What is App Store Optimization?
App Store Optimization (ASO), is the process of improving your mobile app or game listing to increase its visibility on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or other app stores when users use the Search feature. By increasing traffic to an app’s listing, you increase the chances of getting more organic downloads.
ASO is a process that includes three key steps:
- Keyword research. A fundamental part of ASO and Search visibility optimization. (Know more about ASO keyword research here.)
- Optimize for search and conversion. Improving the listing on the App Store and Google Play, as well as the Conversion Rate, by using A/B testing on copy and visuals.
- Tracking, improving, and localizing main KPIs, such as keywords ranking and competitors’ rankings, conversion rate to install, organic installs, etc.
Here’s why you should focus on App Store Optimization:
- Increase app discoverability. An optimized product page ranks higher and makes the app or game easier to discover by users.
- Improve organic installs as a consequence of that improvement in ranking.
- Better Conversion Rate to Install, because the more traffic, the more likely it is that the app or game gets downloaded.
- Lower acquisition costs: By driving more organic installs, one can reduce the costs spent on paid marketing campaigns and user acquisition channels.
Keep in mind that there’s always room for optimization, so ASO is a process that never ends.
Main ASO factors
In terms of factors to take into account for an ASO strategy, those are the following:
- On-metadata factors. Developers can control and edit them easily from either Google Play Console or App Store Connect, such as App Name / Title, Subtitle (App Store) or Short Description (Google Play), Keywords Field and Promotional Text (App Store), Icon, Screenshots, and Video. Both visual and textual assets can be optimized.
- Off-metadata factors. They can’t be controlled directly but are influenced by developers. Some of them are Installs, Average Rating, Ratings, and Reviews.
