So, you’ve spent innumerable hours developing and refining your App and it is finally live on Google Play or App Store? Well, that’s commendable! By making that bold move, you must be satisfied that it looks unique and works exceptionally. If your app offers something disruptive or new, there is no doubt that you are on your way to success. But, are you sure that it is visible in search results? I mean, are the target users finding your app, or is it lost in the myriad of other Applications?

The thing is, “If you build it they will come” will not work if the intended audience cannot find your App regardless of how revolutionary it is. What matters now is building an effective and efficient marketing strategy, and putting into place promotional initiatives that will make your app discoverable.

Why is ASO important?

Given the tremendous level of competition in both App Store and Google Play, App Search Optimization (ASO) should feature prominently in your mobile growth stack. By increasing its visibility, you will organically increase the number of downloads and users in a cost-effective way. But how do you do this? Well, though ranking algorithms in both Google Play and App Store are not known and change regularly, there are certain things you can do to improve your App’s ranking and making it more visible to your target users. But first…

What is ASO?

Just like content marketers use SEO to improve their rankings on search engine results, App Developers need to use ASO techniques to ensure that their applications are discoverable by their target audience. And since app stores rank applications based on a wide array of factors, App Store Optimization involves leveraging these factors to rank higher and increase the number of downloads. Just like SEO, ASO heavily relies on using optimal keywords, localized descriptions, the right indexing, and useful images. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to build an effective app marketing strategy with AppFollow ASO Tools.

Building an effective app marketing strategy with AppFollow ASO Tools

Start With a Descriptive Title

What’s in a name? Well, a lot more so when it comes to Mobile app SEO optimization. I mean, a good and relevant name will not only give a hint of what your app does but also improve its keyword ranking. As a matter of fact, including one or two keywords in your App’s title will improve its rankings by at least 10%. However, both Google Play and App Store have different ways of handling titles. So, how do you go by this? Well, considering the magnitude of competition, it can be a daunting and intimidating task. Fortunately, Mobile app SEO tools like AppFollow are designed precisely for this.

With it, you can seamlessly identify phrases and keywords that your target users are likely to use when searching for similar applications. Moreover, AppFollow will help you analyze, manage, and reply to your users’ review by leveraging intelligence from App Store and Google Play on how mobile app SEO and ranking works.

Using App Store Keywords Wisely

Just like in content marketing, using the right and optimal keywords is an indispensable aspect of mobile app SEO. To achieve this, you need to conduct SEO research and use optimal keywords in your app description. However, don’t overdo it since keyword stuffing attracts severe penalties that will eventually lower your app’s ranking. Instead, use them in such a way that the description sounds natural so that potential users can make sense out of it. Fortunately, that’s where AppFollow comes in. with it, you can:

• Conduct keyword research: This makes it possible to expand Semantic Core in 2 clicks, find the most effective and relevant keywords, their scores, and applications that use them.
• Identify the most popular keywords: The app is designed and optimized to analyze mobile data so that it can suggest accurate keyword traffic scores.
• See how your app ranks: This includes the real position of your In-Apps, stories, and bundles.
• Integrate your ASO with Slack: With this integration, you can track your app ratings, keyword positions and see user reviews.
• Establish how your Keywords are performing: This includes daily, monthly, and weekly reports.

Get positive app ratings & reviews

Like any product or service, reviews matter a lot when it comes to mobile app SEO for both Google Play and App Store and this is for several reasons. The thing is, apps with more positive reviews typically rank higher. Moreover, users tend to use keywords when writing these reviews. Consequently, this makes it easy for search engine crawlers to identify apps with the most relevance whenever a person makes a query. Finally, positive reviews are testimonies from users that your app does what it claims. This makes it easy to convince potential users that your app is the real deal.

Therefore, encourage users who have already downloaded your application to leave positive reviews. Eventually, this will increase your conversion and click-through rates and rest assured that more downloads are going to follow. But how? Well, with AppFollow, you can seamlessly and effectively encourage users to leave reviews and also get direct feedback using a wide array of its tools. These include:

• App Review Analysis: This tool analyzes reviews to establish how users feel about your app. It evaluates their moods and sentiments to identify what makes them love or hate your app.
• App User Reviews: With this feature, you can track and monitor user reviews on all of your apps via Slack, Email, and Zendesk.
• Reply-to-Reviews Tool Reply: This tool enables you to reply to both Google Play and App Store reviews via Email, Slack, and Zendesk without having to log in to the app stores

Use App Analytics

Just like Google Analytics, ASO comes with several powerful app store metrics that you can use to refine and increase the effectiveness of your Mobile app store optimization marketing SEO & monetization. These analytics provide insights on how your app is performing in relation to your competitors. By monitoring and responding appropriately to these metrics, you can boost your app's ranking and secure more organic downloads without spending a dime. AppFollow is perhaps one of the best SEO apps for android and iOS to monitor and outperform competitors. It is designed with several features that make it possible to:

• Monitor your competitors: With this feature, you can track any app’s rating, metadata, changes, and user reviews. This will help you crack your competitor’s marketing strategy and outsmart them.
• Follow App Store Featured Alerts: Receive email or Slack alerts whenever a competitor's app is featured on the App store a day before it goes public. AppFollow covers three 3 tabs including Today, game, and app of the day.
• Get Conversion Rate Insights: This provides average install and conversion rates in all categories. With this metric, you can gauge your performance against that of competitors and identify new growth opportunities
• Receive top Charts Ranking: Receive daily updates on the top paid, grossing, and free applications on both Google Play and App Store. This also provides insights into the latest trends so that you can perfect and refine your marketing strategy.

Pick the Right App Store Category

When it comes to mobile app SEO optimization, placing your application in the right category for both Google Play and App Store is not just helpful for people who browse apps by category, but also for search engine crawlers. If search engines can easily find your app, chances are that it is going to rank highly. If you are not sure which under which category to list your app, use AppFollow to help you out. With it, you can:

• Identify the most relevant category that resonates with your app.
• Check out the least competitive categories. Listing your app in such a category will increase its chances of ranking highly.
• See Estimated App Worth (EAW) of applications at the top of each category. Listing your app in a category with a low EAW will work at your advantage.

Mobile app SEO tips: Placing your application in the wrong category so that it can rank better is blatantly wrong and will eventually lower your rankings. Therefore, identify the most relevant category before publishing it.

Bottom line

If you want your App to be successful with lots of downloads, visibility, and income-generating potential, it is imperative that you put emphasis on Mobile app SEO optimization. Fortunately, SEO for apps in Google Play and SEO for Apple App Store should no longer be a stumbling block. With Mobile app SEO tools like AppFollow, you can revamp your ASO efforts and get the visibility that will make your app a winner and income-generating tool. Though Google Play and App Store use different methodologies for ranking apps, the Mobile app SEO tips outlined in this post will definitely have a positive impact on how your app ranks.