Handy App Store Optimization Infographic

App Store visibility is a real issue for many small mobile app developers. Most of them can’t actually fight big publishers on their ground of high-priced performance marketing campaigns and paid PR.

However, a well thought-out App Store Optimization strategy can heavily boost your app’s discoverability and that’s why guys from CreativeConstruction created this handy App Store Optimization infographic. Feel free to share your experience about ASO in comment section below!

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A Perfect App Store Optimization Strategy

App Store Optimization (ASO) is a very important part of your app or mobile game marketing strategy. Over 60% of all app installs come through a natural iOS App Store or Android Google Play search function, says Business Insider.

In general, both main app stores work similar and we can compare them to a standard internet search engine in terms of titles or keywords algorithms. If you want to appear above your competitors in search results, there are a few tips and tricks on how to boost your rankings. And unlike SEO, there is a second part when you neeed to persuade your potential customer to actually download your app after he or she clicks on it.

If you decide to give your application a vague name, most people won’t even bother clicking on it. Your app name should be as explicit as possible because you don’t want to confuse users with irrelevant title.

Be aware of a visual name length limitation – your potential customer will only see the first 32 characters of your application name if he’s browsing App Store from iOS6 on iPhone. In addition, your app name also works as some kind of “main” keyword and has a slight advantage in comparison with standard search keywords.

By the way, did you know that publisher’s name also plays a role in search results?

Keywords have an important role in your App Store Optimization strategy – a proper use of them can land you a huge amount of search traffic. Apple offers you 99 characters to set up your keywords, so take an advantage of it.

Don’t use merged keyword phrases as “dog training tips” and rather use those words separately as “dog, training, tips”. There are no more search ranking boosts for using whole phrases. Also, Apple is handling plural words much better now so if you are running out of characters, try cleaning up your keywords. For example, keyword “tip” works pretty much the same as “tips”.

Do a brainstorming and think about various keywords people can actually use to search for your app. Sometimes it’s even better to use long-tail words because there is definitely an advantage to be in TOP 5 search results for keyword with lower search volume than sit somewhere in TOP 200 for “mainstream” keyword. You can use tools as AppCod.es to help you with keyword research and optimization. You can even see suggested keywords for your app based on keywords your competitors are using.

This part is often being ignored even by bigger publishers which means you have much higher chance to score on local markets. It is hard to rank number 1 for “fun games” in english, however for example in Spain this is much more easier task. Of course, you need to translate your whole app – which is a task you can outsource.

I highly recommend you to read this awesome article by David Janner who did a spectacular case study about increasing his download rate by 767% just because of localization!

Icon itself has zero effect on search results, however its impact on click-through-rate and install rate is unbelievable. Many mediocre apps receive huge amount of downloads just because of well designed app icon. Now imagine that synergic effect when you actually have a high quality application with beautiful icon. As an example, read this case study about game called Trainz Driver which was selling 20 times as many units after icon change.

Even if it sounds obvious, don’t (really, don’t!) use your app name in your app icon. It looks just horrible. Design beautiful, simple and high resolution icon with simple colors. Be consistent if you plan to release more apps – for example take various Angry Birds app icons as an example. If you want to be sure that your icon looks great on every background, don’t hesitate to add some creative borders. For inspiration, look at iOS Icon Gallery.

The very first prerequisite for a great screenshot is logically your app design. Even if you could seduce people to download your app with highly manipulated screenshots, you will probably end up with with low ratings and angry comments. So remember – well designed app means beautiful screenshots and more downloads.

Don’t hesitate to use as many screenshots as you can! Apple gives you 5 slots and Google 8 – so use them. Place your most beautiful screenshot first, however be sure that it reflects core of your application or game. Putting a splash screen as your first screenshots is not a good idea, since it says absolutely nothing about features of your app. Also, be aware that Apple changed policy for screenshots and now you can only change them along with a proper app update.

Be creative and add some additional graphics and explanations to your screenshots – it’s allowed! For example, look at Clash of Clans screenshots below. In addition, here is a nice article about designing great screenshots.

Great app description is like the cover page of your app’s CV. This is the place where you need to encourage your app viewers to download it. Don’t be scared to hire a professional copywriter or at least spy on your competitors and learn how to write a good description. Every app category has its own specifics.

The first 3 lines of your description are the most important. They are visible by default, along with your app icon and first (sometimes also second) screenshot. Explain clearly what your app is about and pitch your unique selling proposition – A.K.A. why are u better than your competitors? If you were reviewed by big internet player (as New York Times or TouchArcade), don’t hesitate to put that information on top of your description. Think about it as another marketing channel – people usually don’t pay much attention to text, so you need to be catchy.

