How to Optimize Your Mobile App - Chicks in Business

App Store Optimization involves boosting the prominence and attractiveness of an app in the app stores, in addition to raising the app’s conversion rates to attract more downloads. The most widely used application marketplaces are the App Store for iOS apps and the Google Play Store for Android apps.

ASO not only emphasizes a high position in the app store search results but also takes into account the click-through rate (CTR). In order to achieve a high click-through rate, you have to persuade people to select your app store listing when they locate it. Usual techniques to optimize click-through rates consist of your app name, the title of your app, an app icon, app images, and customer reviews of your app.

In this comprehensive and detailed guide, we are providing all the advice you need to have success with app store optimization. If you have not heard of ASO before or are just beginning with it, you can use the information here to help you get your app to a higher search position in app stores.

Why is app store optimization important for app growth?

Statista reported that by the end of the first quarter of 2022, the Google Play Store contained 3.3 million applications. An identical source stated that more than 2.1 million applications were accessible on Apple’s App Store during the same timeframe. There is an immense number of applications, with more than 5.4 million recorded in the two largest app stores, so it is increasingly difficult to achieve and maintain a top position in rankings.

Measuring the number of app downloads and expanding the user population are amongst the key performance indicators that app marketers and publishers prioritize. App store optimization is beneficial in enhancing visibility on all the outlets in the app stores, augmenting attractiveness to users, and better conversion of views into downloads. ASO involves a broad range of activities that extend from improving the text.

There are two main ways how you can get those downloads:

By running paid app campaigns that come with a certain cost-per-install (CPI)
By optimizing your app for organic traffic by following ASO best practices

Both strategies are necessary to promote app growth, and expert app marketers use them part and parcel for the utmost impact. Nonetheless, paying for ads requires capital and may be difficult as you launch your app. App store optimization does not come at no cost, but it is an essential part of ensuring that your app stays successful for the long haul.

The main objective of ASO is to raise both the amount of downloads and the amount of devoted users. Before we investigate the particulars, let’s first take a look at the advantages of ASO.

What are the benefits of app store optimization?

The key advantages of app store optimization include highlighting the app in the app stores, facilitating discovery by app users looking for high-quality and pertinent content, gathering organic downloads, decreasing user acquisition expenditures, advancing continuously in size, generating more app income, and better conversion rates, and targeting a worldwide crowd.

If you desire to make sure that your app can reach the right audience, App store optimization is essential. It is suggested by some that bettering your app is the most successful advertising plan for mobile applications and games.

Here is how you can benefit from app store optimization and what results from it you can achieve:

Improve visibility & stand out in the app stores

If individuals are unable to locate your app, they are unable to utilize it. No matter how amazing your application is, if it’s difficult to locate, you won’t be able to increase the volume of downloads.

Always get discovered by high-quality and relevant users

Your app has to be located by the people who are looking for products similar to yours, not just anyone who comes across it. Optimizing your app on the app store will connect you with your desired audience, as it pairs your app with related search terms. This is what people will type in to locate your application.

Increase organic app downloads in a sustainable way

Implementing a comprehensive ASO plan will improve the amount of organic downloads and guarantee sustainable results. When folks look up words associated with your app, they will find your app in the search results. Frequent upkeep of your ASO will guarantee your continued high-ranking status.

How does App Store Optimization work?

App store optimization can be likened to optimizing for search engines (SEO). People who use the app store input search terms to identify applications and games, meanwhile the app store can provide additional recommendations based on the user’s interests and how often the app is used. Typical techniques used to execute App Store Optimization (ASO) include optimizing keywords, optimizing search and using paid advertising (which can have an effect on organic search results) as well as working to improve the app’s ranking within categories and gaining prominence within the Google Play or App Store top charts.

In order to strengthen your natural increase, you need to comprehend how individuals look for and locate applications. To maximize downloads, you need to be sure that your app is easy for the correct target audience to find.

App store optimization for Google Play vs. App Store

You have to decide which app store you want to publish your app in before you begin creating it. Many developers opt to utilize Google Play Store for optimizing their Android applications as their primary option. Using a range of different outlets is popular for optimizing iOS apps, particularly the Apple App Store. Other app marketplaces to consider include Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Apps, Amazon Appstore, and many more. If you choose to make your app compatible with multiple types of operating systems, you can release it on those respective platforms.

Let us take a closer examination of the two main application stores.

Critical differences between App Store and Google Play

Both stores offer a similar service: they provide a space where people can search for apps or games and download them. It does not imply, however, that their operation is identical.

The major distinction between App Store and Google Play has to do with the releasing of apps.

Apple and Google have employed an app evaluation procedure in order to guarantee that the applications in their stores are of superior quality. Apple appears to take more time for their review process than Google does. You should always plan for a three-day period of time when releasing a new app or update. Once your application has been accepted, it will be accessible within 24 hours on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store.

