What Is App Store Optimization? A Complete Guide to ASO

What Is App Store Optimization?

App shop optimization (ASO) is the process of improving a mobile app’s listing page to summation its visibility successful app stores for illustration the Apple App Store and Google Play.

For example, if you person a meditation and mindfulness app, ASO tin thief it look erstwhile personification searches for "meditation app" aliases "sleep sounds.”

Like this:

Why Is ASO Important?

ASO is important because it makes apps much discoverable successful app stores and tin consequence successful much downloads. 

App shop optimization trading helps to:

• Attract the correct users: Optimizing for keywords that are applicable to your app brings successful users who really want what you offer
• Keep costs low: ASO drives unpaid postulation from searches. Which is much affordable than driving postulation via ads. 
• Build spot and credibility: Higher-ranking apps look much trustworthy, arsenic users expect app stores to only rank value apps astatine the top
• Drive semipermanent growth: A well-optimized app page keeps generating downloads complete time

How Does App Store Optimization Work?

App stores usage algorithms to find which apps look successful hunt results and elsewhere successful the store.

This is akin to accepted SEO, which helps websites rank higher connected Google. 

App shop algorithms see factors like:

• Accurate, descriptive language
• Ratings and reviews
• Downloads
• Visuals (screenshots, videos, etc.)
• Update frequency
• Terms utilized successful your app listing

Here are immoderate circumstantial elements and wherever they appear:

Each app shop weighs these factors otherwise to find visibility—not conscionable successful hunt results, but besides successful recommendations, featured sections, and class listings.

ASO for the Apple App Store vs. Google Play

The Apple App Store and Google Play rank apps otherwise and show them successful varying ways. 

Here are the wide differences betwixt them:

Apple App Store Ranking Factors

• App name
• Subtitle
• Description
• Keywords (dedicated Apple App Store keyword field)
• Category
• Number of installs
• Experience pinch the app itself
• Reviews and ratings
• App updates
• In-app events
• In-app purchases

Google Play Ranking Factors

• App title
• App short description
• App agelong description
• Number of installs 
• Reviews and ratings
• Icon
• Screenshots
• Videos
• App usability 
• Customer support experience
• App updates

How to Do App Store Optimization: 11 Steps

Follow these app listing optimization steps to amended your visibility successful app stores:

1. Do ASO Keyword Research

ASO keyword research is the process of identifying the hunt position users participate erstwhile looking for apps for illustration yours.

Start by creating a database of seed keywords (basic position that picture what your merchandise does aliases the benefits it provides).

Next, usage a keyword investigation tool for illustration Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool. 

It shows position group participate into Google, which tin springiness you ideas and insights into really group mostly hunt for solutions for illustration yours.

Open the tool, participate 1 of your seed keywords, take a location, and click “Search.”

You’ll spot a database of wide lucifer keywords, which are adjacent variants of your entered phrase.

Review this database and look for position that are highly applicable to your app. And see the pursuing metrics:

• Search volume: How galore searches a word gets each month. Look for keywords that get a reasonable number of searches.
• Keyword difficulty: How difficult it is to rank for that term. Look for keywords pinch little difficulty.

If your app is already published, AI Keyword Inspector for ASO tin show which position you're presently ranking for. 

Look for applicable keywords wherever your app isn't yet ranking good capable (shown successful the "Rank" column), but has the imaginable to improve. Especially those pinch manageable trouble levels.

Competitor keyword analysis helps to observe the keywords akin apps successful your class are targeting.

Use Mobile App Insights to way competitors’ apps. And spot which keywords thrust the astir downloads for them.

After gathering a database of keywords, prioritize those that look for illustration the champion fresh for your app and goals.

2. Optimize Your App's Title and Subtitle

Your app’s title appears successful hunt results and different places wherever your app is featured successful app stores. And influences whether users determine to click done and download your app.

Your app's title should see your superior keyword, stay natural, and convey your app’s purpose. 

Users should understand what your app is astir conscionable by reference its name.

On the Apple App Store, you person 30 characters for the title, and different 30 for the subtitle. 

Place your main keyword successful the title. Like this:

And see supporting keywords successful the subtitle. 

On Google Play, titles tin besides spell up to 30 characters.

Include your main keyword to heighten visibility.

3. Choose the Right Category

Select a class that aligns pinch your main usability and audience, which helps the shop understand your app and users who browse by class to find it. 

Both stores connection akin class options. But you whitethorn spot immoderate variations successful the names.

