A Guide From Semalt For Beginners To SEO In Mobile Applications (ASO) - Part 1
The number of applications available on Google Play is increasing year by year. As a consequence, competition is becoming more and more numerous and it is increasingly difficult to appear high in Google Play search results for competitive phrases. The problem primarily affects new applications, novice developers or companies with a limited budget for advertising. Can the title ASO remedy this? What to remember when positioning an application? You will find the answer to these and other questions in the text below.
What is App Store Optimization (ASO)?
App Store Optimization (abbreviated ASO) is a process aimed at increasing the visibility of a mobile application page in the internal search engine of a given mobile application store: (e.g. Google Play (Android), App Store (IOS) or Amazon Appstore) by increasing its position in organic search results for individual phrases. If run correctly, it should translate into a better conversion rate and, consequently, more downloads.
As in the case of SEO, special attention should be paid to the high dynamics of updating the algorithms responsible for modifying the ranking factors (including their weights). This translates into changes in the visibility of applications displayed for individual key phrases. That is why it is so important to follow trends and react to changes in the search engines of mobile application stores.
What to look for when optimizing the visibility of a mobile application (ASO) in the Google Play store?
During the app optimization process, you should focus on the ranking factors that affect the organic results of Google Play's internal search engine. Before this happens, you should take care of the right selection of key phrases. This should be our first step. Otherwise, there is a risk that we will get high positions for phrases that are not used by users from our target group.
Selection of key phrases
This is one of the most important elements of the ASO strategy. It depends on it whether and when we will reach our target group. That is why it is worth conducting thorough research of key phrases, e.g. by analysing competitor websites or key phrases entered by Play store users who may be interested in the application. Only then do we build a potential list of key phrases and expand it under the so-called long tail. In this process, it is worth using tools such as The Dedicated SEO Dashboard: an ideal tool for searching for long tail phrases or new key phrases based on queries entered by users of a given search engine. It will allow you to verify the list of phrases in terms of difficulty level, the number of searches or seasonality.
Let's also not forget about one very important fact: selected key phrases must be related to the subject of the application as much as possible! Let's reject those that may mislead the user.
Google Play ranking factors we control
Having already prepared a list of key phrases (preferably several groups of key phrases) and analysed the competition in terms of its visibility, we can focus on the ranking factors, which can be divided into two groups:
On-site factors
Factors directly dependent on people involved in the marketing of a given application. They refer to the elements on the application page from which it can be downloaded.
This group of ranking factors includes the: application name, URL address, developer name, short description, long description, category, icon, screens or videos presenting selected functionalities of the application.
Off-site factors
Factors not fully dependent on people involved in the marketing of a given application. They concern elements that can be created by the community and cannot be fully controlled by the authors of the application.
In this group, we distinguish such factors as: the number of installed applications, the number of installed applications for a specific keyword, the number of uninstalled applications, ratings and reviews of the mobile application, and links.
Key factors influencing ASO - how to optimize them?
We focus only on onsite factors (those depending on us).
You already know what you should pay attention to when analysing your application in terms of ASO, but you are probably wondering how to modify these elements to positively affect the visibility of the application and the number of downloads. Below you will find the most important tips:
Application name up to 50 characters (keywords in the application name)
Title, as in the case of SEO, is one of the key elements of ASO optimization. Google recommends that it contains no more than 50 characters. Therefore, when constructing it, it is not worth entering only the name of the product. We recommend expanding the name and adding, for example, a key phrase (at the beginning with a long tail). Remember that the name of the application can be edited, which gives us many possibilities, e.g. we can conduct A/B tests. Yes, to choose the perfect one.
Examples of title attribute schemes:
- Application name - key phrase
- Key phrase - name of the application
Remember to set alternative language versions of the title. So that, depending on the location, the user can see the title in the appropriate language. This can significantly affect not only the visibility of the application but also the conversion rate itself.
Short description of up to 80 characters (keywords, only shown on mobile devices)
This is an element that has a direct impact on the position of your application in the search engine and conversion. The description is visible immediately after the user enters the application page. Therefore, it must fulfil two goals:
- Optimization, i.e. it contains the key phrase/phrases for which the given application is to appear in the organic results of the search engine. A good procedure here is to repeat the key phrase from the title element. Such a repetition will be an additional signal for the algorithms of the Play store.
- Image - it should attract attention, show the main advantages of the application and make the user want to go to a longer description after reading it or install the application right away.
Long application description of up to 4,000 characters
A long description is another important factor from the point of view of Google robots, which determines the position of the application's product page in the organic search results of the Play store. Because only 2% of Play store users read this element, the description must be primarily well-optimized for the search engine.
To achieve this, remember to proceed with the:
- adequate saturation of the text with key phrases for which the application is to be displayed to users of the Play Store. Avoid the so-called keyword stuffing (artificial saturation of content with keywords);
- maximum use of available space. The text should be at least 3000 characters long;
- use of elements in the content that allow you to diversify the content, e.g. bold, underline, lists, emoticons;
- rules introduced by Google: link;
- using of paragraphs and appropriate text structure. So that it is transparent to the recipient;
- use of headers;
- appropriate language version.
The product page in a given language version
A key factor for international expansion. By translating the product page of the application, we have the opportunity to increase our visibility in other countries and thus gain new users.
In this process, it is necessary to know: the Google Play Console, where you can adjust the language of the application's product page to a given country.
Before starting the translation process, we recommend verifying the visibility of key phrases in a given country to achieve the best results. We also recommend not translating texts from 1 to 1.
URL of the app in question
The URL address is an immutable element, -once set, it cannot be modified in the future-. Therefore, it is worth considering its choice carefully. We recommend putting in it a difficult key phrase that we care about the most. We suggest not placing key phrases on the so-called long tail or phrases closely related to another brand, as this may result in a penalty imposed by Google.
The appearance of the mobile application icon
The icon of the mobile application is a graphic element that affects the reception of the application by the user and has a significant impact on the click-through rate and conversion rate. It indirectly affects the visibility of the application in the Play store and is crucial for ASO.
The more so that it is one of the first graphic elements that the user looks at when interacting with a given application.
When optimizing the icon for ASO, remember about:
- clearly informing users about the subject of the application and its main purpose,
- avoiding placing text within it, which may distort the entire message,
- A/B tests,
- own style, in line with the latest trends,
- competition analysis?
Screenshots/videos (up to 8 images)
Images/videos are the elements that are important from the point of view of conversion and they can convince the user to download a given application or explore the competition to the greatest extent. That is why they must present the strengths of the application and show as much of its potential as possible.
Let's try to place key graphics in the first two positions (we can add as many as 8 (minimum 2)). Let's take advantage of this opportunity. When publishing visual elements, it is also worth remembering about:
- A/B testing - it may turn out that one image/video has a greater impact on conversion than the other,
- describing individual functionalities so that the user immediately knows what a given graphic represents,
- informing about discounts, promotions,
- visual aspect - use the same style in which the application is designed.
Developer name
This is another element in which you can place a key phrase relating to the application you published, which will positively affect its visibility in the organic search results of the Play store. However, you should consider whether it is worth it. Google gives extra "ranking points" to developers for a story. If the developer's name is too matched to a specific application, it may be necessary to create a new account for the developer. As a result, we will start from the beginning every time and we will not receive additional account history bonuses.
You should also remember not to include characters such as asterisks, thumbs up, etc. in the developer's name, as this may be perceived as an attempt to manipulate the algorithm - impersonating the section: app rating. Such actions usually end with blocking the account.
If you have created a mobile application and want to ensure its proper visibility, please contact us. We will help you fight for results and beat the competition!