How to Use ASO for Mobile Growth

Currently, there are over 6.9 million apps available in major app stores, such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store. This means focusing only on creating an excellent mobile app product without implementing a solid mobile app marketing strategy is not enough to boost an app’s success.

To help you build a long-term growth strategy for your mobile apps, throughout this article we’ll take a closer look at the app store optimization (ASO) process and explain all the hows and whys of combining it with paid user acquisition.

What Is App Store Optimisation?

ASO, or mobile app SEO, is the process of optimising app components to improve the visibility within an app store's search engine, such as Google Play or Apple App Store. 

It is an effective way to improve user experience in app store listings, increase the number of app downloads, and gain more impressions and traffic to the app’s online presence in app stores.

Although mobile apps can pursue a variety of goals depending on their product stages, the main goals for ASO typically involve improving app discoverability, conversation rates, app installs, user engagement, and positive ratings and reviews, as well as decreasing user acquisition costs.

ASO vs. SEO

Both SEO and ASO aim to improve the visibility and organic ranking of a product. Still, there are some key differences between the two practices in terms of the channels they are applied to and the methods used to complete optimization in these channels.

ASO can be used as an effective strategy to raise the app ranking within app stores through techniques such as keyword research, app title, and description optimisation. On the other hand, SEO enables increasing the invisibility of websites in search engines by utilising on-page optimization, backlink building, content creation, and keyword research.

According to Apple, over 70% of users search through the App Store’s search engines to find apps, which means if you want to step ahead of your competition and make more people download your app, it is critical to use both SEO and ASO efforts in the right way. 

Key Elements of ASO

To build and implement a successful app marketing strategy with ASO practices, it is essential to study and understand what potential users are looking for. Then, you can tailor these insights to optimise your app components, such as descriptions and visuals, to create a more relevant, clear, and trustable Google Play or App Store product page for your target audiences.

Actually, it is easier said than done because every key element of ASO has some secret recipe for success. Here is an in-depth look at how you should maintain the off and on-page optimisation during the ASO process.

1. Create a Descriptive App Title, Subtitle, and Description

The title is the first thing a user sees when searching for an app in app stores. So it should be as relevant and descriptive as possible and reinforce your value proposition and differentiation. 

Also, when the user writes a keyword to search for an app, the store's algorithm uses keywords used in the app's metadata (title, subtitle, and description) to determine if the app is relevant to the search query. So the more specific and relevant keywords used in the title, sub-title, and app description, the higher the app ranks.

The trick is to create unique, keyword-rich, and descriptive metadata. Still, you should avoid keyword stuffing or irrelevant keywords and take character limitations into consideration.

2. Design an Engaging App Icon

Your app icon is your one-shot goal to show users why your app is worth their time and consideration. Therefore, it should be engaging, eye-catching, and distinctive. 

You should design one that is both visually appealing and representative of the functions of your app. Also, you can A/B test your app icons to determine what catches the user’s attention.

3. Add High-Quality Screenshots

Screenshots are the second most influential factor (after the title) in convincing people to download an app. They are also great for providing users with an in-depth look at your app product, its features, and its functionality.

So if you want to create a more engaging user experience through your app product page, it is better to invest in creating high-quality, attractive screenshots.

4. Evaluate App Ratings and Reviews

Positive ratings and reviews undoubtedly increase the visibility and credibility of your app, making it more likely to be downloaded by users. 

Yet, this doesn’t mean you should focus on only generating good reviews. You should also be able to engage with bad reviews in a timely manner and turn them into consistent and positive reviews. 

The optimal rating for both Google Play and Apple App Store is 4.4. But of course, you can aim for better as a higher ranking means better results.

5. Try App Store Localization

App store localization refers to adapting an app’s product page and its elements on app stores into a variety of cultures and languages to attract users in different regions and countries. It is one of the most critical steps of ASO as it enables apps to reach different target audiences in a unique way.

To localize a product page on the App Store, you should translate the app name, title, subtitle, description, and imagery texts according to the languages and regions you are targeting to reach a global market and higher conversion rates.

Tailoring ASO and Paid UA to Ensure Mobile Growth

Paid user acquisition (UA) is a paid advertising strategy focusing on acquiring new users through a variety of advertising channels, including search engines, social media, and display advertising channels. 

Although paid UA and ASO are treated separately by most companies, they actually aim for the same goals: driving higher conversion rates, increasing visibility, and reaching higher-quality users.

Therefore, combining these two practices is a great way to create a perfect balance between organic and paid strategies and drive consistent traffic and engagement.

To achieve this, you need to build and maintain a holistic framework that will secure app installs and grow your app presence.

Here is the mobile growth framework in 5 steps:

1. Complete Your ASO Process

Before utilising your paid advertising methods, it is best to optimise your app’s store presence and create paid ads that will be consistent with the keywords, descriptions, and visuals on the product page to boost its ranking and strengthen its brand identity. 

2. Launch & Test Your Paid UA

This step is crucial as it determines whether you can attract your target audience for more downloads and better engagement. Therefore, here you should launch your paid UA and study how it affects organic downloads, reviews, and conversions.

3. Conduct a Comparative Analysis

To develop and maintain a winning ASO strategy, it is essential to continuously analyse the performance of channels based on average CPI and total installs. You can conduct this analysis in a variety of ways by comparing the best-performing keywords, channels, messages, icons, and descriptions. 

4. Deepen Your Strategy

Now that you’ve analysed your strategy and collected actionable insights by comparing the metrics, you can use this information to deepen your strategy. This approach will help you to stay up-to-date with your optimisation process and easily keep up with changing dynamics and user demands.

5. Analyse Results

Just like any other marketing strategy, it is essential here to analyse the results and check if your strategy meets the desired goals. You can use the visibility, conversion, growth, user feedback, and monetization KPIs to measure the success of your ASO efforts.

In Short

Clearly, ASO is your new partner in crime to better position your app and seamlessly expand your reach. It is all about exploring the needs and requests of your target audience and providing them with a consistent, engaging user experience. 

Now that you know the secret recipes and tricks to master ASO, there is no limit to your sustainable mobile growth and better results. Good luck!