ASO Guide for 2023: Improving Conversion Rates and Discoverability

In the age of smartphones and other mobile devices, apps have become a crucial part of our daily lives. There is an app for almost everything, whether it be for convenience, productivity or enjoyment. However, with millions of apps available in the app stores, it can be difficult for developers to get their apps noticed. This is where App Store Optimization (ASO) comes into play. In this article, we will explore the benefits, guidelines, impact and merits and demerits of ASO.

Introduction to ASO

App Store Optimization (ASO) is a crucial aspect of mobile app marketing that helps to improve the visibility of mobile apps in the app stores. App Store Optimization (ASO) is a process that helps mobile apps rank higher in app store search results by optimizing them. This increased visibility can lead to more downloads, which can ultimately lead to more revenue for your business.

ASO is also known as App Store Marketing as well as Mobile App SEO. It is also a fundamental concept that app marketers need to master to rank higher in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

App stores allow developers to optimize app listings through their available fields. Features that are ranking factors for each app store have been highlighted in green in the image below.

There are many features which are not available in both the App Stores and hence, their algorithms work in different manners. The list of basic features which create the main differences like Title, Sub-title, App Description, Keywords, categories, and many more are discussed below.

Impact of App Store Optimization (ASO)

ASO has a significant impact on the success of an app. By improving app visibility and conversion rate, ASO can increase organic app downloads, boost user engagement and ultimately drive revenue growth. ASO efforts are focused on increasing app discoverability and conversion rate, which helps users find the app in search results and encourages them to download it. ASO strategies involve optimizing various factors such as keywords, creatives, ratings, download velocity and retention. It is a never-ending process of research, optimization, analysis and further optimization. By following ASO best practices and regularly monitoring the latest ASO trends, app marketers can build an effective ASO strategy that increases their app's visibility and drives more organic app downloads.

Guidelines for ASO:

To optimize mobile apps for app stores, app marketers need to follow certain guidelines. Here are some of the essential elements of successful app store optimization for the App Store and Google Play Store:

App Title
- Character Limit: iOS App Store: 30 characters; Google Play Store: 50 characters
- Best Practices:
  - The app title should be unique, descriptive and relevant to the app's functionality.
  - Avoid common terms or names that are similar to existing apps.
  - Be consistent across app stores.
Subtitle
- Character Limit: iOS App Store: 30 characters; Google Play Store: N/A
- Best Practices:
  - Give an additional explanation of your app's benefits.
  - Ensure the most important text is visible above the fold.
App Description: The app description should be informative, engaging, and optimized with relevant keywords.

Long Description (or Description)
- Character Limit: iOS App Store & Google Play Store: 4,000 characters
- Best Practices:
  - Highlight your app’s unique features and functionality for the users.
Short Description: This is part of the description, which appears before the ‘More’ or ‘Read More” button.
- Character Limit: iOS App Store: 70 characters; Google Play Store: 80 characters
- Best Practices:
  - Ensure the most important text is visible above the fold.

Promotional Text
Promotional Text appears above the App Description in the iOS App Store and can be edited anytime, unlike other features that can only be edited by resubmitting the app.
- Character Limit: iOS App Store: 170 characters; Google Play Store: N/A
- Best Practices:
  - Invite consumers to download the app.
  - Highlight sales and promotions.

Keywords
- Character Limit: iOS App Store: 100 characters; Google Play Store: N/A
- Best Practices:
  - Choose keywords based on what you think the audience will use to find an app like yours.
  - Avoid special characters such as # or @, unless they are part of your brand identity.

Categories
The primary category will determine whether your app appears in the Apps tab or Games tab on the iOS App Store.
- Best Practices:
  - Choose the primary category which describes the main purpose or scope of your app.
  - Research how competitor apps are categorized.
  - Avoid choosing a category that is not relevant.

Screenshots
- Screenshot Limit: iOS App Store: 8 screenshots; Google Play Store: 8 screenshots
- Best Practices:
  - Add quality screenshots that highlight the app’s functionality, supported platforms and promotions.
  - Use overlay text to make screenshots informative.
  - Keep your most important screenshots first, as only the first 1-3 will appear in the app store search results.

Preview Video
- Video Length Limit: iOS App Store: 30 seconds; Google Play Store: 120 seconds
- Best Practices:
  - Grab the audience’s attention in the first 5 seconds.
  - Showcase the app’s functionality, features and offers.
  - Ensure the video’s message is conveyed even when on mute.
  - Always include a call-to-action.
  - Use App Localization techniques to personalize the videos based on the user’s country.

App Size
- Best Practices:
  - Keep app size as small as possible for the best user experience and compatibility.
  - Compress assets without compromising on quality and usability of the app.
  - Make contents downloadable after install, rather than making the app size large.

App Compatibility
- Best Practices:
  - Ensure the app is compatible with the latest iOS and Android operating systems versions.
  - Release app updates as needed to improve user experience and fix bugs. Provide details about what each update contains.

Ratings & Reviews
- Best Practices:
  - Encourage your users to leave reviews and ratings.
  - Try interacting with each customer who puts in the reviews. This builds trust and users feel good that somebody has heard their call.
  - Develop on-point strategies on how to deal with all the different types of positive and negative reviews.
  - Try using non-intrusive and personalized interstitials to ask for reviews.
  - Segment your audience and you can even ask reviews based on a specific feature as well.

App Icon
- App Icon Size: iOS App Store: 1024 x 1024; Google Play Store: 512 x 512.
- Best Practices:
  - Differentiate yourself from the competition by creating something distinctive.
  - Choose a color that looks good on both black and white backgrounds.
  - Follow app store guidelines for size, format, and resolution requirements.
  - Icon & In-App colors should be similar.

Merits and Demerits of ASO

Merits:
- Cost-effective: ASO is a cost-effective way to promote mobile apps and reach a wider audience.
- Increased visibility: ASO helps to improve the visibility of mobile apps in the app stores, which makes it easier for users to find and download the app.
- Increased downloads: ASO helps to increase the number of downloads of mobile apps
- Increased revenue: ASO helps to increase revenue for mobile app developers
Demerits:
- Time-consuming: ASO is a time-consuming process that requires continuous monitoring and optimization.
- Limited impact: ASO has a limited impact on the success of mobile apps. Other factors such as app quality, user experience, and marketing also play a significant role.

Conclusion

ASO is a crucial aspect of mobile app marketing that helps to improve the visibility of mobile apps in the app stores. ASO is a cost-effective way to promote mobile apps and reach a wider audience. ASO has numerous benefits for mobile app developers and marketers, including increased visibility, downloads, and revenue. However, ASO is a time-consuming process that requires continuous monitoring and optimization.