ASO, or App Store Optimization, is an important, multi-pronged strategy that savvy companies use to boost their online apps’ visibility. Intelligent companies increasingly use ASO at the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android.
Much like a rudimentary Google, Yahoo!, or Bing search for products and services, users are much more likely to click on the results from the first one or two pages. But with millions of apps populating app stores, companies with smaller budgets and less brand recognition face insurmountable problems.
For many companies, it seems like a losing proposition. They may boast the best products, but they need more online visibility. This is a central marketing quandary that experts routinely have to contend with.
The goal of ASO is to improve the visibility of an app in an app store’s search results. The higher the ranking, the more likely users are to find and download the app. There are several ways to go about this, but most experts agree that there are really only two essential components:
Implementing ASO For Visibility, Credibility & Downloads
1) On-metadata: This includes everything from the app’s name and description to its icon and screenshots.
2) Off-metadata: This incorporates user reviews, ratings, and backlinks to the app’s page from other websites.
The first step is on-metadata Optimization.
This can be accomplished by following these simple tips:
- Make sure your app’s title is keyword-rich, descriptive, and concise.
- Use relevant keywords in your app’s subtitle.
- Use keywords throughout your app’s description, but avoid stuffing them in unnaturally. A good rule of thumb is to use a keyword 3-5% of the time.
- Take advantage of all available real estate by utilizing your App Store profile’s images section.
In addition to your icon and screenshots, you can also include up to 5 videos that show off your app in action. Be sure to use keywords in your video titles and descriptions as well.
User Reviews & Ratings
The second step is off-metadata Optimization which can be done by focusing on two areas User Reviews & Ratings + Backlinks.
Here are some tips for getting started with each one:
- Ask friends, family, employees, partners, or anyone else you can think of who has downloaded your app recently for a review or rating. You should also ask them to mention specific features they liked or didn’t like about the product, if possible.
- Respond quickly (within 24 hours) whenever someone leaves a review or rating—especially if it’s negative feedback
Backlinks
Add links pointing back to your app on as many websites as possible (your company website, personal blog, social media profiles, etc.)
- Guest blog on popular industry websites that allow do-follow links
- Submit articles featuring your app to popular article directories like EzineArticles.com
How Does ASO Differ From SEO For Websites?
The main difference is that with SEO, you’re trying to rank highly for specific keywords on a search engine like Google, whereas with ASO, you’re trying to rank highly for particular keywords on an app store.
SEO is about driving traffic to a website from anywhere on the internet, whereas ASO drives traffic to an app from within an app store. This means that the techniques used for each are quite different.
Here are some key differences between SEO and ASO:
- With SEO, you can use any content (text, images, videos, etc.) to try and rank highly for your chosen keywords. With ASO, however, only text can be used in the app name and description fields. This makes keyword research even more critical
- Unlike SEO, where backlinks can come from anywhere on the internet, with ASO, all backlinks must come from within the app store itself. This typically means paid placements or featuring.
- App store rankings are also affected by things like user reviews and ratings, which have no bearing whatsoever on website rankings. SEO and ASO are essential marketing strategies—but customers should view them as complementary than competing efforts.
The best way to think of it is this: if traditional website optimization is about getting people to your front door, then App Store Optimization is all about getting them through it.
You have an amazon store yet you feel there’s no views on you product lists? Gain more customer by optimizing your amazon marketing for better performance. Goodluck!
