App Store Optimization (ASO) revolves mainly around the two biggest online application marketplaces that the world is very familiar with. Tech giants Google and Apple introduced their markets for consumers and developers to interact, buy and sell applications. Today, a whopping 4 million apps are ready for download on the app store. What started as a simple marketplace for developers and enthusiasts to share their creations has now turned into a competitive market where the easiest way to stay ahead is to optimize. ASO is an extremely powerful tool that can help drive both volume and revenue on a fairly low budget. Here are the 5 most common mistakes made in the process of ASO:
- Overlooking ASO and Undermining its Value
Although some businesses may have gotten away with being unaware of the existence of ASO about a decade ago, in today’s market, it is crucial to understand how it works and how to use it to your advantage. Similar to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the main goal of ASO is to help push your product or service higher on the results page. Doing this will open up opportunities to improve conversion and click-through-rates while also helping your application get more organic downloads. On average, 65% of organic downloads arise directly from search queries. This shows the importance of app store optimization can be for your growth.
- Confusing ASO with SEO
It’s common to see people comparing SEO and ASO because at the end of the day they are similar in several ways. The problem arises when the same strategies are applied to both types of optimization. Even though they have a common objective, ASO requires way more attention and a completely different game plan. It is not possible to expect a surge in downloads simply by using keywords or having catchy descriptive content. A strong Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) campaign along with an active presence in browse channels and charts is more crucial than mere keyword placement and ad writing.
- Not Using A/B Testing before the Final Release
A/B testing can be carried out with ease using a very underrated tool on the Google Play Console called Experiments. The function of this feature is to help you test out the response towards changes made in the features and options of your app by releasing it to a limited volume of users. Based on the inferences collected by the testing, the final look of the app can be decided upon. Unfortunately, this feature has not been added to iTunes yet. For developers that have the same application on both the App Store and the Play Store, inferences from android testing can be applied to the iOS application. In case the application is iOS exclusive, tools like SplitMetrics and StoreMaven can help in volume-controlled analysis.
- ASO Is Not a One-Time Effort
Unfortunately, ASO is not a “fit it and forget it” type of investment. Having your application optimized and then leaving it with the same setting and features for a prolonged period will result in your application losing its growth. Keeping track of top chart rankings, A/B testing, competitors’ updates, and user reviews will help you understand what changes are required to constantly perform better on the App Store. It helps to keep in mind that there is no such thing as a perfectly optimized application. There will always be room for improvement and identifying where you can improve will help you generate downloads and revenue. In a lot of cases, this work is outsourced to an SEO company in Delhi, Bangalore and other metropolitan cities, it is fairly easy to find a company that is willing to optimize your app for you.
- Low Focus on Product
Marketing is undeniably necessary to aid growth and generate traffic, but businesses often get too involved in marketing. This creates a shift in focus from the product to blind volume. Back in 2017, Google announced that user engagement, retention and recurrence will all play a role in how high your app will be displayed in search. If this isn’t enough of a reason to go back to the drawing board and improve on your product, you can also remind yourself that the nature of your product has a direct impact on your reviews and feedback. Keeping those stars intact is a surefire way of making sure you stay ahead of the game.
ASO takes time to master and is a constantly evolving skill. If carried out correctly, it can make a massive impact on how much money an application makes and how it is perceived in the market. Irrespective of how many downloads are “organic” or what your conversion rate is, more eyes are always good news!
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