A Comprehensive Guide to App Store Optimization

There are over 5.6 million apps in two of the major app stores today, with Google Play Store occupying more than 3.4 million apps and Apple’s app store accounting for 2.2 million. These are staggering numbers and keep growing every year. That being said, getting the app discovered by the users in the crowded app marketplace is quite a challenge.

So, how do you stand out in a place that has already been heavily occupied? And perhaps it already contains apps similar to yours, so how do you outrank them? How do you ensure that your app appears higher in the app store searches? Though there are plenty of techniques, your primary focus should be App Store Optimization (ASO).

In this blog post, we will learn what app store optimization is and how you can make the most out of it in order to rank your app higher in the app store searches.

What is App Store Optimization?

Similar to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that helps improve web pages’ rankings on the search engines such as Google or Bing, App Store Optimization or ASO is a process to optimize a mobile app to improve its ranking or boost its visibility on the app store’s search results. The higher the ranking, the more the chances of the app reaching its target users. In other words, ASO tends to drive more traffic to your app’s page on the app store so that it gets more downloads from your potential customers.

Why is App Store Optimization Important?

Google reports that nearly 50% of smartphone users discover an app while browsing through their phone’s app store. So, if your app isn’t optimized for the app store, you may be missing out on a huge opportunity to get it discovered and downloaded by millions of users.

What are the ASO marketing strategies or techniques that you need to follow? Let’s find out.

App Store Optimization Strategies

Post mobile app development, before you begin with the ASO process, you must have a good understanding of your target audience and what keywords they are using to search similar apps. This helps you optimize your app in a much better way.

Call these best practices, marketing strategies, techniques, or tips for app store optimization, here’s a complete list of the things that you need to look into when optimizing your app

1. Catchy App Title

App store optimisation begins with the app title. It creates the first impression, and the first impression must be strong. An ideal app title is the one that informs users a bit about your app regarding what niche it is based on and what can be expected out of it.

You are entitled to only a 30 characters app title in the Apple app store. Google Play Store, on the other hand, has a 50 characters limit, so use the keyword wisely.

In the case of the Apple store, there’s something called App subtitle as well that appears right below the app title. It is also limited to 30 characters. You can use this to put up a very small but unique overview of your app that matches the searches of your target customer base.

It is suggested that you optimize your app title with your most important keyword as doing so improves the search ranking for that title by around 10%.

2. Apt App Description

The app description section is where you briefly describe what your app is about and is a crucial part of the app optimization strategy. Explain what your app does, what features it has, what benefits it provides, and how it can be a better choice than the existing similar apps. Craft a precise and easy-to-understand description. Although you should incorporate keywords in your app description as well, keep the primary focus on explaining the features and benefits.

Speaking of the characters limit, there’s enough to cover everything related to your app. For an Android app, the full description limit is set to 4000 characters, however, it is advised to describe the app in the best possible way in the short description segment which offers a 50-characters limit. People rarely go through the entire description. If you want to draw the user’s attention, make the most of the short description section. Likewise, for an iOS app, you have 252 characters to convince users to download your app. Focus on making it crisp yet descriptive so that users have almost a complete idea of your app and don’t need to click on the “read more” button. As we said, no one actually bothers to read beyond it.

3. Right Use of Keywords

Keywords are arguably the most important aspect of the app store optimization strategy and should be used wisely. Do thorough keyword research and self-analysis to identify what sort of search terms will likely make your app appear in front of your target users.

Apple provides you with 100 characters to input your keywords while there is no such limit in the case of the Google Play Store. Use commas with no space to add keywords. For better results, place your most important keywords in your app description at least 5 times. Use it effectively in your app title and subtitle, and avoid overuse. Keyword stuffing is a bad practice and can get your app penalized. There’s a fine line between optimizing your app with keywords and stuffing it with too many keywords.

Other things that you need to avoid (for Apple store) in the keywords space are- Using the plural form of words that you have already used, name of competing apps, special characters such as # or @, duplicate words, the word “app”, irrelevant or offensive terms, and unauthorized use of trademarked terms, celebrity names, and other protected words and phrases.

4. High-Quality Screenshots and App Preview Video

App screenshots play a vital role in ASO marketing. Probably the first thing that the users’ eyes catch when they come across an app in the app store is its screenshots. Screenshots provide an overview of the app and the inside content and influence a user’s decision as to whether they should download the app or not.

Use high-quality app screenshots. Showcase the most engaging content of your app, highlight the features and benefits, or whatever that can persuade users to click on the Install button.

Another app store optimization technique that you can follow is placing an app preview video (app promo video in Android) on your app store page. A preview video offers better insights into the app than screenshots and helps users learn about your app quickly. Apple allows you to upload a 30-second app preview video which you can use to give users a feel of the journey they will experience while they browse your app.

5. Choose the Right Category

Many users browse apps in the app store through the listed categories. Therefore, placing your app in the right category not only helps them discover your app easily but also improves the rankings in that particular category section. There can be instances where you feel that your app fits well into more than one category. In such cases, pick a category that best describes your mobile app, but if it is way too competitive, select the next related category as it will allow your app to rank better than what it would be in the most competitive category.

Do not make the mistake of putting your app in a category that is completely irrelevant or least competitive just for the sake of higher rankings. The Apple team closely reviews all the submitted apps before they approve them to be listed on their app store. If the app isn’t placed in the right category, chances are high that it would get rejected. Avoid anything that might lead to app rejection.

As for Google Play Store, you can also choose tags for your app post picking a category.

The Bottom Line

These are some of the general app store optimization practices that you should follow, however, there are various other factors involved that help in improving the app’s ranking.

The app should be good enough to satisfy user needs, deliver a rich performance from the UI/UX perspective, shouldn’t be too large in size. A large app size can create a hurdle in increasing your app downloads. Also, have an eye-catching app icon. Last but not the least, work on getting positive app reviews as apps with good ratings and reviews appear higher on the app search results.