App Store Optimization Guide: How To Do ASO?
It’s not an understatement to say that Apple App Store and Google Play are two of the most important marketplaces in the world. There are around 1.83 million apps on the Apple App Store and over 2 million apps on Google Play Store with 5.11 billion mobile users in the world using these apps. Not only are apps on the increase in terms of number and users, they are also quickly increasing into a highly profitable revenue source. In 2018, the global mobile app revenues amounted to over $365 billion US dollars, forecasted to increase to $935 billion in 2023. It’s safe to say that apps are big business, and that isn’t going to change any time soon. That said, there’s more to achieving success on the app stores than listing the app and watching the downloads roll in. As brilliant as your app may be, searchers won’t download it unless they can find and trust it. In order to increase the visibility of your app on app stores, (and as a consequence gain more traffic and organic downloads) you need to optimise your app store landing pages – the preview pages on Apple App Store and Google Play where users preview and download an app. This is where ASO comes in. But, what is ASO, and how does it work?What is ASO?
In digital marketing, ASO refers to app store optimisation. It’s the process of editing and optimising your app store landing pages to improve your rankings in your targeted categories and app search results, therefore attracting more traffic and organic downloads. App stores like the Apple App Store and Google Play work in a way that is very similar to search engines in that they rank apps according to easy app content discovery, perceived app quality and certain user value signals (app reviews, ratings and engagement). Like search engines, iOS and the Google Play Store have ranking algorithms that determine which apps rank higher in given categories and app search results. ASO ensures that your app is optimised according to these ranking factors so that more users find your app and download it.Why is ASO important?
First and foremost, you need an app to connect with your customers. Apps are continually playing a more significant role in fueling business growth and changing how users interact with businesses and brands. Having a beautiful website and strong social media presence is no longer enough to build a long-term, loyal consumer base. Apps help you improve customer engagement by providing a more immediate touchpoint between you and your audience. As a consequence of the immediacy allowed by websites and apps, customers expect to have the answer to their query at their fingertips and are learning to expect a certain quality of experience both within apps and from app store landing pages. Having a functional, well-designed app is now essential for improving your brand’s reputation and customer retention. So, where does ASO come in? Well, it’s very similar to where SEO comes in when creating or improving your website. You could have the most awe-inspiring, beautiful app, just in the same way you could have a fantastic website. But if your app isn’t ranking highly on app store search results, then consumers won’t see it and therefore won’t download it. Your app will be almost invisible to your target audience. If searchers aren’t downloading your app, then it’s not generating any revenue or customer engagement for your business. All it’s doing is collecting dust. ASO ensures that your app store landing pages have the best chance of rank highly for relevant search terms on app store search results and categories. The better your visibility on the app stores, the more traffic your app landing pages will attract, and thus the more organic downloads you’ll achieve.App store optimization factors:
- URL
- App Title
- App Keyword Field (only Apple App Store)
- App Description
- App ratings & reviews
- App downloads
- Updates
- Localisation
- Imagery & Videos