A Comprehensive Guide to App Store Optimization

Whether it’s to develop customer loyalty or be just one click away from them, apps are transforming the ways people consume content and shop online. However, as a marketer, there is always a constant tussle if a website UI is enough or if the business needs an application.

Well, if you ultimately decide to go the other way and create an application for your business services, app store optimization is the next step you take. Coming to both Google Play Store and Apple App Store, you can find a total of 5 million applications. That’s a big number and also the reason why ASO is so necessary.

Similar to websites which are more in number than applications, the competition, on the other hand, is almost similar. So, if you have been doing SEO for your website, for applications, you need to execute ASO. After all, you want your application to be visible on the app store, as you want to rank your website higher on SERP. But how do you do that? How do you optimize your application? That’s what we focus on in this article. 

What is ASO? 

App store optimization includes various aspects and steps you take to enhance the visibility of your application on a particular app store. Apart from ASP, Mobile App SEO and App Store Marketing are some other names of this process. 

• Search Engine For Apps — Similar to a search engine like Google, where a visitor can type in their query and find relevant results, application stores to have a search engine. If you have ever seen an app store, you will find a search bar where you can enter the name of an app or search by category. However, the way app search engines work is different from search engines like Google and Bing. 
• Optimizing For Various App Stores — Although the overall motive of app stores is similar, they have their own guidelines and optimization methods. So, if you need to understand what is aso? First, decide for which app store you will create an application. For example — is your app going to be on Google Play Store or Apple App Store or both. 
• Increase reviews — Reviews are one of the most relevant parts of app store ranking. The more positive ratings your application gets, the greater its chances of ranking higher. 
• Helps create authority and engagement — App store optimization strategies focus on delivering a comprehensive approach to app store ranking. App Store is also a go-to place for the audience to engage with the developers and address their concerns. A constant dialogue between app store optimizers and the audience improves authority and overall engagement on the website. 

How is ASO different from SEO? 

There are many similarities and a lot of differences between aso vs seo. Before we look at the differences, let’s throw some light upon the similarities. 

• App Store and SEO similarities

1. Optimized to rank higher — the overall goal of both app store optimization and search engine optimization is ranking higher in their respective search engines. An app store-optimized application will rank higher on the app store search engine. However, with the efforts of SEO ranking, search engines like Google become effortless. 
2. Content Matters — Whether you are doing ASO or SEO, content quality and curation are critical. In-app content, on website content, the rules are not so much different when it comes to content. 
3. It’s always evolving — You cannot just do ASO on an application and get done with it. SEO and ASO are constant processes that develop stronger with time and effort. 

Now, we know the similarities, but what about the differences between ASO and SEO. Let’s look at that too. 

1. App vs Website — Search engine optimization is focused on the website, whereas ASO is an app thing. So, the way you proceed is very different. In other words, the terms and conditions of App store optimization differ from SEO. 
2. Limited Content — In an application, you can only publish so many categories and content. The more content-heavy your website, the more space it occupies in your user’s phones or tablets. On a website, however, you can have as many pages as you want with more content. So, you can always leverage your website to redirect the audience to your application. 
3. Keyword Research — The way people search in an app store is different from a search engine. For example — on a search engine someone would search -— “pizza joints near me”. However, on an app store, the search could be — “pizza delivery application”. The keyword research for each category will differ. 
4. Reviews and Ratings — What is aso? For many, it is only about optimizing an application internally. However, a big part of app store optimization strategies is managing reviews, responding to comments, and facilitating more positive reviews. 

How to Optimize Apps in Google Play Store and App Store? 

There are tens of variables that come into play when executing aso in digital marketing for Google Play Store and App Store. Some of the most common aspects that you must consider are as follows —

• Basics — Get your basic information right. This means you need to be clear about your application name and its offerings. URLs should optimize to fit a particular category or page inside the application. The title of every page has to be clear, concise, and informative. 
• Keywords — Use keyword research tools to find all the important keywords related to your business. Use these keywords in places like URL, subtitles, and descriptions. 
• Reviews — Always be on top of every review. Use your website to encourage people to download your application and review it. Respond to the reviews, and address all the concerns put forth by the users. 
• Thumbnails — The more images and screenshots you use of the application in the app store, the greater are the chances of a click-through and download. So, use the images section of both Google and Apple app stores to your advantage. Be as descriptive as you can both in the way you describe your application on the app store and via images. 
• Navigation — A clean application with fewer and to the point content is always appreciated. From your product pages to the content on each page, everything matters. 

Some tools to consider for ASO

If you are doing app store optimization, you need to have a few necessary tools in your artillery to implement it without any hassle. 

• Apptweak — An incredible application for keyword research, competition analysis, and overall growth of an application in a particular app store.  
• AppAnnie — One of the best ASO tools for monitoring and analyzing application metrics and KPIs. 
• Meatti — Another excellent tool to help new developers enhance their reach with automation and smart keyword implementation. 
• SearchMan — An application for marketers who like to take every decision based on data. Search man is a powerhouse of app market data. 
• Codigo — A growth tool that does everything for you. From helping you with reviews to publishing your application on various app stores, it does it all. 

Also Read: A Few SEO Techniques That Work

If you have already practised SEO, app store optimization will come naturally to you. However, it is necessary to understand each step and ASO methods to implement it thoroughly. Additionally, taking help from a few tools to streamline your ASO approach is not that bad.