During the webinar, we dive deeper into the best ASO practices and discuss key strategies to increase visibility in the app stores, boost page listing conversion rates and secure growth for mobile apps.
Here’s a summary of some of the key points covered during that session.
Why is it important to invest in App Store Optimization strategies?
In short, App Store Optimisation is a continuous process of improving how discoverable your app is and increasing chances for install from impression. You can break this down as following:
- Improving category ranking
Staying on top of your category ranking will ensure that your app is visible in the top charts and has the potential of being featured on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
- Increasing keyword ranking
This is to ensure your app is visible for keywords searchable by your target audience. About 65% of all installs come from search, making it a huge channel of traffic that you can drive to your app via relevant keywords and search queries.
- Boosting conversion rate
A well optimised listing will attract high-quality users who will not only download your app but will continue using it long term.
Keyword & Metadata Optimisation
Building a Keyword Bank
Your keyword and metadata optimisation process begins with building a keyword bank. We usually suggest starting with around 200 to 300 relevant keywords of high, mid- and low search volume that can be later filtered by different categories. This is to ensure you’re not missing any key opportunities of increasing your app discoverability for popular search queries that other apps might be neglecting.
You can find your keywords using app store searches or different ASO tools but also by simply googling relevant queries and understanding what your target audience searches for, cares about, and needs. At the end of the day, the main difference between ASO and other acquisition channels is that the users searching for your app within the app stores have a high intention of finding something that your app offers.
Metadata Optimisations
After you finish building the keyword bank for your app, it’s time to start working on the metadata of your listing. First, analyse all collected keywords by looking at various keyword KPIs, such as volume, relevancy, and efficiency. Next, check the conversion rate for each keyword in your keyword bank and the number of apps that are indexed for it.
All those KPIs are very important to determine which keywords you should target for your app and use to formulate your metadata. After you finish uploading your chosen keywords to the app stores, don’t forget to monitor their performance. If there are keywords that haven’t performed as well as you expected them to, replace them with other keywords from your keyword bank. This process should be done regularly to continuously discover new optimisation opportunities and keep tabs on your competition.
Apple Search Ads (ASA)
Apple Search Ads, as every user acquisition channel, helps your relevant target audience to discover your app. They appear in the App Store search results and allow you to target your priority keywords, helping you boost your app’s discoverability.
But there are more reasons why Apple Search Ads can be an important element of your App Store Optimisation strategies. Here’s how it can benefit your app:
- It gives you access to important keyword metrics that are not available on iTunes Connect, such as your keyword conversion rate or the number of sales generated by each keyword.
- It allows you to protect your brand against competitors who are bidding on your branded keywords. On the other hand, they also allow you to target branded keywords of your competitors and capitalise on their brand awareness.
- ASA also helps you boost your organic visibility by increasing your position in search and your keyword ranking for your strategic keywords.
- They support you from a keyword discovery standpoint. Apple will recommend keywords that they think will work for your app which you may have not considered previously. That gives you an opportunity to see what the algorithm has to offer. For example, Apple may recommend a keyword in another language as a response to trends and a high demand for your product in a specific territory. This can not only drive more installs but could be a great indication of the direction your app should take if you’re planning to expand into different markets.
It’s important to mention that Apple Search Ads as a channel is cost-effective. In comparison to Facebook or Google, it’s a relatively new user acquisition channel, so your CPA might be significantly lower than on other competitive acquisition platforms.
Promotional In-app Purchases
Another key opportunity on iOS that you should be taking advantage of is Promotional In-App Purchases (PIAPs). This new iOS feature allows users to browse in-app purchases directly on the App Store and immediately make a purchase without having to download your app first.
There are a few important benefits you can gain from this feature:
- Promotional In-App purchases work as an extension of your listing. Your promotional card will be displayed under your app’s listing, taking up much more space in live search results and pushing your competitors beyond the fold, which as a result can increase your conversion rate.
- Users are able to immediately see what you have to offer in terms of your product features and subscriptions, helping them to understand your value proposition from the start.
- In-App Purchases have a positive impact on your visibility as the title and text of your promotional cards are indexed helping you to include more keywords relevant to your business.
- This feature can also have a direct impact on your revenue as PIAPs simplify the process of purchasing and managing the subscriptions. We’ve seen PIAPs driving great results for start-ups and new businesses especially.
How can you make an immediate impact from your App Store Optimisation?
A piece of advice to businesses that are looking to get an immediate value from their ASO is to focus on their worst-performing KPI, or the ‘The Loser Metric’. It may sound counterproductive, but there is logic to prioritizing your poorest performing KPI. In the short term, working towards metrics that offer the highest uplift potential will increase your chances of a highly impactful short-term strategy, and set the blueprint for your long-term focus.
If you want to find out more about how improving the mobile customer experience can impact your app marketing campaign or you have any app marketing questions feel free to reach out to the Yodel Mobile Growth Team. Additionally, you can sign up to our newsletter for exclusive industry updates and app marketing insights from the ASO Agency of the Year. Want to find out more about optimising your app? Make sure to subscribe to our Mastering Mobile Marketing video series. Follow us on LinkedIn, chat with us on Twitter @yodelmobile, and join our #AppMarketingUK LinkedIn group.
