In the last few years the popularity of mobile apps has been rising tremendously. A large part of this has to do with 32% of the global Internet traffic coming from mobile devices. The combination of the expanding mobile phone population and the ease of use apps bring to the user, as opposed to using a browser, is one of the major factors for the mobile app industry explosion today. 

In this increasingly crowded industry, you must know what to do to be successful in marketing your app. 

Why Use App Store Optimization (ASO)

Today, 65% of customers find mobile apps through ASO. In other words, the majority of app users goes into the app store and search for a particular topic to discover an app, rather than specifically seeking out an app by name. 

When users search keywords or categories, they come upon lists. The positioning of apps on these lists is directly correlated to the number of downloads the app has. The closer to the top of the list, the more likely an app is to get downloaded. ASO is what gets your app to the top of these lists. 

How to Use ASO 

Title 

Include strong keyword(s) in the app’s title. Be sure to do research on related keywords to determine which keyword(s) are best to use for your target demographic. Once you figure it out, keep it. Changing around your title often will make it harder for users to find you. If users tell their friends about your app, but it is now under a different name, it will be tough to find and users won’t waste too much of their precious time looking for it. Be easy to find. 

Apps with keywords in their title rank 10.3% higher than those apps without keywords (MobileDevHQ). 

Description

Keywords need to be strategically used within the app’s description. Find out what your customers are searching for to determine the keywords to include, thus creating more traffic to your app, with the App Store Optimization Keyword Volume Estimator. Some keywords are more competitive than others, so be sure to diversify your targeting to utilize a few keywords from each spectrum of competition. 

Be engaging to the user. Use short sentences or bullets to efficiently get your point across. The premise of your app must be highlighted in the first few seconds of reading as not to lose the interest of the user. Unlike your title, go back and forth and compare content to see which descriptions do better to increase the chances conversions. 

Snapshots are another great resource to draw in potential users. Just as in the description, be engaging and convey the concept of the app right off the bat. This time it is visual. Be strategic in choosing your screenshots, as they can only be switched out with a new app update.

Ratings 

Studies show that the higher the ratings, the higher in the rankings an app will be. Ratings are tougher than title and description because they are off meta and, for the most part, out of your control. One potential way for getting more reviews is the incentivize the user to rate the app. Perhaps they can get a new feature before it is released, or something of the like. 

Be sure to allow users to submit a rating when they feel great about it. On the flip side, attempt to cut off those users with poor feelings about your app to first contact customer service or receive support from the team prior to being able to submit a rating. 

When it comes down to it, if the app is visual, functional, and presents the user with a good experience, the great ratings will start pouring in organically.