Top 10 Tips: App Store Optimization Checklist 2017

Having a great idea? Want to transform it into a powerful mobile app to boost your business? Well, you can easily develop a mobile app by hiring a reliable mobile app development company, but if you want to make your app successful, you need to go for app store optimization.

What is app store optimization?

Mobile apps are providing companies with oodles of benefits including more customers, greater reach, competitive edge, and revenue. It is no more secrete that the eCommerce giants such as Amazon and eBay receive more orders from mobile apps than a website. But merely developing a mobile app is not enough to reap all the benefits of mobile app development. If you want your app outsmart your competitors and add value to your business, you must embrace App Store Optimization (ASO).

ASO is a technique of optimizing your mobile app to make it found easily by your target audience in app store search result. It is an excellent process that enables you to introduce your app to the marketplace effectively. If you do it rightly, you can drastically improve the visibility of your mobile app in major marketplaces which in turn help you drive more traffic to your app and achieve more downloads.

1. Know your target customers and competitors
The first step towards optimizing your mobile app for app store is to understand your customers and competitors. If you want to succeed, you must understand why your audience chooses your app over your competition. What search terms your customers are using to find your app in the app store? Apart from understanding the thought process of your target customers, you must know unique selling points of your competitors. What makes their apps exclusive in the market? What features attract most of your audience?

2. Give your app a right name
Name has the power to convey everything about your app. Be creative while choosing the name for your app so it can catch the attention of your audience and tell them what your app is about. Make sure to add a keyword in your app title. It helps you improve the position of your app in the search result and outrank your competitors.

Optimization Tips –

• Keep your app name short and sweet.
• Extend your title with keywords preceded by a semicolon or dash.

Examples-

• Amazon App: shop, scan, compare, and read reviews
• eBay: Buy, Sell, Save! Electronics, Fashion & More

3. Conduct a thorough keyword research
If you want to succeed in the app marketing, you need to know the keywords which are most relevant to your app. Make sure to invest enough time in searching keywords that target the customers you are looking for. Remember, this is the most important step in app store optimization.

Keywords determine the success of your app. Conduct a proper keyword research and list out the top keywords you want to rank for.

Optimization Tips:

• Select keywords with low competition and reasonable traffic.
• Once get momentum, start with keywords having high traffic and competition.
• Use long tail keywords to beat your competitors.

4. Create a compelling app description
Until you achieve a reasonable number of downloads for your app, your mobile app development will not produce your expected results. A compelling copy of app description plays a crucial role in encouraging the audience to download your app. The first two or three lines of your app description must convey the unique values about your app, so your audience comprehends them even from description preview. Include a complete feature list for your new visitors. Wisely use adjectives and Call-to-Action phases to inspire visitors to click on the download link.

Optimization tips –

• Keep your app description text short.
• Tell your users what make your app unique and how it simplifies their lives.
• Add a powerful CTA text to encourage installs.
• User prime keywords in your description text.

5. Stand tall with a unique icon.
It is said that “ the first impression is the last impression”. Your app icon is what your audience see first. Therefore, make sure to create an icon that looks beautiful and impressive. If you want to yield better result from your app marketing endeavor, you must spend the time of this crucial aspect of app store optimization.

Optimization tips:

• If you are app represent your brand, then use your logo.
• If your app is functional, then using the object is a feasible idea to define your app.
  Try A/B testing to choose the best icon.

6. Add Screenshots and Videos
Adding screenshots and videos can make your app offering more effective. With compelling screenshots and videos, you can easily impress your users by delivering better user experience and boost conversions.

Optimization Tips:

• Make sure each screenshot speaks about a single characteristic of your app.
• Include a precise caption text on a clean background.
• Convey your best message in first two or three screenshots.
• Avoid Welcome screen, registration, login or purchase forms etc.
• Use vertical screenshots as users can see more screenshots in a narrow screen.

7. Rating and Reviews
Naturally given reviews and rating to your app help boost your app ranking. These social factors are given a significant amount of weight-age by app store algorithm, thus helping in improving your app’s position in search results.

When your users look at your app, they ensure to check reviews and rating before make their decision to install your app. 4-star or above rating along with positive reviews indicate the usefulness of your app and it’s quality, therefore encourage more downloads.

Optimization Tips –

• Encourage your satisfied users to give ratings and leave positive reviews.
• Push only positive reviews to the app store.

8. App Localization
If your app is for larger audience base or universal, then by localizing it, you can get closer to your audience and enhance the success prospects of your app.

Most of the non-English app users prefer to use app that help them shop in their native languages. With app localization, you can provide your audience an opportunity to use your app in their own language. In this regards, start with localizing your app listing to see how your app perform in different regions in the world.

Optimization tips.
Localize app listing – translate your app title, keywords, and description.

9. Create a web page and promote your app on social media
This is one of the key app marketing strategies to drive more traffic and leads. Creating page for your mobile app help you direct more traffic to your app. You can optimize this page to rank higher on major search engines.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest have become prominent places for marketing. You can utilize their potential to reach more customers and take them to your app. Creating a web page and promoting your app via social media, you can create the online presence around your app that certainly help you increase brand awareness and traffic.

10. Perform frequent app updates
Users like the apps which are updated frequently and stay relevant with the time. Updating your app based on customers’ feedback enable you to address the concern that your customers brought into the light. Frequent updates help you improve your app continuously which result in more downloads.

Though releasing update is not enough to derive your desired results, encouraging existing users to download the updates is also important.

Optimization tips –
With every new release update the “What’s New” section in your app store.
Attract customers within your app with push notifications and other elements.

Conclusion
App store optimization is a never ending process. By considering the above-mentioned tips, you will certainly embark on your way to amplify your app store optimization strategy and make more out of mobile app development.