App Store Optimization (ASO) | Optimize App in Google Play Store

App Store Optimization (ASO)

Optimizing an app in Google Play Store

Working and developing an app is a tedious process in itself. Never an app can work without extensive research, testing and promotion. Developing an app is only the stepping stone, further along, comes the part of getting it published and launching it on Google Play store. But what if that after going through all of these critical steps, you are able to avail no result and can hardly find users for your newly launched app? Here, we will list out some of the tips and tricks that would help boost your apps' ranking and visibility on Google Play store to get more downloads and help in reaching out to more users.

What is App Store Optimization or ASO?

Just as any app requires efficient marketing and promotion after being developed, the same is the need to focus on App Store Optimization (ASO). In order to gain more visibility, the app must be optimized on Playstore and attain the highest conversion rate to install in the Playstore. As the acronym suggests, it has some similarities with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for websites and sometimes also termed as App Store Search Engine Optimization, Mobile App SEO or App Search Optimization.

Now that we are familiar with the terms, let's discuss the steps that are to be followed in order to optimize any App in Google Playstore and some of the basics involved. Although the algorithm that Google uses for the apps is not exactly known, some of these tricks seem to work out.

a. Title Optimization

Choosing the right keywords is one of the most important aspects of improving the ranking of an app in the Play store. The keywords used in the title carry the most weight in indexing and one of the factors that counts the most in ASO. There are three factors that should be considered before publishing any app with the selected keywords. And these factors are the demand, difficulty, and traffic for those keywords. Also, the apps that are using those keywords should be in the checklist. Today, there is a wide range of ASO tools that can be used in finding the best keywords for an app. se of the app to the prospective users but also helps in improving the rankings.

b. Keywords Research

Choosing the right keywords is one of the most important aspects of improving the ranking of an app in the Playstore. The keywords used in the title carry the most weight in indexing and one of the factors that counts the most in ASO. There are three factors that should be considered before publishing any app with the selected keywords. And these factors are the demand, difficulty, and traffic for those keywords. Also, the apps that are using those keywords should be in the checklist. Today, there is a wide range of ASO tools that can be used in finding the best keywords for an app.

Some of the top tools are:

• Google Keyword Planner

• Mobile Action

• Wordstream

• Ninja Search Combination Tool

c. App Description

The description of an app should be clear and concise as it is the information that would tell prospective users about the app, what it does, it’s advantages, how it works and so on. The app description is another on-metadata factor that is responsible for search and conversion. Google Play store has two types of description, one is the short description (80 characters) and the other is the long description (4000 characters). Google indexes the keywords entered in the description and this affects the search results, therefore, most of the keywords should be included in these fields. But including most of the keywords doesn’t mean bunching up random words altogether. The description should be appealing yet at the same time sensible too.

d. Visuals, Imagery, and Promotion

For an app to be able to grab the users attention, it needs to be both visually appealing and satisfying. The app icon it the first thing a user sees. So, it should be informative, attractive and designed with high quality. Also, there is a space to use 8 screenshots for different types of devices like phones, tablets, TVs. It should be ensured that those screenshots are of high-resolution and with descriptions included. To make the screenshots more appealing, there are tools like Adobe Photoshop, PlaceIt, Screenshot Maker Pro, Promotee, etc. that can be used. Along with the images, including promotional videos boosts the install rates by a big margin. A short and insightful video that highlights the major features of the app with texts and graphics will positively affect the ranking and engage more users.

e. Ratings and Reviews

The ratings and reviews that an app gets, has a big impact on the app downloads. The better the rating and review an app receives, the more it ascends in search rankings. An app that provides a good user experience will surely receive a higher star ranking and positive reviews and users mostly go through the reviews before making their decision whether to download/buy an app or not. So, being proactive and asking users for their valuable feedback and reviews goes a long way when implementing an ASO strategy. Along with that, asking review site owners to review the app and using services like Apptentive to get good reviews also helps in attaining positive ratings and reviews.

Conclusion

Since the App Store Optimization is a never-ending process, the strategy implemented therein requires close attention. Other aspects like monitoring the analytics, competitors, staying updated with Google Play store news and changes are some that should be kept in mind. Finally, in this dynamic and expanding era of mobile applications, knowledge about ASO is a prerequisite for an app to be successful and reach out to more users.

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