Checklist of the Top App Store Optimization Practices
Do you know that App Store has over 1.9 million apps? It is a huge market with a lot of opportunities. Nowadays, with the fast development, the number of apps and people who use them is only growing rapidly.
It takes a lot of effort to create an app. A creator and team need a lot of time, money, and correct strategy. Unfortunately, no matter how good the mobile application is, it is useless if no one knows about it. This needs app store optimization techniques to move the app to a better ranking among others and make more user downloads.
In this article, we are going to discuss 8 app store optimization best practices that will come in useful while launching a mobile app or improving an existing one on the App Store. Read on to learn how to create and apply the top app store optimization strategies to increase exposure in the App Store and boost downloads.
8 App Store optimization best practices
People take several seconds to decide whether or not to download an app. Users scan the app’s material, go through good quality screenshots, and look at the app’s appearance and its competitors. These are all critical aspects of a user’s decision-making.
If you want to improve your mobile app and make it more noticeable, understanding the appropriate app store optimization strategies and investing in its services will pay off in the long run. This is what you need to optimize your app for the app store.
Get to know the app’s target market
Everything starts with the people. Research says that over 50% of the people are looking for the apps through App store search. This is the most common method of finding the app, and it also indicates that users are looking for specific mobile applications.
For better app store optimization, marketers should examine the entire target market and audience. As a result, the goal is to meet consumer demands while also identifying their app usage behavior. This data will benefit the strategy and aid in its development. One of the key successes and mega downloads of the app is the people that find this application irreplaceable in their everyday life.
App store keyword optimization
App store keyword optimization is another critical component of any search strategy. They assist users in finding the application among hundreds of others. The most effective way to accomplish this is to conduct extensive research on keywords relevant to the mobile application and have high rankings.
The primary goal of app store keyword optimization is to increase the visibility of the application. For example, using keywords in the description section will move the app position further. Here are a few tips for your research:
- Define the main application feature
- Find out the synonyms and relevant words for them
- Indicate the category of the app
- And explore the commonly used words
Ensure that you examine the traffic, difficulty, and demand for your specific keywords and determine how many applications already use them. Keywords with high traffic and little other app usage are the best picks. Don’t forget that you have only 100 characters for App Store keyword optimization.
Choose the right name
Every aspect of the app is essential and influences app store optimization. Name is what people remember about the app, and it is what they see at first. A strong title makes the app recognizable to current and potential users and allows them to understand the “inner” app construction, i.e., its purpose. A name that includes the app description or features will aid in increasing user conversion. Moreover, the right name will help to boost the application ranking. Take a not that, App Store allows 30 characters for the title.
Create detailed app descriptions
The description is a part of metadata, a big part of data. App Store has a limit of 4000 characters for this part. The description gives users an opportunity to pick up the main features of the application and decide whether it is what they are looking for. Using natural flowing words will helps to attract users and convince them to download the app. The ideal disruption should respond to the following questions:
- What is this app about?
- What kind of issues does it solve?
- How does it influence the user’s life?
- How much is it?
Furthermore, an app's description is relevant to app store ranking algorithms. Keywords in App Store descriptions are less useful for app store keyword optimization.
Pay attention to the App design
It is well known that eye-catching visuals attract more people. The app design should be visually appealing while also being interesting. The color palette, size, and geometry produce an immediate positive impression and help users understand the application’s purpose. This is something that may highlight the application from others in the consumer’s eyes. However, to make the right impression, the design should be unique.
To begin, build an attractive icon that will grab people's attention. Use a clean, modern design with pleasant colors and don't cram too much content on it; the picture should represent what the application does and be practical — demonstrate how to utilize it. App Store requests a minimum size of 1024X1024 pixels for the application icon. Depending on the type of the icon, app icons are recommended to be 180X180, navigation icons 66X66, and tab bar icons 75X75.
Make High-quality screenshots
People should have an urge to download the app once they see the app page. Everything they see on the page should convince them to do so. Screenshots are one of the communication tools used to show the features and functionality of the application. For better aso app store optimization, screenshots should tell the story and offer a sneak peek of the application.
Pay close attention to the details, such as the layout and size requirements. App Store allows using of up to 10 screenshots. Canvas or Figma may help you to create great ones. Even though screenshots are a big part of the optimization process, they do not influence the rating.
Screenshots that will help improve your app visibility:
- Make use of huge captions.
- Demonstrate the brand
- Synchronize the screenshots
- Emphasize every feature
Add Preview material
A huge amount of people watch videos online. As a result, adding a video on an app store page can help increase conversions. Include a preview video that demonstrates the app's operation or gives a sneak peek at the application. App Store allows using a video up to 30 seconds long. Make a creative video that will attract users’ attention.
Collect feedback
User feedback and ratings are critical in determining the long-term viability of an app and the success of app store optimization. As a result, high ratings ensure strong positioning, while low rating signal that the app is not suitable for the ordinary user, restricting the number of downloads.
Most users check the rating and reviews before downloading the app. Users believe that ratings is an important factor in an app review. Moreover, app store optimization is influenced by the amount and quality of positive ratings and reviews.
Sending constructive and helpful responses to comments from customers presenting an issue in the app is a fantastic way to avoid poor reviews and ask them to provide good ratings. You should also solicit feedback and thoughts from your consumers and honest ratings when your app is out in app stores. The application’s ranks will skyrocket with the initial wave of good feedback.
Conclusion
An app's success in the app store is mostly determined by its quality, utility, and likability. To fully comprehend the app's benefits to the user, the marketer has to pack it to the users in detail. Depending on the application's strategy and plan, you'll be able to figure out what works and what measures to take to achieve those ranking goals. Keep in mind that increased exposure, downloads, and conversion rates translate to increased revenue, which is why app store optimization services are a viable alternative to think about.