The Complete Guide to App Store Optimization (ASO)

App store optimization is the process of optimizing your app’s visibility on the app store via increasing ratings, downloads, and positive reviews. But that process is more complex than just getting downloads – it also involves getting reviews and increasing your rankings. The App Store is flooded with millions of apps competing for eyeballs, downloads, and ultimately sales. You’ve poured your heart and soul into creating your app, but if you don’t have a strong ASO strategy to get people to notice it will be tough.

Whether you are a marketer, developer, or owner of an app, you already know that driving traffic and increasing downloads in the App Store has become a tough battle. A marketer has many different strategies to increase visibility and downloads within the App Store. But there is one factor that has become key when it comes to ranking your app well within the App Store, which is ASO.

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Metadata of App Store Optimization (ASO)

As the app creator, you can heavily influence which metadata elements will be shared. The elements of On-page metadata include items like Title Tag, Meta Keywords, and Description. The elements that make up your app’s marketing page are the app title, subtitle (iOS) or short description (Android), keyword field (iOS only), app description, app icon, screenshots, and videos.

The best way to approach the process of improving your position in the App Store is to use appropriate metadata. You can use the right keywords in your app’s title, description, and keywords, as well as have a relevant icon.

Metadata consists of five elements that are given here

• Title
• Subtitle
• Keystring
• Promo Text
• Description

Important of App Metadata

Metadata is an essential part of recording the context surrounding a data set. Metadata like this is essential for ensuring you know as much as you can about a long-term data set, including who the creator is and what their methods are. If someone wants to reuse your data set in the future, they’ll need metadata Metadata is information about the data. For example, metadata consists of descriptions of who created a file and when it was created.

The metadata of an app is like an announcement meant to make your app stand out. The more helpful it is, the more people are inclined to download your mobile application

Keyword Research for ASO

Make sure that your keywords accurately describe what your app does. Keyword research is an important factor in your app’s optimization for searches. Keyword research is important for both organic and app store optimization (ASO).

• Get as many possible keywords as you can think of or come across.
• Delete the unpopular ideas
• Find the places where you can be the most competitive.
• Choose your top 5 phrases and use them.
• It’s crucial to track your results and not to copy blindly.

Keywords should appear at least once in your title, subtitle, and keystring. To optimize your app store listing, you should replace repeating keywords with a short keyword phrase. With a subtitle, you can show the most relevant keywords to your topic.

What is an ASO Keystring?

These are the keys you can use as modifiers when searching for apps in the App store or Google Play. Each App Store has its own set of keywords, so they’re helpful if you know how to use them. It’s key to use relevant and appropriate keywords in your app name, title, and subtitle. You don’t use the following term in your keywords

• Plural words that have already been used at least once in a singular form should not be used in the plural form.
• Don’t use the word ‘‘app’’
• Categories names
• Matching words
• Avoids using temperaments like @ and #

App Store Explanation

App Store descriptions are the only online copy that your potential users will read, share, or open. Remembering the first experience of your product has a big impact on whether they come back to try it again. The descriptions on your product page are shown directly to your web users Search engines do not necessarily have anything to do with the way we search. When your product page is indexed, when someone searches for those keywords, it’s your product page that will show up. In Google Play, you can create a description for your app that is up to 4,000 characters long.

For example, when you’ve identified the main value proposition of your app, first write it in a punchy way that fits into 140 characters. Then try to come up with a descriptive line that fits into 255 characters. Do this by practicing on other apps. The following is a great example of an Apple App Store description.

How to Optimize ASO (App Store Optimization)

Here are steps you optimize your ASO

• Use an Optimally Descriptive Title.
• Make sure to include a good chunk of keywords.
• Take great screenshots.
• Spruce up your content with a video preview of your app.
• Avoid the category no one is looking at.
• have a great icon design
• Encourage Others to Have Positive Thoughts About Your Product or Service

ASO Screenshot Optimization

App store optimization is an important step when marketing apps. App screenshots aren’t technically used as a factor in ASO. As a rule, app store optimization experts always advise filling out the app screenshots – even if it’s not considered in an algorithm.

