“ASO” has become more relevant in an increasingly mobile world. “ASO” stands for App Store Optimization, which is a set of techniques that should improve an app’s position within the app store itself and therefore increase downloads. After all, an app store could be described as a small search engine, and ASO helps improve an app’s presence within that engine. SEO and ASO have a lot in common; analysis, research, strategy, and the overall approach are very similar. However, SEO is more developed and versatile since it has been around for a lot longer than ASO.
Snežana Spasojević, the Senior SEO Specialist at SMG Swiss Marketplace Group has put together six steps that can help you start your optimization journey.
How to Approach ASO
How Do You Fit In (or Not)?
Look closely at the niche your app belongs to. I.e. what is trending, and what kind of narrative is used? What is the tone of voice like in the copy? Where is the industry/niche more active? Ask yourself how your app could fit (or not) and what it can bring to the table.
Consider the "Where"
If you want to target more than one country or geographical area, make sure to do area-specific research. This includes language, different trends, taboos, and many other factors that differ from place to place.
Get to Know Your Competitors
Learn as much about them as you can. Find them by searching your own keywords, download and use your competitors’ apps. Getting a feel for their UX, customer journey, and overall approach is crucial in understanding their strategies.
Download Your Own App
Go to the app store and see what your app listing looks like. Download, install and use your app and ask people you know for their honest reviews and opinions. Everything from design to UX, to the tone of voice, is important.
Prepare Your Strategy
Create a list of keywords and optimize your app’s title and description accordingly. Standard SEO keyword research can help. And do not forget to test! Always experiment and try out your ideas to see if they work and behave in the way you thought they would.
Analyse, Review, Improve
Once you have familiarised yourself with the topic, take it to another level: Use analytics data and industry trends and always keep an eye on user reviews and ratings – they are very important to rate your app’s success and improve it according to your users’ needs.
The Importance for SMG Brands
Since we spend more and more time on our phones, we also use more and more apps. With this in mind, for SMG and its brands, this means that at some point in the future, there will be dedicated apps for the platforms, which also means that those apps will have to be found by existing and future users. This is why bringing your business to the app store and using ASO best practices is a way of “future-proofing” your business. Although you will want users to go to your website via computer or laptop but access the platforms on their phone via an app. In short, this will allow the user to have a much more satisfying user experience.
For more resources regarding ASO, you can check out the following websites: The Tool Blog, App Radar, App Tweak, data.ai
Snežana Spasojević, Senior SEO Specialist at SMG Swiss Marketplace Group
