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Creating a new mobile app and getting it listed on the App Store is just the start of the process. If you want people to find your app easily and download it, then you need to do some app store optimisation in the same way you’d do search engine optimisation. It’s all about standing out from the crowd and getting your app noticed by your target market. There are over 2 million apps listed on the Apple store and even more on the Android site, so competition is considerable.

What is Optimisation?

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, describes the techniques which are used to make sure that your website appears in the search results for any given keywords. ASO, or app store optimisation covers much of the same ground, but is focused only on apps rather than on websites.

Some of the most commonly used techniques, both for websites and apps, include link-building, optimising the text on the page, selecting appropriate keywords, the Google algorithm, working with bloggers, social media promotion, display adverts and much more. In general terms, SEO takes longer to show results than ASO.

App Store Optimisation

App store optimisation means that people can easily find your app either in the Apple App Store, or on Google Play for android devices. Getting good rankings across these two platforms allows people to find your app, obviously resulting in more downloads. In order to optimise your ranking in either store, there are several factors to look at including:

• Getting the right keywords
• Testing icons, colours and pictures to see which perform the best
• Considering adding screenshots or explanation video
• Encouraging users to leave positive feedback
• Trying to get five-star reviews
• Writing a great description
• Localising content for other languages and countries

Why do I need SEO?

Only around 40% of app downloads happen after a search on the App Store. People find out about new apps from a wide range of other channels such as by word of mouth, through social media, through advertising or from a search engine. If you want to attract the maximum number of downloads, then you’ll have to pay attention to the SEO as well as the ASO.

Relevant Downloads

The aim of anyone who creates an app is to get people downloading it and using it. Getting downloads from people who have no interest in your product or app is of no benefit to your company. You can help ensure that downloads are relevant by creating a good app description and placing it in the right category in the store. If you are intending to monetise your app using adverts or in-app purchases, it’s even more important that you get the right people downloading it in the first place.

Cost Effective

If you are relying on other methods such as display advertising or pay per click to get people to download your app, this entails long-term pressure on your marketing budget. If you stop advertising, downloads stop too. Using optimisation techniques may require some initial investment, but after that, the downloads should remain stable.