In simple terms App Store Optimization or ASO is the process of improving the visibility of a mobile app in an App Store, such as Google Play for Android or Apple App Store for iOS. The higher your app ranks, the more visible it will be to potential users, which will in turn drive traffic to your app page and encourage users to download your app.
Getting an app discovered is one of the biggest issues facing mobile app publishers today as 65% of apps are discovered through organic search.
A full analysis of your current app performance is necessary in order to decipher changes that may need to be made. The result of these changes will lead to your app ranking in the top 10 of relevant searches. Which will then lead to an increase in downloads from the ‘right’ user, increased revenue and user engagement.
For ASO to be effective an in-depth understanding of who your target audience is and what keywords they use to search for similar apps is necessary.
The process of App Store Optimization is crucial for app success and combines a wide range of highly important features. It is vital these are paid close attention to and are fully understood with how they work and how they affect your visibility. A few of these include title, keywords, visuals, ratings and reviews.
The exact ranking algorithms that are used by Apple and Google are unknown which is why ASO is a process that needs to be monitored and constantly tweaked over a period of time.
If you are not using ASO you could be missing out on thousands of free organic downloads per month. Marketing alone is not enough to achieve organic, long term growth.
It is important to have the correct knowledge of how each element of ASO works in order to achieve the best results.