Below the fold, don’t forget to include social proofs, quotes from blogs or mention your other successful apps. Also, keep your description updated when you add key features and receive new trophies. Don’t be too technical and always be honest with your customers!

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How To Master Google Play Search Optimization

Five years ago, not many would believe you if you said Google, the company known for their search engine, would bring a new product onto the smartphone market that would rival the iPhone, but now, in 2014, that exact thing has happened.
The Google Play Store is now a force to be reckoned with in the app market, and certainly a tool that developers can’t do without. Whilst it’s still a hotly debated topic whether the Android market can bring in similar revenue to the iOS app store, it’s certainly not far off from it, and there is a lot of potential in the Google Play Store.
However, just like with the Apple app store, Google’s own app market is extremely competitive, and it takes time, patience, and maybe just a little bit of luck to become a successful app developer. One of the most important aspects of improving your app’s chance in the Play Store is through Google Play search optimization.
There are certain techniques that are beneficial to use, and some knowledge that should be learned when looking at Google Play search optimization, and they should certainly be applied to your own application if you’d like to increase your downloads and revenue.
Choosing keywords is possibly the most obvious step required to optimize your Google Play app store page, but also one of the hardest. Keyword optimization involves finding words that are most likely to be searched for and applying them into your app store description.
Finding the right keywords is often the hard part, but there are ways to get help. With decent keyword analysis software you can quickly find keywords that are being searched for often but have a lack of competition from other app developers, and then learn how to apply them to your app store description as best as possible. You can also use service like AppAnnie to track your downloads and search rankings and keep an eye on how each keyword is changing results.

Whether you have the budget to invest in such software or not, you will still need to brainstorm a few keyword ideas and apply them when necessary. A good practice I use for finding the best keywords for smartphone applications is to go through a three-step process.
Step 1 - Think about the main function of the app: what will users use the app for most?
Step 2 - Think about the kind of people that would download your app: what age are they, and what culture/demographic are they based in?
Step 3 - Think carefully about what your particular demographic would search for to find the function they are looking for. Take into consideration the vocabulary they would typically use.
Use this as a basis for your keyword brainstorming. Don’t be afraid to use less popular (long tail) keywords either – there may not be many searches for a particular keyword, but the positive to this is that the competition for it could be very low.
Once you have your keywords, the next step is to place them smartly throughout your app page. Google uses an algorithm that makes it beneficial to use keywords multiple amounts of times, and it’s always a good practice to try and fit your keywords into the description 4-5 times, and spread evenly throughout different paragraphs.
Don’t overdo it though, Google has been in the search engine game for a very long time and they have many systems in place to make sure people don’t try to game their system by overusing Google Play search optimization.
One huge way to improve search ranking is to actually put your keyword within your app title. By simply putting your keyword with a dash after your app name, you’ll be ranking much, much higher than apps that don’t follow this practice. Despite naysayers, most app users don’t mind seeing the keyword within the title, as it usually explains at point blank exactly what the app can do, so it’s a win/win for both you and your potential downloaders.
Once you have your keywords set out, you’ll now need to work on your icon and app screenshots. These are two very powerful tools that can help improve your clickthroughs and downloads drastically.
The app icon is the first image potential app downloaders will see before they download your app, and it’s what they will associate your application with. A badly designed, unprofessional logo will give off the impression that your app has been shared in the same way, and even if this is not true, users will most likely skip past your app, and will never find out whether your app is actually good or not.

Paying for a graphic designer may be a smart move – now that the internet is in it’s prime, it’s pretty easy to find willing contractors who will do the job for reasonable prices, too.
The final waypoint for Google Play search optimization are the screenshots. Use your screenshots wisely; Google has given you the space to use them, and you should treat them as free advertising space in your mobile app marketing.
If you were creating an advert, you’d try your best to convince viewers that your app was something they needed, so use the screenshots to clearly show the app in action, and the various features that make it worth downloading.
If you want to play the App Store optimization game, one of the best things you can do is to reach out to other regions and put your app out there in foreign countries. The country you’re based in may be great, but you’re missing out on a huge amount of potential if you only target the language of your home country or English.
To localize an app in the Google Play store of another country, you’ll want to provide keywords and a title in the language that is used within the country. By using the same keyword techniques that we have explained, but for foreign languages, you’re reaching out to new downloads, without really putting in much effort. Basically, you can boost your downloads few times using this technique.
If you see a large amount of traffic as a result of your localization changes, you could then even take it a step further and translate your app completely, catering for the popularity of your app within other countries.
Once you’ve sorted the graphical and translation side you’re pretty much set, but the keyword game is an ongoing battle, and you’ll really benefit from using analysis software to help you. If you can’t manage with that though, keep checking back for more tips from us where we’ll go into more detail about Google Play search optimization tactics and more topics to help you get the most out of the app industry.

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