Increasing Organic Traffic in App Stores With App Store Optimization
Just as SEO increases the likelihood of someone arriving at your website, the implementation of ASO has a hugely positive impact on the visibility of your app in the App Stores. Through simple changes in the metadata of your app, the creatives (such as app icon, screenshots, and promotional video), and improving your reviews and rating, your ASO score can increase dramatically.
The App Store algorithm, which programs the apps that are shown in the results pages of a user’s search query, need information in order to match an app correctly with the search requests of the user. The more accurate information they have available to them through ASO, the more likely they are to place the app high in the Search Engine Results Page for a similar query. This can thus increase an app’s organic downloads through search engines, as well as conversion ratios by 25%.
Since 50% of app downloads in the Apple App Store come from search queries, App Store Optimization can have a huge effect on the amount of organic app downloads, and thus cut User Acquisition costs.
Increasing Organic Traffic with App Store Optimization
Increasing the amount of organic traffic does not only send you quality downloads, but also increases the so-called App Power, or strength of the app in the App Stores. While user engagement and other features also play a role in determining the rank of an app in the App Stores, many of these factors receive a huge boost through App Store Optimization, and lead to an increase in the overall ranking of the app in the App Stores. Furthermore, the higher the app power and keywords rankings go up, the more likely the app is to show up in the “relevant for you” section in higher ranking apps.
The top 100 apps in an App Store category generally have to rank for at least 65 keywords. Of these 65 ranked keywords, the app has to rank at #1 for at least 7 keywords, and #2 and #3 for at least 10 keywords.
Including App Store Optimization with other app campaigns such as Apple Search Ads or Google Ads can also lower the chances of cannibalization, higher costs, and paying for low engagement user downloads.
App store optimization best practices
App Store Optimization takes time,a lot of A/B testing, and is different for the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It’s not a favourable one-time fix, but an ongoing process. Furthermore, while it positively influences the app’s visibility in both App Stores, the effect of increasing the visibility in the app is not easily quantifiable, nor are the effects easily measurable. However, through extensive analysis and A/B testing on certain keywords and creatives, an app owner can be 100% certain to increase their chances in the App Stores.
With all the competition and amount of apps in the App Stores, increasing an app’s ranking and visibility is a challenge on it’s own, but without App Store Optimization, almost impossible to maintain.
This is why App Store Optimization is not a one-time improvement, but an ongoing analysis of:
- fluctuation of the search volume of keywords in each App Store
- placement of high search volume keywords in the metadata
- competition and ranking of high search volume keywords
- density of keywords in the metadata (for Android only)
- use of keywords in the Keyword Field (for iOS only)
- keyword rankings of competitors
- reviews and ratings
- seasonal influences
- new competition influences
- Apple Search Ads and Google App campaigns
Even though it is important, App Store Optimisation is a long process, with a lot of testing and analysis, and thus, not for everyone. This is why Wuzzon has an inhouse ASO specialist, with all the know-how of optimising apps in the App Stores.
Interested in how App Store Optimization can improve your visibility and thus organic traffic in the App Stores?
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