Here are some tips to optimize screenshot

• Place the most eye-catching screenshots at the top.
• Portrait vs. Landscape Orientation
• Design and Test Your Screenshots across Multiple Devices
• One feature is just like one screenshot.
• Localizing your screenshots is a great way to get more downloads.
• Show Devices to Multiple Users.
• Monitor your most important competitor and see what they’re doing.

We inspected the app store listing elements, such as its copy, graphics, in-app visuals, colors, background, and layout. We realized we could do better. Based on the 50 days before when we changed our screenshots, the conversion of impressions to app installs was 7%. Days after adding the screenshots, their conversion rate increased from 5% to 13%.

What is Paid and Organic App Innovation?

Paid discovery and organic discovery – yes, these are different. Organic (free) app store optimization has been around for a long time and will continue to be part of the app store optimization discussion. However, with the growth of paid discovery capabilities such as Apple Search Ads, Google Play Developer Promotion, and Instagram’s new marketing platform, many have started to transition away from focusing solely on organic optimization.

Two constituents are here

1. Organic-app store optimization
2. Paid-research advertisements

Which One is Best?

Paid discovery is a better alternative than organic discovery because it focuses only on apps that are relevant to your app.

Apple Research Ads

Apple Search Ads are a great way to reach new customers on Search Engine Results Pages for queries that include the term you are targeting in your ad. When you run ads to promote your app, the ads that people see will appear at the top of the search results with a light blue background.

Even though it appears at first glance that Instagram is an app for sharing photos and videos, the fact is that it’s strange that the Apple search ad appears at the top of the search results. The Search Ad should be based on the topic searched, not the name of an app. the organic search and Apple Search Ads should be considered two parts of a single whole. It is not possible to increase efforts on one without impacting the other. This goes for growth as well as optimization. The change in one thing has effects on another thing.

There are Two Reasons Why an App Page is Significant:

1. Some advertising networks, Apple Search Ads will not use your creative assets without permission, so your product page should look just the way you want it. You can copy the screenshots and app descriptions of competing apps to your website. Apple recommends that you review your metadata before you run an Apple search campaign
2. Apple’s search functionality is pretty good. This data can help you to create your keyword list. For search ads, Apple determines which ad to show you from the information in your metadata. To get relevant results through the discovery of new keywords, you need to have relevant titles, descriptions, and more.

Optimization Tools for App Store

App Store Optimization (ASO) tools can help you maximize app store rankings and boost downloads. App store optimization (or ASO) refers to a series of different tactics used to get more installs or increase conversion rate in the App Store.

Some tools are here

• SplitMetrics
• MobileAction
• AppTweak
• TheTool
• StoreMaven
• App Radar
• ASOdesk
• SearchMan

The tool shows you how your app ranks in each of the categories you entered. This list of the top charts will let you see which apps are most popular and therefore should have the best localization. You can use the platform to review your competitor’s screenshots.

ASO Optimization Tips

If you want a fast overview without having to read the entire post, I recommend checking out the following points:

• It’s important to know who your competitors are, what they do best, and how they sell to their customers.
• The name of your app is an important factor in its success.
• Maximize the number of keywords on your page, but don’t go overboard or it can backfire.
• Keep your sales description focused and compelling
• Make sure that any icons you use look unique in comparison to other icons
• Use screenshots and videos of your product, if possible
• Optimize your app listing for localized app stores
• Understand that outside promotion can help get you more traffic.
• Update your blog frequently
• Encourage feedback and ratings on your content.
• A/B test variants of product screenshots
• Use your main keywords four times each in your meta description tag
• Avoid using the same words for title, subtitle, and keystring.

Conclusion

Having an ASO strategy that is a part of an overall app strategy will be beneficial for an app’s success. Because there are so many apps for download, you’ll need to be creative and stand out from the crowd to get noticed. For both iOS apps and Android apps alike, you’re not likely to attract a lot of attention without app store optimization.

Thanks to the constantly evolving ranking algorithms and the competitive nature of the app stores, App Store Optimization is an ongoing process. If you can invest in the right analytic tools, a keen eye, and regular check-ins then ASO will be far easier for you.