Promotion of Mobile Applications Using ASO Optimization

Currently, a smartphone is your best friend, you can't live without it. The pandemic only emphasized this dependence. This means that mobile applications are becoming more and more popular.

Every month, many new applications appear on Google Play and the App Store. But ASO specialists at Elit-Web will help you find what you need.

ASO (App Store Optimization) is the optimization of mobile applications for their better ranking in store search results. An ASO specialist makes the customer's app appear higher in the list when people search for something similar.

The main tasks of an ASO specialist are:

• Ensure that the mobile application meets the official requirements of the App Store and Google Play.
• Study competitors and the market with the help of special services. Analyze keywords that users enter in the search field, screenshots, icons, text descriptions of applications of similar products, etc.
• fill out the application card on the platform according to the rules (each product is moderated before it is published)
• Compose technical tasks for the designer, copywriter, and other team members who are involved in the process.
• Test and improve the strategy. An ASO specialist constantly monitors the results after the publication of the product. They ponder and hypothesize what to change in the app card to get even more downloads.

To create an app that will be used every day, you need to understand your audience. Based on this, form the tasks and business goals of the program.

Why Should We Promote a Mobile Application?

For the mobile application to bring benefits to the business, it is necessary to bring as many users as possible to it, who will buy, return to the service, and share their impressions.

If you don't engage your audience after release, no one will know that you have a cool service that helps them make online purchases or doctor appointments. Without promotion, the budget will be wasted, and potential customers will not even know about your service.

Most users are used to looking for mobile applications in the top categories in the Google Play and App Store stores. And also by key queries through the search bar. For example, a specific browser by name or workout: yoga, stretching, or cardio. In addition, the audience follows the brands and online stores they are interested in and learns about the app on their blogs, social networks, and newsletters.

To promote mobile applications, a strategy of specific actions is developed, which includes:

• Creating a unique positioning different from competitors.
• Work on raising the profile of the program and informing the audience about its benefits.
• Developing engaging elements, improving user experience, and retaining visitors.
• Receiving feedback and quick response to user requests.
• Development of the project with the help of new functionality and elimination of bugs.

When promoting, you can focus on the main parameters: the number of downloads, the duration of the session, the quality of reviews and ratings, and the relevance of the page.

ASO-optimization of Mobile Apps

After development, the product is added to app stores to drive traffic and get feedback. Users learn about new products through searches or selections. To get to them, you need to have a high rating, good reviews, and a well-optimized page.

ASO is used to get organic traffic in stores. This is a way to improve the position of the mobile application in search results and increase conversions. The method resembles SEO for websites: it is necessary to collect the correct metadata and optimize the content.

ASO's promotion of mobile applications is based on two factors:

1. Search promotion affects ranking and the number of downloads. If you don't use it, stories hide the app from users.
2. If the design does not look attractive or you have a low rating, you lose part of the target audience.

To get long-term results, you need to build an ASO strategy and stick to it.

Features and Methods of ASO Optimization from Elit-Web

It should be noted that the Google Play Store and App Store algorithms differ from each other. That is why a comprehensive and balanced approach should be chosen. The first platform works based on artificial intelligence, so setting key indicators will be easier. Google Play can inflect words and choose synonyms. The App Store is more primitive: here you should choose the most relevant requests, otherwise, the application will not get many downloads.

ASO mobile app optimization can be compared to search engine optimization (SEO). Marketplace users use search queries to find the game or app they want. At the same time, the marketplaces themselves can create selections with recommendations of popular programs, based on user preferences. Typical ASO tactics include keyword optimization, search and paid advertising (which also affects regular search results), and Google Play or App Store category rankings.

All these tactics are necessary to increase the rating of the application. Experienced marketers use several methods simultaneously to achieve maximum effect. However, paid advertising requires investment and can be difficult to launch in the initial stages. ASO optimization is a fundamental aspect that must be mastered to ensure a mobile app's long-term success.

Similarities and Differences between SEO and ASO

These two optimizations often overlap in complex application promotion. However, we have highlighted the main similarities and differences between them.

Similarities between ASO and SEO:

• keywords – in SEO, they help improve visibility in search engines, and in ASO – ensure the visibility of the application in stores;
• content optimization – if in SEO content (text, images, video) is optimized for search engines, then in ASO – to attract users to the application store;
• ratings and reviews – they increase user trust and influence positions.

Differences between ASO and SEO:

• platforms – search engine optimization is used to increase the visibility of the site in Google systems, while ASO is focused on the App Store and Google Play application stores;
• goal – SEO is needed to attract visitors to the website, and ASO – to attract users to download the mobile application;
• ranking factors – in SEO, ranking is determined by algorithms of search engines, and in ASO it depends on popularity, ratings, and optimized metadata of the application;
• ways to interact with content – in SEO, users interact with the content on the site, and in ASO, with the elements of the app page in the store, such as the description and screenshots.

The ability to retain and increase user engagement is what the best ASO strategies are built on. Understanding your audience and how they interact with your app improves the results of your ad campaigns. This helps improve the UX and personalize the user experience. Ideally, the program should improve the quality of life of users. In this case, it will be used every day.