If you want to tap into app store search traffic, you need to develop a strategy for ASO Analysis for optimizing a mobile app’s store listing. In this article, we’ll cover building an app store optimization strategy for higher rankings and more organic app installs.
Start with ASO Analysis who your app is for:
Sometimes called an avatar, create a specific profile of an ideal user of your app. If there are several use cases or unique avatars, define each. An ideal user could be defined by expected lifetime value (LTV), by a propensity to share (creating a viral loop), or by likelihood for long-term app engagement. Define your new avatar(s) by at minimum demographics and related interests. For example – an avatar for my new (fictitious) “Perfect Jump Shot Trainer” app might be:
* Male
* Aged 25-44
* Active Gym member
* Interested in health and fitness-related apps and sites
* Fan of college and professional basketball
Define which features of your app are unique or differentiating:
You can approach these several ways, as long as the end result is a list of features of your app and benefits to a user. It may be helpful to start listing off your app’s features, and benefits related to specific use cases. Then review for those features that provide unique benefits. Now compare this list to your avatar(s). Before looking at competitive apps, do the features you have listed, and the associated benefits align to your target audience (avatar)? Make some adjustments as needed and move to competitive research.
Optimize creative elements:
Your best app store optimization strategy is starting to take shape! You have a list of essential and differentiating features of your app, and benefits written for specific use cases by your target market. The app features and your avatar will inform and direct all of your app listing elements, starting with the app listing’s creative elements including the app icon and screenshots. We have written much more on best practices for designing and optimizing app icons and screenshots, but the goal here is to incorporate all the information you have built thus far into something visual. It is likely obvious that the icon for the fictional basketball shooting app targeting 25-44-year-old men should not be pastels. Maybe not as obvious is how important communicating your app’s most unique and differentiating features is. Focus groups can help you identify which designs work best to communicate specific features with your target audience.
CONCLUSION:
Finally, app store optimization analysis is not set and forget. Optimization means measuring and adjusting towards an optimal state. Analyze app store optimization results monthly or at every new app submission. Because the app stores are a large, global, dynamic marketplace – reaching an optimal state is a moving target. But with regular analysis and adjustments to your app store listing, each incremental improvement adds up to a defendable long-term position in the app store search.