Written by Irina Heinz
So, you’re getting ready to release your app. Let’s take for example a Brain Dots-like logic game where you need, applying the laws of physics, to draw random lines connecting two dots on the screen. In fact, you can follow the tips from this post if you’re releasing any app, not only a game.
You’ve spent months of your life and the life of your team to prepare for this event. You have invested a lot of money in this project, you even may have sold your car. Marketers made a deal with a god of commerce and now it’s time to recoup your investment and see your family again.
Just as there are SEO companies dedicated to helping your app rank well on Google searches and paid ads, thee are ASO platforms that will help you app rant well in the App Store. Using the analytical ASO-platform allows you to create the most favorable terms for your app’s release so it doesn’t go unnoticed and the traffic really pays off.
The thing is, the stores give new apps a boost in the first week after release, that’s why laying the foundation during this time is so important. It’s crucial to get the first audience and positive reviews.
What are we going to do
The approach to promoting an app before its release is slightly different from the approach when you have a history and analysis of your achievements and mistakes. Potential competitors will help us in the pre-release ASO step. You need to get into the max number of collections, get the Choice of the store, and get mentioned in the media. It is almost impossible to get featured without ASO, so app creators often cut off a huge traffic flow this way.
1. Collecting semantics
According to statistics, regardless of your category, apps get 70% of traffic from the search. Since we have taken as an example a logic game for the pre-release ASO, it’s better to call it Triforce Logic Game, for example, than Red Space Unicorn. Avoid abstract entities in the title of the game.
First, you should find out what keywords your competitors use to promote. The task is to add words that are most likely to lead users to your game. Words can be related to the genre, game features, number of users – there are a lot of categories.
On the Checkaso the process of collecting semantics is organized in such a way that the user sees not only the keywords of competitors, but he can also use the offered welcome pack. The pack contains the most popular words, used in the category, but the user can always add his own. The Search Volume index can show how popular the keyword is.
If we are talking about a logic game, we must use the words that refer to ‘brain’ and the brain building. We’ve collected words, now we should arrange them in the right order.
2. Text optimization
Now we need store algorithms to like us. Don’t forget about living creatures, but the machines prevail, so strictly follow the store guides.
In this step, you should start to evaluate the relevant words from the semantic core and arrange the meta tags so that they get indexed by a large number of words in high positions.
Checkaso has the Text Editor section and a tip bot that will help to avoid typical mistakes to get this job done.
Well, we figured out how to write. Now let’s find out what may be added into meta tags.
Describe what the user should do in the game and make your product valuable. You can tell how the app will help to improve the user’s creativity or how he can use it to sharpen his memory. Fill the description of the game with more special features. Promise users that they can play with all shapes of the circle!
You can also specify the difficulty. High level of difficulty can be an incredible growth driver as is the case with Flappy Bird. The game with an awful control about a bird flying through pipes broke so many smartphones that the creator was forced to remove it from the stores.
You can provide information about multiplayer features and the number of supported languages. Give the word to reward both new and returning users.
Checkaso has the Comparative Analysis tool which you need to use when you decide the positioning issue and take a closer look at your competitors:
On this screen you can see not only the metadata, but also the date of the last update. Stores always prefer apps with regular updates.
Keep in mind that the ordinary description without relevant keywords won’t bring you neither installs, nor return on investment.
3. Graphic optimization
The graphic optimization step is the most tricky one for the pre-release ASO, because we can’t do audience A/B testing. We have to decide for ourselves what the design of our app will be.
First of all, we need graphics to grab the user’s attention. It applies to the app icon, screenshots and video (for Google Play). For other apps, video is not essential, but it’s a good opportunity for games to show gameplay features and graphics.
Screenshots should be very illustrative and text should be easy to read even at medium brightness settings. Don’t get tired of asking yourself if the text is easy to read, if it contrasts with a pic, and how the font size looks on the small screens.
The most significant thing in this optimization step is the app icon. Remember that it’s not a permanent element and is worth experimenting with to find the best option for converting into installs and scale up decisions made when creating it. After you have taken all pre-release ASO steps, you can click the ‘Publish’ button without fear.
P.S.
Pre-release ASO will help your app not only to get more visibility and recoup your investment faster, but will also have a positive effect on the use of paid traffic in the future. This process is similar to laying a road track for paid traffic, which users interested in installing and purchasing your app will take. Make ASO, using Checkaso.