Published on February 7th, 2022
The competition between apps in the App Store and the Play Market is growing too fast. Even if you have implemented a truly unique and popular idea it doesn’t guarantee you millions of downloads and unconditional success. Full-service marketing of mobile applications is a multi-stage process, within which a maximum of digital channels and tools are involved. One of them is App Store Optimisation. So let’s talk about it in more detail.
ASO is a set of measures to optimise an application to increase the likelihood of getting into search results in markets (App Store, Play Market). This work is similar to classic SEO promotion: text and graphic blocks are being worked out for good ranking and comfortable perception. Usually, ASO consists of:
- Optimisation of the title. The title, like the icon, are the elements that a potential user sees first of all when referring to the search results in the market. A correct and effective name should be simple enough and easy to remember, unique in its category, shouldn’t contain incomprehensible symbols and long words, and has to reflect core functionality. The main thing is to keep in mind the standards associated with the maximum length of the name. For the Play Market, this figure is 50 characters, for the App Store – 30. The work on preparing the title is no less important than the development of the icon design.
- Icon name. The name will be displayed on the smartphone, on the page with installed programs. There is also a limitation on the length – no more than 12 characters.
- Description of the mobile application .This block will be seen by the smartphone owner when he opens the page with the application through a search query, top or recommendations. The maximum text size is 4000 characters with spaces. You should not make a description spammed with keys, especially in the case of the App Store: information from this block is not ranked in any way.
- Choosing the appropriate category. All applications and games are divided into separate categories. Proper positioning will help you attract people as much as a quality headline, icon, and description. As a rule, software is placed in a category that most closely matches the topic and meaning. If you can’t immediately determine the positioning, it makes sense to conduct an audience analysis.
- Keywords. Keywords can only be used in the App Store. The limit is 100 characters. Words must be entered separated by commas, it is possible without spaces to save space. Some keywords in the App Store will not rank, like duplicate words, the name of the category, etc. For example, if you have a language learning app, you can take a look at such keywords as language learning, foreign languages, Spanish, French, German, etc.
- Application Icon. When advertising software, it’s not just the overall design that matters. A game developer and publisher must invest in a good designer with experience in developing graphics for software design. The icon should be attractive, laconic and easy to remember.
- Video content. You can use short videos to demonstrate basic functions or other points that deserve attention. Some users prefer to watch videos to visually see the operation of the application before installing.
- Screenshots. The screenshots will help your potential users quickly evaluate the design and functionality. You can supplement the images with explanations or calls to action.
