App Store Optimization

App Store Optimization is the process of optimizing a mobile app page in stores.

Helps solve three global challenges:

Enhances the position of the app in the issue
Generates user loyalty
Efficiently talks about the features of the application

The higher the app is located in the issue, the more potential users and buyers will see it and install it.

Main factors:
1. Position in the issue
2. TTR — conversion from issue to tap
3. CR (CTI) — conversion from click to installation

Technically, the position in the issue is influenced by:

Total number of application installations in a particular country
Number of application installations by a specific key word
Retention Rate – customer retention rate
Application rating

ASO Parameters

1. The name should

Be relevant to the proposed product;
Contain the most popular relevant key words;
Be adapted to the template “Name — short description”.

2. The icon should

Correspond to the brand-book;
Correspond to the proposed product;
Contain a graphic image WITHOUT text.

3. The description should

Display the main brief message in the first two lines;
Have a clear structure (paragraphs and headings);
Mention all the USP of the application
Contain key words (for Google Play);
Be well-written.

4. Screenshots should

Reach the maximum amount possible (5 for App Store and 8 for Google Play);
Include an explanation;
Show the key advantages of the product;
Be designed according to corporate style of the company;
The first screenshot should have the maximum amount of information, reflect the USP and may have s different design.

5. Video

On Google Play, the video will substitute the cover of the app. On the App Store, the video will be placed instead of the first screenshot. With the release of iOS11,it became possible to upload up to three vertical videos, as well as single horizontal. The videos can be set up to play automatically.
The use of videos is highly recommended for gaming and/or paid applications. The effect of the video on conversions rates can be measured by consequent or A/B testing. In most cases, a quality video showed positive influence on the click-to-download rate.
The video can include instructions on how to use the application or speak about the features of the business in general.For games demonstration of the real playing process is advised.

6. Working with keywords suggests

Composition of the Semantic kernel (list of all the key words relevant for the application);
Always-on monitoring of search results page by words from the list;
Analysis of search dynamics;
Analysis of competitor strategies.

For the App Store

Inclusion of the main keywords in the title (30 characters total) and the subtitle (30 characters);
Compilation of a list of keywords for additional locations: English (UK) and English (Australia) for Russia. A maximum of 100 characters;
The keywords with the highest search frequency should be included in the title.

For Google Play

Inclusion of keywords in the description and the title (50 characters);
Keywords with the highest search frequency should be included in the first paragraph of the description (167 characters);
The main keywords should be repeated a couple of time in the description.

7. Reviews and ratings

Most users make a decision on whether to download an application or not based on its reviews and ratings.

We recommend

To reply to negative reviews;
To motivate loyal users to post reviews and rate the application

Influence of ASO parameters on the decision
to download an application

Source: TUNE | How mobile users make app install decisions on Google Play and the App Store | 24/01/2017

The icon may very well contain text. It’s okay, especially if it is a brand (refer to the Booking.com app). The title can and must contain a maximum amount of keywords, since the ranking of their weight is much higher than those in the corresponding field.

A video on Google Play does not always have a positive effect on the ranking, as in one of our applications it, on the contrary, it reduced the conversion rate from page view to installation, because the enormous play button blocked everything that was written on the banner.

If we speak about iOS 11 on the App Store, the video will, most likely, be needed, since it begins playing automatically on display without sound, and this can definitely attract the attention of the user.

Ilya Kukharev

ASO & Promotion в Aviasales

ASO-optimization is a free and long-term way to drive traffic to an application or a game. The user, who found and selected the application on search result page, can be considered as the most interested. Therefore, it is important to choose the correct keywords for the application.

Mobile application optimization has a positive effect on the conversion rate into installation from paid traffic channels. For example, a change in the conversion to installation by a couple percent can reduce CPI or increase the volume of installations at the same cost.

Anatoly Sharifulin

CEO at AppFollow

In games for kids, it is quite difficult to get a positive return on the marketing investment, so organic traffic becomes the main source of attracting users. ASO brings organic traffic directly to the application and helps:
– Improve conversions rate into downloads
– Increase the number of downloads of the application
– Increase overall revenue, as with the help of ASO, we attract the most loyal users.

There are many successful examples where a company worked on conversion rate optimization and doubled it’s revenue.
The possibilities of ASO are nearly limitless. App market player constantly update their algorithms, change the number of characters in the title, add description lines and so on. So in iOS 11 Apple introduced the opportunity for the application to get indexed by key words present in the names of in-app purchases, fall into the issue by requests that were added to in-apps titles. Both the application and in-app purchase can be shown on the search results page, in-app purchase will be displayed if you promote these events.

One should not forget that other companies’ successful cases and experiments are only benchmarks. And only you, based on your own experience, will understand what works best for your application.

Elena Vereshchagina, Svetlana Kochurina

Co-Founders/ Partners at DevGame

Search engine optimization is an integral part of work in the sphere of marketing for any mobile application. The main objective of ASO is to get the most traffic from the App Store and Google Play search by working with metadata of the app stores. Consequently, evaluation of the result of this or that iteration of ASO should be performed strictly according to the number of installations. Results from search engine optimization can vary, as they strongly depend on the subject of the application. Searches for mobile applications on the web and in stores differs dramatically. There are significantly less search queries that potential users ask in-store. Due to this, some applications can receive a lot of search engine traffic, such as those for “flights” and “hotels”, while others, such as “messengers”, receive far less. This is because people are looking in this category for the brands that they already know and which they heard about, for example, from their friends, like Facebook, Telegram and so on. This does not mean that there is no sense in doing optimization for a messenger. It only means that your expectations of the medium-term effect from ASO should be lower than in the case of other categories. Thus, we can say ASO is a Must Have, yet it is necessary to clearly understand what to expect. And do not forget about iteration, as ASO requires iteration, with each release you must work on the optimization of mobile applications.

Sergei Sharov

CEO at ASOdesk