A strong ASO strategy is the way to go to increase an app’s success. Although the app stores’ algorithms sometimes work in mysterious ways, there are certainly many things app marketers can still affect.
App store algorithms play a crucial role in driving app discovery and success. These algorithms are used by app stores to determine the ranking of apps in search results and the order in which apps are shown to users.
App store algorithms consider various factors when determining an app’s ranking. The title, keywords, user ratings and reviews, and download history all play a part. By optimizing these elements, marketers can improve their app’s ranking and increase its visibility in the app store.
Building an ASO strategy
Having an action plan for an optimized store page helps keep track of what areas are taken care of and what requires further attention. This can be used for apps already live on the store which you are looking to increase the conversion on.
Start by getting to know your target audience. The first step in any ASO strategy is understanding who your target audience is and what they are looking for. This helps determine the most effective keywords to use in your app title and description. Additionally, which type of content and features appeal to your target audience and what motivates them.
Set your goals. By having set goals and KPI’s to follow, measuring performance is a lot more effective. These goals are also helpful further down the line when building a hypothesis to A/B tests. Building a hypothesis that supports these goals will help you make the most out of testing.
Conduct keyword research to identify the keywords and phrases that are relevant to your app and commonly used by your target audience. Keywords are an important factor in app store algorithms, which determine an app’s ranking in search results. By using the right keywords, app marketers can increase the visibility of their app in the app store. A tool that works great for this is Sensor Tower, for example.
Once you have identified your target keywords, be sure to incorporate them into your app’s title, description, and other metadata. This will make your app more easily discoverable by users searching for these keywords. It’s important to strike a balance between using keywords effectively and creating a compelling, informative title and description. They should also have enough traffic and not be overly saturated. Yes, we know, sounds like mission impossible but it’s really not!
Optimize your app’s visual assets, such as its icon, screenshots, and videos. It can have a big impact on your app’s visibility and appeal to potential users. Visual assets are often the first thing that users see on your store page, so make them eye-catching and engaging. Use high-quality, visually appealing images that accurately represent your app and its features.
Monitor and track your app’s performance in the app store is crucial for continually improving your ASO efforts. This data helps understand how your app is performing and identify areas where you can improve your ASO efforts.
Continuously A/B test to optimize your app’s store page to determine which changes have the biggest impact on app discovery and user acquisition. A/B testing involves creating and testing different assets of an app’s listing to see which one performs best. Apple and Google have their own testing platforms but to validate concepts you need a 3rd party tool, such as Geeklab. To benefit the most, start A/B testing already early in the development phase. The sooner you make data-backed decisions, the more you decrease the risk of making choices that aren’t unlocking the full potential.
Encourage user ratings and reviews. User ratings and reviews are an important factor in app store algorithms, and can also help to increase user trust and credibility. Encourage ratings and reviews by providing a simple and seamless in-app feedback process. Furthermore, consider offering incentives or rewards for users who leave positive ratings and reviews. Be careful with incentivizing, however. Don’t say “Leave a 5 star review and get 50 in-app currency”, instead reward for leaving a review no matter the score. There are guidelines that prohibit certain kind of incentivization that could affect the results.
