ASO – App Store Optimization for Beginners

ASO, App Store Optimization, How is the World Media Changing?

ASO stands for App Store Optimization, also known as SEO for apps, and in short terms, it could be defined as the process of optimizing the app and its information for it to appear first on app search engines.

Nowadays, people’s tastes and what influences them are changing a lot. The throne that once was held by the TV in terms of media, is now occupied by YouTube, Twitter and mobile apps.

Therefore, a game turns out to be a good way to make learning fun, as it makes it easier to retain information and stay focused on exploring and growing. Sometimes, it can even transform a boring and tedious experience into a very enjoyable one.

Now, I would like to expose what, in my opinion and according to my experience, are the steps involving the development of an app with a nice ASO.

Planning

First of all, you should write down your ideas on paper: draw sketches of the app screens to decide what they should look like (approximately), imagine what the game mechanics could be and determine the goal or function of your app. It is always important to think of something that could make your app stand out from the rest.

Think of an original name for the app, and try to put your keyword at the beginning of it as it will boost its ASO, e.g.

Once you have a fairly clear idea of what you want, and how to transform it into an app, you can go on with the next step.

App Development

Each system (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) has its own development workflow, tools and coding language, so if you develop an app in Java for Android, it will not work on iOS, unless you make another native app for this system (and in order to do that, you need a Mac computer…). App development presents a fairly steep learning curve, especially when it comes to games that require motion graphics and mechanics.

There are multiplatform game engines that allow you to develop once, and create apps for any OS. One of these engines is Unity, but it is not the only one. Here is a useful link where you can find some more game engines.

In any case, depending on the time you have to complete the app, you could either hire someone who has experience and meets your requirements, or learn how to code apps by yourself. A good way of doing so is by following tutorials from sites like Stack Overflow or CodeProject.

To optimize the app ASO, try to use keywords in the app package name, but don’t overflow it, Google punishes apps following bad ASO practices like keyword stuffing, remember to respect the traditional package naming system when possible:

App Distribution / Market

There are several markets where you can publish your app, each one having a different target and search engine algorithm, so the ASO for every market is slightly different. Right now, the strongest app markets are, in my opinion:

• Android [Google Play Store]

  Being Open Source, many companies decide to pack their devices with this OS, and due to that, it’s generally present in more affordable devices and has a very strong presence in the market. There are people of all ages in this market. Android users normally prefer free apps, but they don’t mind a few ads popping out from time to time, which is really profitable.

  The developer fee consists of a single $20 payment, which is, indeed, quite affordable.

• iOS [App Store / iTunes]

  The target here is limited to more “selected” customers, who prefer to pay for a well-developed, ad-free apps. Developer fee is annual, and it costs $99, which is a bit expensive considering we have to start from the ground up, and being uncertain as to whether or not the app will generate any benefit to pay this fee.

  From my point of view, it is better to start publishing on Google Play Store, and then, if you want to target iOS too, use the benefits from Android banner ads and interstitials (Full screen ads) to pay the iOS developer fee.

App Promotion and Diffusion

Once the app is finished and ready to be published on the market, it is important to promote it, making it look as interesting and original as possible, so people will want to download it instead of any other similar app. There are several ways to do this, but I strongly think these are the most important ones:

• Promotional Video: Make a nice and funny promotional video, showing how the app works and how wonderful the world is while you’re using it. Then, upload it to YouTube and link it to the app market page. The video will give your app much more visibility and potential downloads, that will boost the app ASO.
  
  
• App screenshots: Take some screenshots of the app screens. The more demonstrative the pictures are, the better. This doesn’t have a direct impact on the app ASO, but it will make the app more attractive at first sight.
  
  

Once it’s finally published, the first 24 hours of app life and its ASO will have a strong impact on its position on search engines, so you need to give it a boost, talking to YouTubers who are willing to record a video using the app, spreading the word, paying for ads on Google AdWords or Facebook Ads, and asking friends and family to rate the app and post a brief review. Try to get as many downloads and ratings as you can.

The post ASO – App Store Optimization for beginners appeared first on Isaac RF.