by admin - 27 Aug 2021

A mobile application is the best way to get in front of your audience, increase your consumer base, boost your sales and revenue and outperform the competitors. However, there are nearly 2 million iOS apps on Apple’s Store and more than 2 million Android apps on Google Play Store. To make your brand stand out from the competition and boost the app download rate, it is essential to improve your app visibility in the app store. Only when your app is visible to people, they will click-through it and then download it. To escalate your website/blog’s position on a search engine, Search Engine Optimization is used and similarly, to escalate your app visibility, App Store Optimization (aka ASO) is necessary. Here are the six steps to perform App Store Optimization for your mobile app and boost its ranking on the app store while driving an increased click-through rate. 

1. Pick the Right Title 
2. Use Relevant Keywords 
3. Optimize the App Description 
4. Use Compelling Visuals & Screenshots 
5. Analyze the Competitor Apps 
6. Maintain Good Ratings & Reviews 

1.PICK THE RIGHT TITLE 

Though Shakespeare quoted “What’s in a name?”, however in the world of digital marketing and the Internet, name/title is the most important metadata to rank higher on search results. When people search for any mobile app, they type in the keyword in the search box and click-through the top 5-6 results. To rank on these top spots, choose the app title wisely.  

Do not go for random names, choose a title that includes your brand name and the keyword. Additionally, the app name must not be too long, and it must be easy to read and remember. Speaking about the length of the title, Google allows you to use 50 characters for your app title, while Apple only lets you use 30 characters. Quirky and unique names have the added advantage of being remembered by people boosting the recognition value of your app.  

2.USE RELEVANT KEYWORDS 

The way keyword is crucial for boosting your search rankings, keywords are a crucial factor for ranking on the app store. Think of the words that people might use to search for the app. Analyze the keywords used by the other apps in a similar category and opt for similar keywords from the top-performing apps. There are many App Store Optimization tools to get a clear picture of the keywords searched by users, their search volume and the alternate suggestions. Most of these tools also combine AI to make a keyword search better. 

3.OPTIMIZE THE APP DESCRIPTION 

If you want people to click through your app and install it, you must give them potential reasons for that. The app description is one of the crucial metadata of your app that informs the users what your app is about. If you consider SEO, the meta description gives a short overview of your webpage to the users that motivate them to click-through, and the same goes with the app description. App description, like meta description, is the best place to add your keywords as Google indexes keywords from this metadata, but Apple does not. However, that does not mean you can stuff your keywords randomly; this black hat practice can penalize your app. Bend your keywords naturally into the description that allows you to add up to 4000 characters.  

Though the Apple store does not index keywords from the app description, still the description informs and influences people to install the app. Make your app description appealing to the audience that informs, educates and motivates them to install the app. Explain to them the USP and the benefits of your app and make it clearly structured. To increase the readability of the description, include pointers or also add emojis for entertainment.  

4.USE COMPELLING VISUALS AND SCREENSHOTS   

People believe what they see. Hence, to persuade the users to click-through your app listing and download the app, you must display the USP and the excellent user interface of your app via screenshots and visually appealing videos. It’s not only for the gaming apps to have amazing visuals, but every app from every category must leverage them.  

Firstly, the app icon must be appealing enough to capture the user’s attention on the search results page. Creative logo designs and graphics are important for businesses to grab the audience’s attention. Once your app icon is impressive enough, users will click-through it and land at your app. The next step is to persuade the user to click the download button. The screenshots and the videos of the app demonstrate the functionality of your app to the users and influence them to download it, similar to providing a virtual trial before purchasing something.   

5.ANALYZE THE COMPETITOR APPS 

Analyzing competitors work in your space gives you a picture of how they are performing, the optimization techniques they use, keywords targeted and what they are missing out on. Try to incorporate the best practices followed by them and address the gaps missed by them in the optimization techniques.   

6.MAINTAIN GOOD RATINGS AND REVIEWS 

The ratings, reviews and comments you receive on your app listing are other huge factors that the app stores consider while ranking your app. Even the users who visit the app, at least check one or two reviews before considering whether to download the app or not. Hence you must maintain a good rating and encourage your app users to leave a review on the app store.  

If someone raises an issue they face while using the app or a complaint in the review section, make sure you respond to them quickly and try to solve their issue at the earliest. This demonstrates to the people that you value every user and their feedback and helps you build a good relationship with the users while also boosting the rate of active users. 

Most app store optimization techniques are similar to that of search engine optimization techniques used to rank higher on SERPs organically. Similar to SEO, ASO is an ongoing process to remain on top of the user app search results and boost the click-through and download rates of the app. Connect with us at Entitledarts to develop a robust mobile application and optimize it to boost the download rates.