App Store Optimization: a real acquisition lever

 

The Android Play Store and iOS App Store are the only entry points to download an app. Every user must go through them, meaning your app’s storefront is the digital window display that will entice them to download it or not. It is therefore essential to make it attractive and effective.

As such, App Store Optimization must be fully integrated into app marketing strategies. An efficient App Store Optimization allows to increase:

• Conversion of users arriving on the store page. Here the impact will be threefold:

1. Increase the number of organic downloads

2. Decrease acquisition campaigns’ CPI and therefore increase the ROAS

3. Improve the application’s ranking (more downloads => improved ranking)

• Visibility in search results on stores

The essentials for an effective App Store Optimization

 

• A dedicated analysis tool

It is essential to have a tool dedicated to the analysis of store pages in order to have data on keywords and in particular the number of requests, their relevance… Without this, it is impossible to create an effective study of your text fields. This type of tool also makes it possible to benchmark visuals and to know trends.

At Addict Mobile, we have been working with the AppTweak ASO tool for several years. This platform allows us to study keywords and visuals, as well as competitors’ market positioning

• Mastering the stores’ guidelines and algorithms

It is also essential to know and understand the visual guidelines of the Android and iOS stores. There are indeed many constraints, both in terms of formats and graphic restrictions. Without this notion, you run the risk of having your store page submissions rejected, especially on iOS.

The knowledge of each store specificities in terms of algorithm will be an asset to produce the best text fields and go up in the queries.

• A significant production capacity

Different parameters will increase the production needs:

• Produce the graphic assets in all formats expected by the stores, all the languages covered by your service and this for each OS…
• Asset localization is essential to cover as many countries as possible. It is important to ensure that each concept deployed is in line with the country in which it will be distributed.

To meet these challenges, it is important to have a significant production capacity and to be able to update according to the year’s highlights. In addition, expertise on stores’ best practices is different from paid marketing expertise to produce effective and attractive visuals.

How can Addict Mobile help you with your ASO?

1.     Analysis of the current situation

The idea here is to thoroughly analyze the current ASO to identify flaws and suggest areas for improvement. At Addict Mobile, we also rely on an in-depth analysis of competitors and the market thanks to specialized App Store Optimization tools.

2.     Text field recommendations

The purpose of text fields is to optimize the positioning in the results of user queries like SEO on the web. Here we are talking about title, subtitle, hidden text and description. There also is a promotional text on iOS that should not be neglected, as it is visible to users by being placed above the description.

In our analysis, we research more than 300 keywords related to the application (relevance, density…), to produce texts adapted to each OS and language.

3.     Production of visuals

When talking about App Store Optimization visuals, we are referring to screenshots and videos.

The video, too often forgotten by app developers, is fundamental to give a clear and unique representation of the application and reassure the user to generate a download. This is where store rules are the strictest.

At Addict Mobile, we combine graphic design expertise with advanced knowledge of the environment to deliver adapted visuals. Our in-house studio has a strong production and iteration capacity thanks to our proprietary automation technologies. These technologies allow us to adapt visuals on a large scale and automatically.

ASO, more than a one shot service?

App Store Optimization is not just a one-shot service. Having a common thread approach allows several benefits:

1.     A/B test each item in isolation to ensure maximum ASO performance (text and visuals). This is greatly facilitated by the Play Store Experiments on Android. More and more opportunities are offered on iOS as well.

2.      Adapt screenshots to brand highlights and seasonality.

3.     Update keywords regularly to maintain position in search results. Competitors will also change their strategy which may impact keywords.

4.      Deploy and adapt CCPs routinely to address UA issues.

5.     Adapt to the evolving rules of the Android and iOS stores.

6.     Benefit from monthly reporting and frequent strategic recommendations to track rankings and conversions to assess their effectiveness.

We also advise to keep track of your ratings and comments, which are important influencers in the download decision. A bad rating or poor reviews will negate your marketing efforts, both in App Store Optimization and in acquisition campaigns.