Steve P. Young, the founder of AppMasters.com, reveals the most common questions that the App Master’s experts face in their work. If you’re new in ASO world, their answers will help you realize the importance of App Store Optimization and provide you with the very first steps on how to improve your app visibility and increase app downloads.

App Masters is the app marketing agency specializing in growth hacking app downloads, getting featured by Apple, and driving cost effective app marketing campaigns.

ASO is very beneficial for an app’s success because it helps increase app download and rankings as 63% of apps are discovered through app store searches. Unfortunately, not everyone is convinced that ASO is really that helpful. Some are skeptical especially when it comes to shedding money for it. Here are some of the most common objections ASO experts face.

1. Why should I invest in an ASO tool?

Those who are new to the mobile industry are hesitant to invest in App Store Optimization software because they feel ASO tools might not be beneficial to them yet. In reality, there are various types of App Store Optimization tools that cater to your different needs no matter what stage of development you are in.

Even before you begin app development, there are app store ASO tools available that will give you good insights on a wide variety of apps, so you will know what to expect in the market that you are about to join. It will also help you check the competition from the inside out.

From the very beginning AppFollow helps you know your apps and grow your business by analyzing the keyword performance, researching the industry leaders and enhancing your current App Store Optimization strategies. Find the best keywords, track apps, games or competitors, so you can have an edge over them.

2. We use a web-first solution. Why should we use an app analytics tool?

Even if you have web analytics, you still need an app analysis tool because the former doesn’t provide app-specific measurement capabilities. Web-first solutions also do not allow you to track downloads and create and run messaging campaigns.

With these limitations, you can’t really market your app. App analytics tool will complement your web analytics.

3. Why spend on ASO tools if there are free tools to use?

Free ASO tools offer you the basics, but there’s not enough room for experiments and improvement. As your app grows, free tools won’t suffice to scale it.

Free App Store Keyword Optimization tools are limited. AppFollow also has a free ASO keyword research tool, and it does a really good job when it comes to keywords tracking. A free account limits you to track 20 keywords — good for a start, but when you want to track more, you’ve got to pay.

Also, free ASO tools don’t include the advanced features that you need to learn more about your users, such as A/B testing, segmented push notifications and personalized marketing.

Watch how to use AppFollow ASO Tool for keyword research.

4. We aren’t seeing as much revenue on mobile as we are on the web

Mobile apps close more deals with consumers. People view 4.2x more products per session within apps compared to mobile sites. Apps push more people down the purchase funnel with 3x higher conversion rates compared to mobile sites and 1.5x more conversions per session than desktops.

If you are not seeing as much revenue on mobile, then it could mean that your app still needs work. You have to create an app marketing strategy that will attract new users and retain your current customers.

Top ASO tools like AppFollow will help you understand your customers' behavior in order to drive more downloads. This tool can help you engage and retain your customers by alerting you when you receive reviews from App Store and Play Store so you can respond to them promptly.

This particular feature is very important because negative reviews can drive customers away. Ninety-four percent says that online reviews convince them to avoid a certain business.

When customers receive a reply to their complaint, their perceptions change. Eighty percent of consumers believe that the business cares more about them when they respond to negative reviews.

Take care of your customers’ sentiment using the AppFollow Reply-to-Reviews feature. The tool is integrated with Slack, Zendesk, Helpshift, Intercom, and other communication channels to help you reply to your customers instantly.

Discover how you can get more app installs by working with user reviews.

5. We don’t know who to market on mobile

Consider mobile as another marketing channel, so you still need to create your buyer personas and ASO analysis tool can help you identify your valuable users based on their app usage patterns.

By segmenting your users based on similar attributes and action, you can define your buyer personas and design your marketing campaigns for them. There are also app marketing tools that can help you conduct surveys to provide customer development and eventually boost app store performance.

Learn how to do customer development to get more users (a case study).

If you need assistance with your ASO marketing strategy, AppFollow can also help. Their App Store Optimization experts can build your semantic core, improve app descriptions, and optimize app icon and graphics. They have already helped dozens of dev teams to optimize App Store Optimization strategies.

Get tips on using app ranking history to make data-driven decisions.

If you are new to ASO, we highly recommend that you try AppFollow for free and use their keyword tracking feature. You can track up to 20 keywords and see the changes and the best rank you’ve been. It also shows the popularity of each keyword, where the keywords are showing up, and your rank history. In this way, you’ll have a good grasp of the best keywords to use to market your app.

That’s the five most common ASO objections we encounter.

Need more App Store Optimization best practices? Check out the ASO Academy to find more tips and insights.