DCI recently presented a webinar titled Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Get Started with App Store Optimization (ASO). The webinar covered important topics such as: - An introduction to app stores and the market share of top players - Why app store search matters - The different aspects of ASO - Using keyword tools - Common ASO mistakes - What developers need to do to attract attention in a crowded app store, increase discoverability and drive downloads

1. Tips, Tricks &
Strategies to Get
Started with ASO (App
Store Optimization)
By Dot Com Infoway
Make your apps discoverable

2. App Stores
 An online marketplace where users of smartphones and other mobile devices can
browse, purchase, and download applications, or "apps", that augment the
capabilities of their devices. While Apple, Inc. created the original "App Store" for
iPhone apps, and claims copyright to the term, online stores selling mobile apps for
other platforms are also referred to as "app stores".
 List of top mobile app distribution platforms (App Stores)
 iOS App Store
 Google Play Store
 BlackBerry World
 Windows Phone Store
 Amazon Appstore

3. Apps published on various platforms
 On an average, 2371 New Apps are published every day.
 Android – 47%
 iOS – 41%
 Windows Mobile – 12%
 90 New developers publish an App on iOS each day, versus 75 on Google Play.
“It is easy for your App to get lost in the competition”

4. What is App Store Optimization?
 App Store optimization, (ASO) is altering the app store title and it’s keywords to
gain a higher ranking in search results on the App Store.
 App store optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the visibility of a mobile
app (such as an iPhone, iPad, Android, or Windows Phone app) in an app store
(such as iTunes or Google Play for Android). App store optimization is closely
related to search engine optimization. Specifically, app store optimization includes
the process of ranking highly in an app store's search results and top charts
rankings. — Wikipedia

5. Why App Store Search Matters?
 With over 2 million mobile
apps in the major app stores,
getting your app discovered
is one of the biggest issues
facing mobile app publishers
today.
 More apps are discovered
through search than any
other method

6. Why App Store Search Matters?
 “For an average app, search actually
makes up the vast majority of
installs”
 12 percent of daily active users
(DAU) search for apps daily, 50
percent of DAU search for apps
weekly and Google sees six million
unique phrases searched monthly
in Google Play Store - Ankit Jain,
Head of Search and Discovery –
Google Play

7. Why App Store Search Matters?
 The higher your app ranks in an app store’s
search results, the more visible it is to potential
customers. That increased visibility tends to
translate into more traffic to your app’s page in
the app store.
 The goal of ASO is to drive more traffic to your
app’s page in the app store, so searchers can
take a specific action: downloading your app.

8. Meta Data
 App Title
 App Description
 App Icon
 App Screenshot
 Category
 Keywords
 Google Play only
 App Type
 App YouTube Demo

9. Other Factors
 App Reviews
 App Ratings
 App Downloads

10. App Title
 Branding is the Key
 Include keyword in your title. Based on the top 25 ranking positions, it was
calculated that an app which includes keyword in its title is ranked 10.3%
higher than the ones that do no have keywords. (Source: MobileDevHQ)
 Almost 50% of apps now contain some sort of keyword in their title.
 Bigger brands too optimize the title
 Gmail – email from Google
 Skype - free IM & video calls
 App name in Apple App store can be up to 255 characters long but the
user can see only upto 35 characters in their iPhone.
 For Android, the maximum character for app title is 30

11. App Title – Business Card Reader App

12. App Description
 The intro lines are what’s shown to users before they click “More” to expand
the description at the fold.
 Show your best writing skills in the initial paragraph with marketing appeal.
 USP Statement
 Your app is “ideal for” declaration
 A short snippet from the app review from popular sites : “A must have for
travellers!” – TechCrunch
 Reasons to download: “Free upgrades for life!”
 Numbers of downloads or users (if it’s large)
 Other apps you’ve created: “From the creators of _______”
There is a 4000 character limit on descriptions for both Apple App store and
Google Play store. It’s important to localize your description for important
territories.

13. App Description – Example 1

14. App Description – Example 2

15. App Icon
 Your product icon can make or break your success
 Make sure your icon or logo clearly and creatively expresses your app.
 Don’t include words
 Don’t standard gloss
 Simple is good. Simple is clear.
 Stand out from the crowd
 Icon/App consistency
 For business apps, keep the icon consistent with the rest of your business logos,
colors and style.
 For games, make sure your icon reflects a key element of your game. It’s also helpful
if the icon conveys the gameplay to let users know if they will be interested in it.

16. App Icon Example
App Icon For Pizza Shop App Icon For Travel plans

17. App Screenshot
 Display some eye-catching screenshots of your app in action.
 Give clear and detailed screenshots of your app and highlight all the best
parts of your app with multiple screen shots.
 The App Store allows you to upload five screenshots of your app. Be sure to
use every single one!
 You can add some simple text or additional graphics to your screenshots to
drive home the benefits of your app.

18. App Screenshot – Pizza Hut

19. App Screenshot – Card Reader App

20. App Screenshot – Car Racing App

21. App Keywords
 The Keyword Field in iOS is a 100 character field which you can use to tell
iTunes search for which keywords you should show up
 Focus on relevancy, search volume, and difficulty.
 Don't use multiple word phrases; break out to individual words
 Don't repeat keywords that are already in your title
 Separate your keywords by commas but do not use spaces – you should
use “keyword1,keyword2″ instead of “keyword1, keyword2″.
 Use ASO Tools
 In Google Play, the app description has to be optimized.

22. Keyword Tools
 Brain Storming
 Google Keyword Planer
 SearchMan
 MobileDevHQ
 Sensor Tower

23. Google Keyword Planner – Step 1
Sign-in with your account

24. Google Keyword Planner – Step 2
Search for new keywords

25. Google Keyword Planner – Step 3

26. Search Man – Step 1

27. Search Man – Step 2
Search similar/competitor apps

28. Search Man – Step 3
Analyze competitor keywords

29. Sensor Tower – Step 1

30. Sensor Tower – Step 2
Enter your App’s name

31. Sensor Tower – Step 3
Then Click “Keyword Suggestions” in left sidebar menu,

32. Google Play only
 App Type - Google categorizes apps into two main “types.” They are “applications”
and “games.” Mark your app appropriately.
 App YouTube Demo – Upload a YouTube video that highlights all the best parts of
your app.
 Leverage Google Plus - All apps have a Google Plus plugin. The more pluses your
app gets, the more visible it will be in the Play Store.

33. App Reviews, Ratings
The more favorable reviews your app receives, the higher the conversion rate.

34. App Reviews, Ratings
Use app reviews as a feedback to continuously improve your app.

35. App Reviews, Ratings
 Make sure your app has a sufficient amount of detailed and genuine reviews.

36. App Reviews, Ratings
 Ratings are also a direct reflection of your app’s performance
 People will almost always download an app that has a high percentage of positive
ratings.

37. Conclusion
 To reap the rewards of ASO, you need to invest time and effort. If you do,
you’ll have a consistent channel driving traffic to your app.
 ASO is a useful set of techniques used to increase discoverability through
keywords, complementary screenshots and –most importantly–
understanding how users are looking for apps.
 ASO is just one of many approaches to attract attention in a crowded app
store, the main one being: having a great app that’s worth discovering in
the first place.

38. Sources
 Kissmetrics.com
 Searchenginejournal.com
 Marketingland.com
 Venturebeat.com
 Searchenginewatch.com
 Copyhackers.com