The ASO Guide, Getting An App Onto The Store’s First Page

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Key Takeaways

• App Store Optimisation (ASO) is the process of improving an app’s visibility inside the Apple App Store and Google Play so it ranks higher for the searches its audience runs.
• About 65% of App Store downloads begin with a search on the store, by Apple’s own figure, which is why ranking inside the store matters as much as ranking on Google.
• ASO works on six levers: relevant keywords, a title under the 30-character limit, a short description, a distinctive icon, on-brand screenshots and a preview video, and regular updates.
• ASO and SEO share their logic, but ASO is narrower: it applies only to mobile apps, leans almost entirely on keywords, and has fewer tools, so more of it is trial and error.
• With more than 5 million apps across the two stores, an app that is not optimised is unlikely to be found at all.

Marketers know the digital vocabulary well enough: SEO, SEM, PPC and the rest. Plenty have never heard of ASO, because ASO is not about improving a brand’s presence on a search engine. It concentrates on the App Store.

Mention the App Store and the subject is obviously apps, which is why the term is far less widespread than SEO: many brands have no app of their own, and those just starting one may not know there is a way to make it more visible, which is ASO, or App Store Optimisation. If you already know SEO and are wondering what ASO is, this article will make it easy, because the two share a great deal.

Here is what App Store Optimisation is.

What Is ASO, App Store Optimisation

ASO, or App Store Optimisation. Sounds familiar, as if you have heard it somewhere before. You have. It echoes Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO.

Where SEO improves a website against Google’s criteria so it ranks on the first page of results, ASO, App Store Optimisation, improves an app’s visibility so it reaches the top positions in the App Store for the keywords you want. App Store here means both the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android.

Apple’s own figure is that about 65% of downloads begin with a search on the App Store. Industry research has found that a large share of apps are never discovered by a search at all, the so-called zombie apps, and that on Google Play alone more than a million apps have never been seen by any user. Many of those developers may not know App Store Optimisation exists.

Both stores are fiercely competitive, with more than 5 million apps available to download. The heart of App Store Optimisation is therefore lifting the app’s rank so users find it more easily: the higher the rank, the more downloads, which makes ASO essential for any brand with an app.

The Techniques Of ASO

ASO rests on principles much like SEO’s. Anyone who has done SEO will find them familiar, and anyone who has not need not worry, because each is explained in full so anyone marketing an app can lift its visibility effectively.

Use Relevant Keywords

The one thing visibility cannot do without is keywords, the terms tied to the brand. The principles:

• Choose the terms people actually use to search for apps
• Avoid keywords unrelated to the app, because the algorithm will not count them towards ranking
• Keep keywords to single words or short phrases, never long sentences
• Do not use the word “app” or a competitor’s brand name as a keyword

Beyond those principles, Google Keyword Planner or any other keyword research tool will find the right keywords for the brand, just as in SEO. Then place the chosen keywords in the app title and the description, so users searching those terms find your app among the first results.

Tune The App Title And Description

Beyond putting keywords in the title and description, keep the character count down so neither looks unreadable. Both the Apple App Store and Google Play cap the app name at 30 characters. Above all, make the name easy to remember to lift downloads; using the company name or a top-ranking keyword works well, because it makes the app easier to find.

A simple test: once you have a name, search it in the App Store to see who else is using it. Hundreds or thousands of results mean the name is not distinctive enough to be remembered, and the competition is heavy. Find one nobody else has.

The description should be short, tight and as easy to understand as possible, with the relevant keywords included. Keep the opening under about 250 characters if you can, because that is roughly what shows before the screen truncates it behind “Read more”, and many users scroll past rather than tap through.

Use An Icon And Screenshots That Draw The Eye

What people see is one of the factors that decides whether they download. Start by designing an icon that is distinctive, easy to remember and professional, so it catches the eye and earns enough trust to download. Choose colours that differ from competitors’, to avoid confusion.

Beyond the icon, the screenshots matter, because most users look at them before deciding. Use good images that fit the brand’s identity, and where there are several, keep them in one direction so the set reads comfortably. That step may call for a team with UX/UI expertise, for a stronger result.

Add Video To Raise Interest

Some studies find that adding video to an app’s store page lifts the download rate by as much as 35%, more than tuning the title or the images does, and more downloads feed back into the app’s rank. So beyond plain images, add a video about the app to make the page more interesting and prompt the download, or use polished motion graphics.

Update The App Regularly

Build an app and leave it, never updating, and competitors will overtake it. Improve the app on user feedback as far as possible, and study competitors with similar apps to see what approach made them succeed, then apply it to your own updates.

How Does ASO Differ From SEO, And What Is Mobile App SEO

Because the processes are so similar, ASO is sometimes called App Store SEO or mobile app SEO. In practice SEO is far more complex than ASO, with many tools and software to make the work easier, while ASO, though simpler, needs more trial and error, because it leans almost entirely on building keywords around the app. SEO weighs keywords plus countless other ranking factors. And ASO is an approach for mobile apps only, where SEO is for websites.

Summary

By now everyone should agree on what ASO, App Store Optimisation, is. A brand just starting its own app cannot afford to miss it, because ASO is the most effective marketing approach there is for a mobile app. Apply the principles properly and when users search the keywords tied to your app, you stand a strong chance of being among the first they see, and the downloads and the app’s success follow.

For anyone wanting more visibility for their brand, Primal Digital Agency has specialists ready to help every brand owner run smoothly and see results beyond anything before. As an SEO agency with app and web search under one roof, our team is ready to talk today.

Frequently Asked Questions About App Store Optimisation (FAQs)

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