The main goal of launching an application on the market is to achieve the most popularity. But even the best mobile applications have no chance of success if they do not reach users. The place where users download applications and learn about them are app stores. On the market, we distinguish the three most prominent players: App StoreGoogle Play and Huawei AppGallery. The key to success in these stores is App Store Optimization, i.e. creating and optimizing content. Such actions translate to better positioning of applications in app stores. The higher an application is in the ranking, the more it is visible and popular among users. And more significant popularity means increased interest, which means better conversion and higher number of organic downloads. 

App Store Optimization – where to start?

Before you focus on optimizing your application or selecting appropriate graphics, it is worth refining the product itself and making it attractive for users. So focus on product quality. Quality is primarily stability and attractiveness. The application should be well designed, encourage user engagement, and satisfy needs. User rating is one of the most important factors influencing the ranking in the application store. Thanks to complimentary reception, users are more willing to give positive reviews and recommend the application to others. This, in turn, translates into more organic downloads.

The higher the number of good ratings, the greater the application’s visibility in the App Store. However, this indicator is also influenced by other factors, such as the number of active app users and their overall “maintenance” level. Nevertheless, the more stable the application is, the better it is to start ASO activities. If you are curious about how the application development looks, read the previous articles on our blog. 

Bet on the application attractiveness

Before moving on to optimizing the application itself, focus on making it more attractive so that the user, once he or she has found the application, stays on its page as long as possible. The biggest challenge is to match App Store requirements, which are different from Google Play and other preferred ASO elements. Therefore, it is worth focusing on them from the beginning. 

Optimization elements of an iOS app in the App Store:

  • Application name: 30 characters
  • Sub-title: 30 characters (possibility to add keywords)
  • Keywords: 100 characters (separated by commas)
  • Description: up to 4000 characters
  • Video: App Store Preview (up to 30 seconds)
  • First impression: Icon, application name, subtitle, average ratings, screenshots, App Store view.

A large number of possible characters translates to a large amount of text that can be optimized. The use of selected keywords will be ideal here. Deciding on specific keywords focuses not only on the application itself but also on what kind of queries the application can connect with and the popularity of a given phrase: the less competition – the better. Do not decide on a given phase just because it is popular. Such a decision may reduce the application’s visibility, and you may lose the opportunity for the application to be visible under better-matched keywords. The most crucial phrase should be in the title or subtitle and three to five times in the description.

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If you have no experience selecting the right keywords, use AppAnnie, a tool that allows you to estimate given keywords’ competitiveness. Apart from this tool, search for the most frequently appearing keywords in user reviews. The way your iOS application is described can help you identify and choose the next keywords.

Aim for good visibility of your iOS mobile application

The main goal of App Store Optimization is to achieve the best visibility and recognition of the application. However, the position of an app is influenced by many factors, which can only be shaped indirectly by you. These factors are directly affected by the product’s quality, which impacts ratings, reviews, and the number of downloads. To improve visibility, focus on optimizing the application name, icon, description, and any graphics. A factor that you can’t determine is the competition. No matter how you focus on optimization, if your competitors are the most prominent players on the market, you have to treat it as the biggest challenge or focus on a niche topic in which you don’t have to deal with massive competition from the start. Regardless of competition level, it is always worth devoting appropriate resources to marketing activities to support ASO. 

Why is App Store Optimization so important? 

The app search engine in the App Store is the most popular channel for searching and learning about apps. According to Apple, about 70% of discoveries of new applications take place directly in the App Store. This perfectly illustrates why it is so important to have the highest possible level of app visibility. Remember that the higher the visibility and interest in an application, the higher the download rate. Therefore, you can invest in optimization and positioning to make your application stand out. 

App Store optimization at Applover

During the development process, we pay significant attention to optimizing applications. Thanks to the implementation of many projects, our iOS developers have a lot of experience in ASO. Read more about our recent projects. 

During the iOS development process, we prepare the application for the App Store, choose the right keywords, and our design team prepares graphics selected for the target group so that the application is as attractive as possible for them. By getting to know the client’s business goals and assumptions from the very beginning of developing a new product, we focus on them throughout the whole process. So during App Store Optimization, we also follow these assumptions so that the entire process is consistent, and the introduction of the application achieves the intended results. If you’re considering creating iOS apps and you’re missing out on cost information, then you should see our article for more details.