Tips to improve an app for the App Store

With more than two million applications in the Apple App Store, it's now more important than ever for your app to stand out in the app store. Why, you ask? This is because more than half of all users use an app store search to reach the desired app before downloading it.

To stand out, you can use paid campaigns: Cost per install (CPI), ads, affiliate campaigns or promotions on social networks. This allows you to achieve the necessary hype about your newly launched mobile app. But not everyone has the budget for it. If this is the case, of course, you can always use the organic method.

This last method is used by 98% of those who launch an application. App Store Optimization (ASO) plays an important role in this to ensure that your app performs better in the app store rankings organically.

What is ASO?

Simply put, ASO is the mobile app optimization process so that they occupy a higher position in search results. The goal here is to drive as much traffic as possible to your app page, allowing the app to download.

Higher rankings = better visibility = more downloads

Now we have an idea of ​​what ASO is, let's look at some factors you should consider to rank higher in the App Store. Both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store use their own unique algorithms to rank mobile apps. For optimize your application For both platforms, you will have to use two different processes.

Knowledge about ASO for Google Play Store It is discussed in several places and is quite well known. Unfortunately, when it comes to mobile apps for the Apple App Store, many developers and marketers still think that the same process can be followed as for the Google Play Store, but that is not the case.

Let's take a look at what you should look for to help your mobile app rank better in the Apple App Store. We will also see how this is different compared to the Google Play Store.

Number of downloads

Apple takes 30% of the total revenue earned by a mobile app available through its app store. Revenue at Apple They are related to the number of times an app is downloaded from its app store. From Apple's point of view, it is important to highlight the applications that are downloaded the most. This is Apple's biggest income. These apps will then appear at the top of the search results.

The Google Play Store also uses the total number of downloads, but considers other factors as well. These are various UX factors and user dwell time for certain apps that are taken into account to classify apps. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to what you are looking at for each app to get a good score on the Google Play Store.

Apple only cares about the number of app downloads. The number of downloads is the most important factor in ranking different apps in your app store. Unfortunately, the number of downloads is a factor that you cannot directly influence. For your app to work, it is important to carry out a series of promotional activities.

How can you promote your app?

• Press releases– Notify high authority PR websites when the official launch of your app takes place. This can help with the first push in the right direction. Additionally, there are app discovery platforms, which can help provide additional attention at the beginning of the launch.
• Social promotions– Announce the launch of your app on all your social media pages. Ask your friends and family to try the app and take advantage of word of mouth. During the process you can already get the first good reviews.
• Communicate with influential people– Collaborate and communicate with local influencers to advertise your mobile app. By using their network, you can increase your own audience.
• Events- Attend events and exhibitions related to your industry. Make the app known to the people who matter in every way possible.

Keywords

We all know how important keywords are to Google. You can literally add keywords in your app description and title to make your app relevant to a certain search query. These will then be included in the Google Play Store ranking.

Playing with keywords, on the other hand, is limited with Apple's App Store. You only have a 100 word space for this. Keywords you use elsewhere are probably a waste of space in the App Store.

This means that you must be very careful with the use of keywords to reach a certain group in the App Store. By using a tool like Google Keyword Planner you can get an idea of ​​what keywords you should use to reach a certain target group in your app niche. 

Once you've selected a focus keyword, you can use the AppAnnie tool, for example, to generate suggestions for other keywords. Next, you can prepare a competitive analysis.

Once you've selected the strongest, most relevant keywords to target, use our tips below. This allows you to make better use of the little keywords you can play with in the App Store.

• Unlike the Google Play Store, keyword repetition on the App Store makes little sense.
• Using the plural of keywords does not make any sense in the App Store. This automatically keeps the plural of the selected keywords.
• Use short keywords and do not write the numbers in full when necessary to save the number of words.
• Use a comma instead of a space to separate keywords.

Ratings and reviews

The ratings and reviews you get for your app are an important factor for both app stores. It's obvious why Google uses the app reviews it has received for the latest version of your app to display ratings in the Play Store. Apple uses all the reviews you've received about your app.

When was the last time you downloaded an app on your phone (Google or Apple) without looking at the app's ratings and reviews? Of course you always do.

According to a study, 70% of all users consult reviews of an application to determine their purchase (download) decision. The higher the ratings, the more downloads there will be and this will increase the app rating. It's as simple as that.

Again, this is a factor you have little control over. We'll give you some tips to help you get the right type of reviews for your app.

• A smooth user experience will always provide good feedback for your app.
• Never ask for feedback after a bug or crash report. Chances are you won't hear good things.
• Don't beg for high ratings. Always ask for honest reviews in a friendly manner.
• Try not to interrupt your users' user experience by requesting a review when they are busy with something in your app. This will probably lead to bad reviews or, in the worst case, the app will even be deleted.

Visuals

Your app must be attractive enough to persuade the user to download it. People are attracted to beautiful things. Our brains are like that and your application should not be lacking in this aspect. Therefore, this factor is important for both app stores in order to increase the number of app downloads.

By visual elements we mean: app screenshots, app logo, app website, and the intro video. Literally any visual element a user interacts with on your app's home page should look great.

Here are some tips to ensure your app stands out visually:

• A beautifully designed app logo that has received attention is a must.
• App screenshots and other images must be of high quality.
• The visual elements of the app should match your brand and create a sense of recognition.
• Provide a short but good intro video on your app page. We all know how well a video can work to pique people's interest.

Conclusion

We have analyzed a series of points that can help your application obtain a better score in the Apple App Store. Of course, there are many other factors that directly or indirectly affect the ranking of your app. There may not be as many as with Google, but if you focus on these points you will see an improvement. By optimizing your app, Apple's algorithm will do the rest for you, allowing you to enjoy more downloads of your app.