Although keywords are absolutely necessary for app store optimization on both app stores, they are looked at in dissimilar ways. The way that Google Play collects and sorts information is analogous to the methods used by Google Search. Google takes into consideration all written components when working out what keywords to link to your application. It is necessary to use the same key words 3-5 times across all sections to achieve a better rank.

However, the Apple App Store supplies a definite place for your keywords. At times, they even obtain it from your opponents and the term is used to refer to the group. Unlike Google Play, you shouldn’t use the same keywords multiple times in any sections for iOS apps.

Below are the known ranking factors for both stores.

Tips On Optimizing Your Mobile App

Quantity & Consistency

In the end, you would like your application to have a good standing in the app store. It is essential to preserve that ranking throughout the duration. Having a high ranking in app stores upon the release of your app is great as it will give you an influx of popularity, however it is important to focus on continuing to grow your fan base in a steady manner, rather than having it drastically drop after a quick rise in downloads. To start out at a higher position, you must have the required quantity of downloads in a specific timeframe. These quantities vary by category, as well as price. The higher the demand for a genre or the lower the cost of purchasing an application, the more downloads it needs to get a top slot. For instance, applications that are free of charge are prevalent in the app store and games still remain the most sought after type of app. To achieve a place in the top 25 of the most popular free games in the US, you have to have a minimum of 50,000 downloads per day.

Social media and entertainment apps that are free of charge experience popularity on par with the gaming category and would require around 20,000 downloads to be within the same ballpark. A few thousand downloads daily are all that’s necessary for medical, finance, and travel apps that aren’t particularly famous to attain a top position on the charts. The quantity of competition is significantly diminished, leading to a decrease in the figures for the paid app categories. To make it to the top 25 list of free apps in the U.S., nearly 80,000 downloads a day would be necessary, though the paid list needs fewer than 10,000.

Encourage Reviews

Customer feedback on your mobile app, such as favorable ratings that it is a valuable acquisition or that it has a great interface, is absolutely essential for ranking highly in the app store. The experiences of users shared in these “testimonials” indicate that this app is a worthwhile download, leading to steady visitor numbers and downloads. Don’t buy counterfeit evaluations to boost the publicity around your app or else you may get your app completely blocked. Additionally, genuine feedback holds a lot more value to a company than a manufactured one since it offers the opportunity to gain meaningful insight. If you keep encountering the same feedback about a particular function, you can get an idea of what people are the most satisfied with and what needs improvement. These are some useful suggestions to get your viewers to provide genuine evaluations: Install a rating plug and make sure to request a review. Include a feature in your app that asks users to rate and review it. Make sure to express your gratitude to the audience, letting them know their input is invaluable in creating and preserving the best possible experience. Consider when would be the best moment to plan how this prompt will be incorporated in the app. You don’t want to display it right away when the users access it, as it could be distracting and not give them a good user experience. Keep in mind that you should strive to receive a POSITIVE review! Offer people the opportunity to write a review once they have finished a task or achieved something. This way the choice is coordinated with the user’s experience. Incentives, prizes, and contests Everyone loves free stuff. Giving rewards to those who leave you a review can be an effective way to boost the number of people who actually opt to do so. Offering incentives such as promotional codes, physical rewards, or points that can be applied to the app may be just what’s needed to get people to share your app.

Leverage Other Platforms

Don’t overlook the impact of social media on driving app downloads. Staying connected with your customers on any social network they are present on can assist in constructing a bond of confidence with your company and creating a rapport. Utilize your social media networks to narrate a tale and enlighten your followers as to what sets your brand apart. Do not be excessively promotional or appear to be concentrated exclusively on encouraging people to download the app. Demonstrate the worth of your application and the services your business provides. Take advantage of Twitter and Facebook to observe how your readership is responding to your app, initiate a discussion about the item, or use it as a channel to correspond with customers who may have inquiries about your company. If you don’t stay in touch with your users on a regular basis, it will be difficult to convince them to take the next step and download your app. Utilize the impact of your current online presence through your website as a means to promote downloads. Make sure there is a specific area of your website that explains the application, includes visuals that describe what the application does, and provides instructions on how to use it. Use links to direct users to the download page. Users frequently check out the website before they download a product. Ensure that you are giving as many specifics as you can in order to demonstrate the worth of your application.

Final Thoughts

Obtaining downloads to your mobile application is not a straightforward task. Nonetheless, when you use all of these strategies together in a mobile strategy, it should lead to more downloads and a better position in app store rankings. You should look at what marketing techniques have been working effectively for your company on other outlets and incorporate them into your mobile app plan. Contemplate the best method for engaging your audience and consider the effective strategies for reaching them. It is frequently seen that both the iTunes App Store and Google Play modify what they deem to be necessary for apps to possess. Be sure that you are always aware of the trends in the industry when it comes to the elements the app stores use to rate apps, such as relevant keywords or descriptions. Adapt your app’s content accordingly. Eventually, it is paramount to realize that it is impossible to enhance a mobile app if it is not well-constructed and does not have a substantial worth, so make sure that you have a sophisticated application that meets the requirements of the consumers you are targeting.