Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing with you some app basics, best practises and trends relevant to the mobile ecosystem in our Mastering Mobile Marketing video series. Our team at Yodel Mobile possess extensive knowledge of the app marketing fundamentals. We will be sharing insights on topics such as app discoverability, searchability and conversion optimisation. This week, Rishan, our App Marketing Expert, will be covering the key changes coming to the new iOS 11 App Store and the best practices that you should be aware of for your ASO.
If you’re not quite sure what ASO is and want to learn a little bit more about it, watch this video, which covers the ASO essentials and why it is an integral part of your app marketing strategy.
Transcript:
So as most of you will be aware, Apple Announced at WWDC that the App Store will be undergoing some significant App Store changes.
[twitter_blurb text=” This is without a doubt the most significant App Store change that’s happened since it was first launched in 2008.”]
In the past, we’ve seen a few minor updates to categories, featuring and search but the new iOS 11 App Store is set to change that all together.
The new App Store is already available to users who are currently running the public beta version, but for most of us, we will be see the new update for the public release in September.
The new iOS 11 App Store
Taking a closer look at the new App Store, we can see the featured tab has now been replaced with Today, Games and Apps have got their own tabs. Also, Search has been demoted to the final tab.
What becomes apparent as you use the new App Store is that it a lot more visual and more editorial led.
The idea is that developers should actively showcase their apps in order to continue to educate and entertain users. And By telling their “story” to Apple, the editorial team will hand-pick apps that are to be featured.
Now this is very much the holy grail for an app, as it will provide the exposure to new apps in an ever-growing market. But considering there are over 2.2million apps out there, it will be interesting to see how Apple treats small indy developers and multi-million pound apps.
Getting featured by Apple
[twitter_blurb text=”If you have an app and you want to get it featured, it is best to start building your relationship with Apple now.”]
They’ve created a dedicated form where you can submit your information directly to the editorial team.
Make sure to be as descriptive and creative as possible when bring your idea across to Apple since there are going to be a lot of apps looking to tell their story.
Ensure that you contact Apple, at least 6-8 weeks in advance.
New App Store Product Listing and ASO
Aside from the App Store changes, there are also some significant changes coming to the product listing and this is where a lot the App Store optimisation will come into play.
They’re shortening the title from 50 characters down to 30 and are introducing a new subtitle of 30 characters to allow you to communicate the value proposition more clearly.
On top of that you’ll have your 100-character iTunes connect field where you can make use of further keywords.
For best practice we would recommend that the maximum no. of characters are utilised so that your app is as discoverable as possible via search.
Other notable changes are the inclusion of your app’s category rank within the listing, promotional text, single-tap to review and the display of all-time ratings and reviews.
Another key change is the introduction of up to 3 localised videos which will auto-play, making it more important than ever to have a compelling app preview video.
All three of these text fields will play a key role in your keyword optimisation efforts as they’ll be indexed by the algorithm.
As always make sure to track your keyword performance with an ASO tool like AppTweak or App Annie, and ensure to update your app regularly to allow the algorithm to index your App Store listing.
ASO is still important for your App Marketing Strategy
Although it looks like the App Store is moving towards a more editorial-led format, ASO will continue to play a crucial part in your marketing strategy.
There are also some big changes coming to the ratings and reviews as part of the new app store, which we’ll be discussing in more detail in our next video so make sure to stay tuned.
And as always like and subscribe to make sure you stay up to date with our Mastering Mobile Marketing series.
Want to find out more about optimising your app and keeping up with the latest OS capabilities? Make sure to subscribe to our Mastering Mobile Marketing video series. You can also get in touch by visiting the Contact Us page. Follow us on LinkedIn, chat with us on Twitter @yodelmobile, and join our #mobilemarketingUK LinkedIn group.
