To get your app to score well in the app stores, it is wise to actively get started with ASO (App Store Optimization), but how do you actually do that? In this article we take you into the world of app store optimization for apps.
Find the right keywords
The most important thing about ASO is finding the right keywords. These are the basis of your ASO.
- First, find as many keywords as possible:
- Look at the competition
- Try entering some keywords yourself
- Use tools such as Ubersuggest to come up with even more ideas
- Then filter the keywords until you have about 10-20 left. Make sure these are relevant terms and not popular and irrelevant keywords. Make a priority list with which terms you find more important.
- You then process the keywords in the title, subtitle (only in the iOS App Store), description (mainly in the Google Play Store), the keyword field (iOS App Store) and in your In-App purchases.
- There is a clear difference between Google and Apple: with Apple it isn’t wise to repeat keywords while with Google play store you can do it. About 3-5 times in the description or once in the title.
Encourage app reviews
There are a lot of mobile apps and of course, that will only get more! Reviews are an important part of making a distinction with other apps. So approach your users directly to request reviews. Optionally, give them an (in-app) reward to encourage them to do it.
Ask at the right time
And ask at the right time: if they have just downloaded it and want to start using it, it is not yet the right time! Try asking for a few days (or weeks depending on how often your app is used) afterward!
Provide a feedback option
Of course, you prefer to have positive reviews in the app stores with high marks. But users should certainly be given the space to be able to use negative feedback. You can do that, for example, by asking the user in the app if he likes the app, the answer is “Not real” you can give him the option to send feedback. If the answer is “Yes” then you can ask him to write a review in the app store!
Respond to reviews
In addition to collecting reviews, you should also regularly respond to the reviews. Both on the positive and on the negative. This also has an influence on the positioning of your app in the app stores.
Source: Appfollow
Listen to reviews and feedback
To make your app score higher in the app stores, it is important that you improve the user experience. And how can you do that better than listening to the feedback from your users! The more you take them seriously and post new updates, the more trust they will have in you and they will give you a higher rating. And with that, you also score higher.
One of the most frequently heard complaints is, for example, too many notifications from an app that are perceived as disruptive: that is why people can already give you a much lower rating. So make sure that your push messages are relevant and valuable and, above all, do not disturb your user too often.
The correct title: Describe your app in the title
Have you ever noticed that a good number of apps not only have their app or company name in the title but also the description of the app? This appears to work much better in general! So test it for your own app.
| Booking.com Hotel reservations | Expedia: Deals for hotels, flights and rental cars |
| Strava gps running and cycling | MS Word: docs creating on the road, edit and share |
Please note that your title can be a maximum of 30 (Apple App Store) or 50 (Google Play Store) characters.
Smaller vertical images in Google Play
There has recently been an update that makes the vertical screenshot appear in Google play much smaller. Especially on small screens this is one thing and can cause lower conversions!
A number of options to tackle that problem: Try to add a panorama screenshot or horizontal screenshots. Or enlarge the letters in your screenshot so that it is easier to read.
Videos do not always result in more conversions
You can also add videos to your app store listing, but did you know that tests show that videos are hardly ever viewed in the app stores? And sometimes it can even cause videos to lower the conversion. Test for yourself to what extent videos do or do not work for your app in the app store!
Write a short but catchy description
People do not stay long on an app page in the app stores: on average about 12 seconds. So not much time to read a detailed description. So make sure that your description of your app is short but powerful.
In the Google Play store, a long description is even hidden under the “About this app” button nowadays!
Use ASO tools
To improve ASO there are also a lot of useful tools that you can use. Some just to help you find the right keywords: the others to take a big part of the process off your hands because you might not be so handy with it yourself.
- Keyword Tool: With this tool, you can find free keywords (also in Dutch) where you can optimize your app. They also provide some tips regarding ASO and keywords.
- AppRankCorner : They help you monitor your keywords and ranking, but you can also extract keyword suggestions from them.
- Meatti: A super handy tool for when you don’t have any experience with ASO yet: with the help of artificial intelligence they take a lot of work off your hands and you can learn more about ASO yourself while they execute it for you.
This way you get your app featured in the App Store
Apple has the ability to show your app in one of their lists, which means that many more users can see your app. You can simply submit a request to get that done – however, not everyone succeeds in getting featured. In addition, it can also have a negative impact on your ranking: when your users suddenly increase by 500%, it is possible that your server will experience problems that prevent people from using your app properly.
AppFollow has done research into which apps are generally featured:
- Paid vs free apps
- 30.2% – Free apps with in-app purchases
- 24.3% – Paid apps
- 45.5% – Free apps
- Average ratings of the apps
- 45% – 4 stars
- 43.2% – 5 stars
- 9.0% – 3 stars
- 2.5% – 2 stars
- Availability of the app
- 21.5% – iPhone only
- 78.5% – iPhone / iPad
To increase your chance of being in the lists, it is therefore important to get a high rating (4 stars or higher), and the app must be available for iPhone & iPad. Three-quarters of the apps, therefore, require some form of payment: either in advance or with in-app purchases.
In addition, the following things are also wise if you want to be eligible to be certified:
- Make sure that your app is available in more countries with the correct language. The more countries your app can be used in, the greater the chance that you will be in the list.
- Use Apple’s APIs and use the latest version of Swift. They love it when their techniques are used and want to show it.
- Make sure your app is of the highest quality: make sure it has been thoroughly tested and works simply and intuitively. And above all: all bugs are resolved.
- Apple also prefers native apps over hybrid apps.