There are nearly 1.2 million applications in Apple’s App Store and 1.3 million applications in the Android Play Store, used by around 2 billion smartphone users around the world.
These are surprising and enormous numbers, especially if developers are trying to get their application noticed. How do they stand out in a packed field of contenders? And most importantly, how will they get their application to rank high in an app store search?
Below are the steps developers want to take to upgrade their
mobile app optimization for both Google Play and Apple App Store.
1. Title Must Be Descriptive
The name is an important aspect for anything, especially when it comes to the naming of an application and App Store Optimization. A good name not just helps in identifying what an application does to prospective users, but it can also boost the rankings.
In fact, if an app’s title has a keyword included in it, it can help the app rank at least 10% higher. Basically, both Google Play Store and Apple App Store handle keywords and titles differently, so how brands approach their title must depend on if they are marketing to Android or Apple users.
2. Keywords Must Be Widely Used
Just like the titles, the way app keywords must be handled differs from Google Play Store to Apple App Store.
With Apple, there are only 100 characters available for all of the keywords, so clearly, keywords need to be chosen wisely; it must go without stating that one should get close to this character limit as they possibly can.
For Google Play, however, there is no specific keyword field. Though the description for the application is searchable, and there are a comfortable 4000 characters to work with.
3. Well Outlined Description
For both Android and iOS applications, the app description is like a landing page. If a brand has brought their potential buyer this far, they need to be able to make the sale after closing the deal.
Here are some important points that the brands or app development companies must think upon:
What does their app do?
What problem does it solve?
How will it make the buyer’s life convenient?
Why is it worth the price?
It is important to be convincing yet concise, save the more substantial write-up and how-to for an application's website.
4. Picking the Right Category
Placing the application in a proper category on both Google Play and Apple App Store is not only beneficial for users browsing apps by category, but it is also a “white hat ASO process”.
It is also vital to keep in mind that categorizing an app wrongly can lead to trouble.
Apple reviews applications before they are published to the App Store, and putting the application in the wrong category for App Store Optimization purpose will possibly mean a rejection.
For Google Play, users are able to report negligence for review, and if the app category has got the major error like Medical app in Sports category, it is only a matter of time before one pointing it out.
5. Focus on Icon Design
There is a connection between ranking and downloads: the more an app is downloaded, the higher its ranking is. And, since it is signified that icon design plays a pivotal role in the number of downloads an app gets, it definitely needs enough time and energy. It is important that an app’s icon must be eye-catching, engaging, and not too like others.
6. Encouraging Positive Reviews
Positive reviews and ratings, both in terms of quantity and quality, have a vast impact on mobile app optimization, so it is important to get as many as that app can. The ratings and reviews must be honest from the users who have actually downloaded that app.
Brands can inspire users to review their application ( as long as it is permitted to send the push notifications).
Conclusion
If a company/brand wants to have an effective mobile application with lots of downloads and visibility as well as revenue-generating potential, they need to pay close attention to their application’s ASO. While Google and Apple do not have the exact methods for ranking the app, it has been found that there are some definite things that will have a positive influence on how high the application is visible in ranking.
By following the above-explained steps, companies as well as developers stand a fair chance of boosting the App Store Optimization and even standing apart among over 1 million apps on both the application stores.