing. Traditional channels might not even work anymore. Under such circumstances, the ideal way to drive new users towards your app is by acquiring their trust and loyalty.
Among other things, ensure that your brand’s designation is on the app’s icon. Doing so will enable your users to recall your brand quicker and they will spend significantly less time deciding whether to download or not to download.
Even if users don’t install your app the moment they see it, they will most certainly, without any question, be more persuaded to download your app instead of any other, as it will cause a sense of familiarity.
Using this technique will also work for your other apps that are under the same brand name. Thus, building a concrete brand name and existence is extremely vital for both ASO and paid user acquisition strategy.
Understand your Customer Base
Before you jump onto ASO, it is essential to understand and know your customer base. Without having sufficient knowledge about your target audience, anything you do will be useless.
So, the very first thing you need to do is to bring your team together and analyze your existing and probable customer base. Ask questions like:
- Why do I need this app?
- What is my target audience?
- What age group am I marketing this app to?
- Why are they using my app?
- Why should they choose my app over others?
- If I were the user, would I download my app?
You might even want to ponder over the typical demographics such as gender, income, location, and more. Answering all these questions will help you modify your app that suits your customer base.
The entire marketing process needs to be centered around customers. Creating buyer personas is extremely important at every step of the buyer’s journey.
This is the only way to creating a successful marketing strategy for your products, business, services, or apps.
Look into Keywords
The idea of SEO introduces you to the world of keywords and the power it holds over search bars today. Just like in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), keywords are critical in ASO.
The key principle is to use accurate keywords when listing your app. The accurate keywords are a mixture of the app’s description and functionality and also have a high search volume.
Search volume is essentially an indicator through which one can determine the number of times a keyword is being searched on average, per month. Thus, a higher search volume means more people have searched using that particular keyword.
Google’s monthly search volume will give you a brief idea of how much a word has been searched. It will give you a good inclination of the kind of words you should be using/focusing on in order to optimize your App Store.
Once you have figured out the optimum keywords, begin placing them on your app’s name, title, subtitles, and description. However, keyword stuffing is also not good, so keep that in mind.
There are free and paid tools available like app radar and app annie to ease the entire process of keyword research.
Another great way of finding out the best keywords is to follow your competitor’s successful approach.
Run deep research related to your industry and find out the best practices.
The keywords you have nominated should be positioned in a way that it seems very organic to the reader. While I am sure you want as many of the keywords used in your app listing, the placement should appear natural to the reader.
Aim for the app listing to be informative and helpful to the user and not irritating or spam-y.
Icon
An icon is basically the visual representation of your app. This is why having a unique icon that attracts the eyes of your target audience is crucial. So really jump into the shoes of your customer base and assess what they would prefer.
In order for people to differentiate between you and your competitor brands, work on an icon. Make sure that the icon you choose is unique and catchy enough for users’ eyes.
An app icon that shows the main topic of your app is the best way to choose an icon. For example, if you have a maps app, you most likely want your users to know that it is an app that will help you navigate around the world. A ‘successful’ icon would be one where the user is able to identify what your app is for; just be viewing at the icon.
To sum it all up, App Store Optimization (ASO) is an ongoing process that works towards refining an app’s standing and ensures greater discoverability. While you need to convince people to click on the app once it has been down, your efforts cannot and should not stop there.
