How to increase organic application traffic by 300% through ASO?

What is ASO and why is it important?

App Store Optimization (ASO) - Increasing the visibility of a mobile application in the App Store and Google Play. Optimization includes:

• compiling a semantic core from key queries relevant to the application topic;

• analysis of traffic, conversion rates and market competitiveness;

• development of an ASO promotion strategy;

• optimization of text and visual elements on the application page;

• a qualitative increase in the number of ratings and reviews;

• work with paid traffic and referrals from other sources.

Like SEO, with proper optimization, ASO allows you to significantly increase organic traffic and conversion from viewing to installation, which significantly saves the advertising budget. For example, the average price to install an application (worldwide) is about $ 2. This indicator differs depending on the category and region, so for example we take 50 cents. That is, if organic traffic will bring 2,000 units per day, then the savings will be $ 1,000. And this is 365,000 dollars a year. It is also worth considering that organic traffic is better than paid. And according to richTech, about 60% of users install applications through store searches. That is, competition in the ASO direction will only grow.

Semantic core collection

The larger the semantic core, the more options for promotion can be found in the future. But these should be only those words and phrases that accurately describe your application. Initially, the MobileDevHQ, AppCodes and Appunique services will help to collect the base. You can also use Wordstat, Google AdWords, Google Trends, and third-party parsers.

Market analysis and strategy development

In order to correctly determine the capabilities of ASO-promotion and to predict its results, you need to learn about the current position of the application on the market, identify its advantages and problem areas, analyze competitors. This will increase the variability in choosing the right strategy. For example, some social networks are promoted through the "News" category, which allows you to get additional traffic with low competition. And in the "Games" category it is more efficient to advance through low- and mid-frequency queries if the application is not in the tops.

Next, you need to select about 10 key key phrases that match the chosen strategy. Keys can be analyzed through sensortower. To summarize, you should choose phrases for which the most traffic and the least applications in the search. If you divide the first value into the second, then the coefficient of “strength” of keywords will come out, which you can focus on. For example, sometimes it is better to choose a key with 2000 requests for 10 applications than with 100 000 for 1000 applications. But it all depends on the specific situation.

Text and metadata optimization

There are significant differences between the App Store and Google Play indexing algorithms. All you need to know is the weight of the keywords in different sections (in descending order):

App Store:

1. Title.

2. Subtitle

3. Keyword input field.

4. Reviews

5. In-app purchases.

An example of displaying in-app purchases on the iOS 12 App Store:

How to increase organic application traffic by 300% through ASO?

The description in the App Store has not yet been indexed (at the time of writing), but it affects the number of installations. Therefore, it is better to use simple catchy phrases and short sentences. Do not complicate the text with unnecessary descriptions, it is better to clearly demonstrate everything in the screenshots.

Google play:

1. Title.

2. Short description.

3. Description.

4. Reviews

5. Developer Name and URL.

Particular attention should be paid to the description. You have as many as 4000 characters. But it is not necessary to use a key in each sentence. One key phrase should be mentioned a maximum of 3 times, otherwise ASO will work against you.

And some more tips

Shorten the name of the application as much as possible to leave more space for keys. You have only 30 characters in the App Store and 50 in Google Play.

Don't be afraid to combine keywords into phrases. For example, the keys “children”, “books” and “developing” can be written as “developing books for children”.

Dilute the description with lists and subheadings with keys.

The basic ranking algorithm looks at the installation of your application from a search for a specific request. Therefore, if you do not select the keys exactly, then views can grow, but not be converted. And then the store will limit the organic traffic for you.

Motivate users to write reviews with key phrases. But do not buy them, as algorithms notice if a person uninstalls the application after a positive review.

Visual element optimization

The icon. It should correspond to the subject and functionality, so that the user can intuitively understand what the application is about. First, you need to evaluate the icons of competitors in order to somehow stand out from their background. Try not to use text and small details. This should be a contrast image with one object.

Screenshots Depending on the application, in this section it is sometimes better to post benefits with post-processing of images, and sometimes real screenshots that accurately reflect the functionality (especially in games). A common problem is unreadable text. The phrases in the pictures should be short and contrast with the background. It is also important to choose an easily readable font and text size.

Video. The choice of vertical or horizontal position depends on whether the user needs to turn the smartphone to use the application. If so, it’s best to make a horizontal video. But everywhere there are exceptions. In terms of duration it is advisable to keep within 12-15 seconds, although the stores themselves limit it to 30. You need to create a video so that a person can understand everything without sound, since it automatically plays without it. Be sure to show the functionality and key features of the application. A correctly created video can increase conversion by 2-3 times.

All visual and textual components of the application page should be checked through A / B testing and only the most effective solutions should be left. But before the changes, do not forget to save the current data, so that in case of a decrease in organic traffic, you can return everything to its place.

Reviews, ratings and ratings

In order to enter the top, you must have a minimum of 4 stars. You can increase your rating by processing negative reviews and solving user problems, as this will probably change their opinion. Offer to evaluate the application, but do it on time.

At the first launches, a person hardly has an opinion on the product. But after he used some unique application function - just right. People easily give 5 stars for solving a problem or satisfying a need. The more ratings, the higher the application in the search. And do not forget about the keywords in the reviews. Reputation management gives you opportunity to control your ratings to get boost for you products.

Paid traffic and other referral sources

If ASO is the source of free quality traffic, why spend an advertising budget? Everything is simple. Firstly, to speed up indexing and your application quickly “noticed” the store. This is especially true for new products. When in the first days an application gains several hundred-thousand installations, the algorithms begin to pour organic traffic, and then everything depends on the conversion and the quality of ASO optimization. Therefore, a quick result can be obtained only when combined with paid traffic.

Secondly, since ASO increases conversion, this affects the efficiency of all application traffic, which reduces the price of a paid installation. In addition, Google Play indexes external links to applications. The principle, as in SEO: the more popular the site, the more weight it gives the application by key.

A few important tips for last:

• Carefully choose the application category, as this affects who you will compete with for organic traffic.

• Watch competitors and their decisions to react in time and not to lose potential users.

• In the descriptions and screenshots, omit the greetings and touting of your product. Focus on informativeness, leave only bright catchy phrases and confirm them with facts.

• Try to ensure that the size of the application does not exceed 100 MB. Better add uploaded content.

• Be updated. Shops love it.

• Track optimization performance. Analyze the application page and identify problem areas that leave users.

• Translate the application into other languages ​​(if that makes sense).