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Imagine a situation, an extraordinarily talented Android app development company creates a unique product that has the potential to rack up millions. The app is amazing, and when it’s launched, everyone is 100% sure it’ll be an instant success. And yet, weeks and months go by, but the number of downloads is pitiful, so the team starts to despair.
What went wrong? How could people not want to use this awesome app?
The answer is usually simple – they just don’t know about it. As of July 2021, there are 2,89 million apps available on Google Play Store. So, it doesn’t matter how incredible your product is. In order for it to be successful, it must be visible on that huge platform. What it means for business is that it’s not enough to develop a great mobile app. You also need to master the art of app store optimization (ASO) to get it to the top of the platform’s search results.
If you think that this sounds very much like SEO, you are right. In fact, many of the search optimization practices used for Google will also apply to the app store page. That’s because these stores are, in essence, limited search engines.
However, to achieve the best results, you’ll need to go beyond the basics. The tips below will show you how to do it.
Top App Store Optimization Tips for Google Play Store
Start with competition research
The first thing you should do when planning to launch an app is to find out what you are up against. In fact, competition research must be done when the app is still an idea. It’s necessary so that you can make your product stand out. Remember that it’s always best to base your own proposition on the gaps that exist in the niche. Armed with this information, an Android app development company can create a truly outstanding product.
Also, while studying your competitors, you will be able to learn what keywords they target. It’s an essential piece of data that you’ll have to use in your ASO. You’ll have to think very hard to decide whether you should focus on targeting keywords that your competitors ignore or try to compete for the top-scoring ones.
In addition, you’ll need to check out in which app store categories your main competitor products are located. Choosing the right category is a significant factor that affects application success.
Optimize the Title and Description with keywords
Speaking of keywords, the number one use for them you’ll have in ASO is to put them in the app’s title, URL, and description. Bear in mind that these sections in app stores always have limitations for the number of characters. Therefore, choosing the best possible keyword phrases is a must. It will literally make or break your ASO, so you don’t have room for mistakes here.
In order to succeed in keyword optimization, you can use some excellent SEO tools, like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner. Note that the first two are highly advanced but paid solutions. However, they will be a worthy investment on the same level as top-notch custom mobile app development services are. These solutions can really help your app get noticed and thus drive downloads.
Google Keyword Planner is free and the ultimate choice for when you are using GoogleAds. It will work well for a basic keyword search.
Extra tip: never use keywords that include the word ‘app’ or your competitors’ brand names in your title or description sections.
Use compelling images
A picture is worth a thousand words. This phrase is definitely overused, but it’s true nonetheless. And images become even more important when optimizing your app store page. That’s because you only have a limited number of both pictures and words. Therefore, images will have the greatest impact.
Start with designing a memorable app icon that stands out in your category. It must be simple but also something everyone would like to have on their phone screens, and possibly T-shirts.
The Android app development company creating the product must also invest a lot into the UI/UX design. The solution has to be not only useful but also visually appealing. That’s what you’re going to show off in screenshots.
Always post as many screenshots as the platform allows. In addition, design a beautiful template for them, so they aren’t merely rendered app screens images.
Finally, make sure that your app’s color scheme is different from your competitors. You can also read up on color meanings using this colorpedia to pick something out of the ordinary.
But the most important thing to consider when choosing screenshots for the app store is that you must show off the features that make your product unique.
Include a video
Mobile app development solutions might differ, but the marketing principles remain the same for every product, niche, and industry. And today, the supreme rule for a successful promotion of anything is ‘video makes it a hundred times better’.
People now consume more video than any other type of content, and this trend is only growing. So, including an attractive video that shows off how to use your app is an absolute must. You simply cannot forgo this step!
Even if you can’t afford some cool effects or order a clip from a professional team, it’s imperative to add the best quality content you are able to produce.
Drive traffic from your website & build up backlinks
Remember how ASO isn’t SEO but they are closely related? Well, one of those relations is that you need to use your well-optimized website and various SEO strategies to drive traffic to your app store page.
Basically, app store optimization options are limited. So, if you want to increase your outreach to the target audience, you need to do this through your website and social media channels. The trick is to set up links to the app store page for downloads. You’ll be able to use the full power of SEO for this.
You can also use various link-building strategies to drive more people to your app’s download page.
Work on obtaining app ratings and reviews
Critical ASO factors that you cannot affect directly are rating and reviews. The higher the numbers you can achieve there, the better is your app’s visibility. Moreover, they have a great impact on your brand authority. Therefore, they determine the Android app development company’s success as a business.
That said, you can see that it’s imperative to build a solid framework for generating reviews and encouraging high ratings.
A vital factor for the latter will be your updates. As a developer, you must always strive to improve your app in response to user feedback. Engaging with your users through commenting on said feedback is also a great way to build up your credibility. The freshness of the updates is also a ranking factor for app stores, so be sure to do it often.
In addition, you should use social media and your blog to encourage app reviews. Run contests or some specialized campaigns and consider offering some rewards for feedback.
Bottom Line: ASO – Must-Have for Android App Development Company Success
App store optimization isn’t rocket science, but you have to invest a lot of time and effort in it. Moreover, you need to understand that it’s intricately interwoven with SEO and your overall digital marketing strategy.
Last but not least, never forget that optimizing your app’s page once isn’t enough. You need to review its performance monthly and make adjustments to keep improving.
