How to list your app on top using app store optimization?

Let’s face it, the mobile apps industry has grown multi-folds over the past few years and continues to grow at staggering rates. With hundreds if not thousands of apps under similar categories already competing over the top positions, new app developers don’t seem to have much chance at even getting noticed, that is, unless they are considering to work on their App Store Optimization (ASO).

ASO is similar to SEO, however, for optimization of their mobile apps’ ranking. At present, the app industry is split between two major players in terms of market share – Apple’s iOS and Android. Let’s have a look at them.

Google Play for Android

Android is an open source platform and has a slightly greater market share and correspondingly more apps under its belt than its counterpart; which doesn’t necessarily mean it has “better” apps though. Also, android seems to show an increase in its share, during the course of coming years due to this open-sourced nature of the platform.

Apple’s iOS Store

Apple’s iOS, on the other hand, is not an open source platform, hence, the number of apps available in iOS Store is comparably less. Yet Apple is making more revenue from its apps than Google Play, in-spite of android has more apps and more downloads per app.

App Store Optimization Techniques to optimize your Apps:

Here is a quick tip to help you optimize your apps to hit the top lists.

  • App Titles

    An app title is the most important aspect, keeping it small and making sure it highlights the apps main function will add to your ASO. The ideal recommendation for an app title is 25 characters or less, as longer titles do not appear appealing when viewed through small screens of a mobile devices.

  • App Description

    A short and clear explanation of what the app is about on what it does. Consider this as the place where you market your app, so make sure to provide all the necessary details, while making sure it is still short enough for users accessing through mobile devices to understand it previously. As any misleading information here could lead to your app getting a lot of negative feedback, which obviously is what we are trying to avoid.

  • App Icon / Logo

    Make sure you spend your time and effort on developing an icon/logo for your app. Get creative here and make it happen, never ignore this aspect of the app, as it is one of the key for ASO. Developing one that represents the essence of the app is going to make a great difference too.

  • Category

    How else are the users going to be able to find your app, if you are not categorizing it under the right one? When not clear on which category your app will fall under, it is best to scope through the different categories, analyze other similar app and the category they are posted in. If the app falls under multiple categories then place it in the one that’s most appropriate.

  • Screenshots / Videos

    Users like to have a look at the app before downloading it, be it a game or any other application; this is where you can capture this interest. A neat screenshot or a video demo (Google Play) increases interest and trust, leading to more download probability.

  • Google Play – Google Plus

    As both are products of Google, a Google Plus plugin for your app is also available. More pluses your apps get in it the more likely your app could end up being on top. Use this feature wisely.

  • iOS Store – Keywords

    Follow the recommendations of Apple and Keep your keywords as unique as possible and avoid dumping of generic keywords. This could prove counter-productive.

Following these tips will greatly boost your app’s ranking on both the Google Play and iOS Store. However, like all this in like – practice makes perfect.