For instance, Headspace has “Health & Fitness” arsenic its class successful the Apple App Store:

And successful Google Play:

4. Add Keywords (for the Apple App Store)

The Apple App Store provides a 100-character keyword section that impacts your hunt rankings but is hidden from users.

Separate keywords pinch commas without spaces betwixt them (example: workout,fitness,trainer).

Also, see adding little competitory keywords wherever you mightiness rank higher alternatively than only targeting celebrated but highly competitory terms.

This tin thief your app summation much visibility because you're much apt to rank good for these terms. And that tin pull users who mightiness beryllium searching little competitory terms.

5. Write an Engaging App Description

A clear, concise app explanation tin amended your rankings and person imaginable users to download, which further improves your visibility successful app stores.

Start pinch a beardown first paragraph summarizing your app's cardinal benefits. 

Then, grow pinch paragraphs and slug points that item meaningful features. 

On Google Play, the first 80 characters look arsenic a short description, truthful usage your superior keyword there. Repeat applicable keywords people passim the agelong description. 

Sleep Cycle does this well, repeating its superior and related keywords respective times while still sounding natural:

Apple doesn't explicitly specify really the explanation affects the app’s visibility. But it recommends focusing connected providing worth to users and discourages keyword stuffing.

So, constitute compelling transcript that showcases your app's benefits and features.

The aforesaid app from supra takes a different attack for its Apple App Store listing. And focuses little connected keywords and much connected storytelling:

6. Add Compelling Visual Elements

Screenshots, videos, and different ocular elements tin power app rankings connected Google Play, and thrust downloads connected some platforms. 

Create visuals that item your app's halfway features and benefits. 

Consider adding matter overlays to explicate what's happening successful each screenshot. And guarantee your visuals are designed to look awesome connected mobile devices.

The Apple App Store allows up to 10 screenshots and 3 app preview videos. 

Google Play allows 8 screenshots, 1 promo video, and requires a characteristic graphic. 

7. Encourage Reviews and Ratings

Positive reviews and precocious ratings thief some credibility and visibility. 

Never bargain clone reviews aliases incentivize ratings. Both Google and Apple prohibit these practices. 

Instead, instrumentality in-app reappraisal prompts that look aft affirmative personification experiences, for illustration completing a task aliases achieving a goal.

Respond to reviews quickly and professionally, including antagonistic ones. This shows you worth feedback and are actively willing successful improving your app.

Further reading: How to Respond to Negative Reviews: 6 Best Practices

8. Maximize Downloads

Getting much downloads improves your app's visibility successful app stores, which helps pull moreover much users complete time.

You tin thrust postulation to your app listings done aggregate digital trading channels for illustration societal media and email. 

Here's an illustration of really Walgreens promotes app downloads successful its emails:

And see moving paid advertisement campaigns during your motorboat play to summation first momentum. 

The first fewer weeks aft motorboat are important because early capacity information tin power really app stores rank your app. 

Strong download numbers and affirmative personification engagement during this play tin thief found your app's visibility.

9. Update Your App Regularly

Regular updates awesome to app stores that your app is actively maintained and perpetually improving, which whitethorn amended your visibility.

Plan updates that hole bugs, amended performance, and present caller features based connected personification feedback. 

Major updates are besides bully opportunities to refresh your full app listing.

10. Localize Your App Listing

Localized listings tin boost downloads and rankings among divers audiences. 

Both Apple and Google let aggregate versions of your app listing to target different audiences, markets, and promotional campaigns.

The Apple App Store supports up to 35 further civilization merchandise pages. Google Play supports up to 50 civilization pages. 

Use these customized listings to:

• Target different languages and regions
• Highlight seasonal aliases timely content
• Showcase circumstantial features for different personification segments

For example, here’s Spotify’s App Store listing successful the U.S.:

And here’s its listing successful Brazil:

11. Conduct A/B Tests

Both app stores connection built-in A/B testing devices to optimize your listing for amended conversion rates, which whitethorn lead to much downloads and reviews that tin amended your app's visibility.

The Apple App Store lets you trial up to 3 alternate versions against your original page. And you tin trial app icons, screenshots, and app previews. 

Similarly, Google Play allows testing different icons, screenshots, videos, and descriptions.

Google advises testing for astatine slightest 7 days to stitchery meaningful data. 

You tin past instrumentality the winning variations to amended your visibility and download rates.

Track and Learn from Your Competitors connected App Stores

App shop optimization is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and improvement.

But that doesn’t mean it has to beryllium difficult. 

Mobile App Insights allows you to easy spot what successful apps successful your class are doing. And create your strategy accordingly.