It can be difficult to know that you’ve created a great app but see that it’s not gaining any traction in the form of downloads and installs. If this problem sounds familiar to you, you may be experiencing a problem with app visibility. This can be frustrating, but luckily there are a few solutions. Read on to learn how you can increase your app visibility inside the app stores and on the internet at large in order to effectively reach your target audience.
Use ASO
If you’ve been working in the digital space for any length of time then you’re probably familiar with SEO, or search engine optimization. But if your app isn’t ranking highly for searches within the Google Play or App Store, it could be because you’re missing the key component of ASO, or app store optimization.
App store optimization is specific to app stores but follows the same initial steps as search engine optimization. To begin, you’ll want to use a research tool for keywords such as Google keyword planner. Once you’ve created a list of keywords that make sense for your app, you can put them to use in the app stores.
The App Store and Google Play Store each have their own specific requirements for the length of titles and subtitles, specific valuations for different keywords, and guidelines for their indexing processes. For example, the Google Play Store allows a maximum of 40 characters for titles while the App Store only allows for a maximum of 30 characters. Knowing how to use ASO in both app stores will help you increase your app visibility across the board.
Optimize Your Title
Knowing how to optimize your app’s title in the app store is critical because this is the first thing people will see and it is also the top factor in ranking apps for both the App Store and Google Play Store. In order to make the most of your title, you’ll want to include a keyword (or keywords) with the best difficulty to search volume ratio. Search volume is the number of searches for a particular keyword in a certain period of time, while the difficulty is a measurement of how hard it will be to rank for that keyword. For a small business or startup app, the best chance of increasing your app visibility is to choose keywords with a difficulty of 50 or lower with the highest search volume possible.
In addition to using strong keywords, your app title should also be easy to reach, unique, and relevant to your actual app. You don’t want to fall into the trap of keyword stuffing your title to the point of incomprehension. The confusion could cause potential users to move onto another app even if yours is the one that ranks first for them when they search the store.
Optimize Your Description
Another important factor in your app’s visibility is its description. In both stores you are allotted a maximum of 4000 characters in order to explain what your app does, who it’s for, and how it works. The Google Play Store will actually search your app description for keywords during its ranking process. Because of this, you should try to include as many keywords as possible in your description to help you. You’ll also want to include each keyword 3-5 times for maximum effect. But again, you should write your description with attention to readability and flow, taking care to include keywords in sentences in a way that makes sense.Â
The App Store doesn’t search your description for keywords because it provides a specific field for you to list your keywords. However, you should avoid the temptation to write a brief description and move onto the next aspect of setting up your app in the store. Take advantage of the description space in order to further convince users why they should download your app above others. Create an eye-catching first paragraph that really highlights the benefit of your mobile app in order to close the deal for any last hesitant potential user. Writing a clea, concise description of your app will be of great help when it comes to increasing your app visibility.
Take Advantage of Social Media
You may not have thought of social media as being compatible with mobile app marketing but you’d be surprised to know how effective it is. Of course there are paid ads opportunities across the board, but organic content on social media can be just as helpful, if not more, for increasing your app visibility. For example, creating an Instagram page can open up the possibility for a variety of marketing tactics. You could run a pre-launch campaign to alert people to your app’s release and even work with an influencer in order to highlight the best features of your app for a larger audience. The more that you’re able to drive engagement with a community surrounding your app, the more visible it will be both on the internet and through word of mouth. After working so hard on your app store optimization, you’ll be able to link directly to the download page from your social media profile so that even more people have access to your unique and effective mobile app.
Create SEO-Optimized Website Content
The other useful addition to your mobile app marketing strategy is creating an SEO-optimized website for your app. Having a website for your mobile app means that there’s another way for people to find your app when doing an organic search. A website also gives you space to further flesh out your app -from additional photos, to videos, to information about the background of the app. And of course, it will be in your best interest to make sure that your website content is optimized. From the meta description to the name of the site, there are various website builders and SEO services that will help you make sure that your website is working for you in terms of creating more app visibility.
A bonus strategy is creating an SEO blog on your website. If your app focuses on cooking, you might have a blog for different recipes. If you have a fashion marketplace app, your blog might focus on current trends and sustainable purchasing practices. Creating and maintaining an effective blog with useful information within your niche means that any time users with questions find answers on your blog, they’ll also be directed toward your related app.
Work with a Professional
When it comes to achieving success with your mobile app, there’s no reason that you have to take on the entire project alone. If all of these tactics seem overwhelming to tackle, you can always get in touch with an app marketing agency. These companies are well-versed in best practices in and out of the app stores, and will use proven strategies to help you to take your mobile app from obscurity to a household name.