App Store Optimization Guide How to Get Noticed in the Apple App & Google Play Stores
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Contents
Getting started
3
App store optimization explained
4
Optimization differences between Apple and Google
7
Tactic 1: Keyword research, selection & placement
8
Where to place keywords in an Apple App Store listing
10
Where to place keywords in an Google Play Store listing
13
Tactic 2: Icon selection
20
Tactic 3: Strategically choose visuals
23
Tactic 4: Choose the right category
26
Make a splash. Get downloaded.
1.6
million apps in the Google Play Store
We all want to turn heads. Get noticed. Maybe it’s by making music, sharing ideas or excelling at a craft. Regardless of the method, the end goal is the same: Make an impact. The objective of an app in the Apple App or Google Play Stores is no different. But to make that impact, share that idea or provide that new moment of understanding, simplicity or efficiency, the apps must first face a rigorous test— public opinion. It must be downloaded. That’s where this guide comes in. Competition is fierce. According to Statistica.com, as of July 2015, there were 1,600,000 apps in the Google Play Store and 1,500,000 in the Apple App Store.1 While there’s no magic bullet to stop users
1.5
million apps in the Apple App Store
scrolling through hundreds of search results in their tracks, app store optimization can help. 3
App store optimization explained
4
What is app store optimization?
Inbound marketers are charged with optimizing their websites for specific keywords so they rank highly in organic search. That’s SEO. App store optimization (ASO) is similar. One purpose is to increase the likelihood your mobile app will be found by users. Keywords help, but so too does the structure of your listing and even the design of the app icon. The second often-overlooked component is conversion optimization. You can rank first and still fail at ASO if no one chooses to
Low budget. High impact. App store optimization is particularly important because it allows creators low cost exposure compared to the large budgets integrated marketing campaigns can rack up. Research shows users interact with app stores frequently. According to one survey, 64% of people had downloaded an app in the past 7 days.2
download your app. 5
Breaking through the noise
How users find mobile apps
52% Family, friends and colleagues
40% How do users find mobile apps? According to
General browsing in an app store
Trademob, a mobile app advertising platform, approximately 100,000 installs will propel an app into the Apple App Store top 10. The installs needed are up 25% from 2013.3 As of September 2014, Statistica found recommendations from family and friends
27% Search engines
have the most influence over what users chose to download.4 6
Apple
Optimization differences between Apple and Google
Apple’s algorithm assesses the relevancy of the keywords and content in the title and 100 character description. It puts weight on download volume, reviews and the perceived positivity of those reviews. Any press or social awareness is helpful in driving traffic to the app but doesn’t directly impact rankings.
Google The Google Play Store takes a more holistic approach. The algorithm is more SEO-focused using the online app store listing, any associated web pages, links from blogs, press releases, articles and social proof to assign rankings. The correlation is a direct one between linked press, media or social signals like tweets, shares and +1s. Google sees this social proof as citations of popularity.
What the Apple and Google ranking systems value 6 High download rates aren’t the only factor driving
Download velocity: Number/time
Comments
high app store visibility. Changes to the Apple and
Quality/Uninstalls
Keyword density
Google algorithms have placed a greater emphasis
Frequency of use
Social engagement
on reviews, ratings and meaning.5
Number of ratings
Number of backlinks
Quality of ratings
What are the differences between how the Apple App and Google Play Stores rank listed apps?
How do you rank higher in the app store? 7
Tactic 1: Keyword research, selection & placement
8
Choose your keywords wisely
Characters available in the Apple App Store 7 Name: ~25 recommended to display in search Keyword field: 100 Description: 255 before users must click Keywords are a ranking hunter’s best friend. And for those pursuing them, there’s no need to wear camouflage. They are the foundation of app store optimization, though their placement,
to read more
Characters available in the Google Play Store8
frequency of use and structural limitations of
Title: 30
the listings differ between the Apple App and
Keyword field: N/A
Google Play Stores.
Description: 4,000 9
Where to place keywords in an Apple App Store listing The title
Keyword field
Research has shown adding a keyword to your title
Unlike the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store
will result in a 10.3% increase in app store search
has a keyword field. Keywords are placed here.
rankings.9 The best way to incorporate this is to
The caveat? There are only 100 characters, so don’t
use the following formula, “App Name - Keyword.”
waste time with spaces. Add your keywords using the
Technically the title can be 255 characters long.
formula word,word,word,etc.
Though, it is worth noting Apple penalizes apps with titles “stuffed” full of keywords. Twenty-five characters is the recommended number, but some of the top apps average 50 characters in the title.10 10
Pro tips for ranking in the Apple App Store Don’t bother adding multi-word keyword phrases or spaces to the keywords field in the App Store. Use single words Don’t bother adding multi-word keyword phrases or spaces to the keywords field in the App Store. For example, if you’re targeting the phrase “mobile conference app” you would want to add the keywords individually like this: mobile, conference,app. Keywords should not be repeated. 11
Write a human description
Since keywords in the Apple App Store description field have no impact on your rankings, make sure you use it purely to market your app to potential users and highlight its value proposition. Keep it short, concise and impactful. Choose your words wisely to capture and convey your app’s brand
Title don’ts Repeat keywords Include categories Type out numbers Include filler words (a, the, and)
personality in the limited space. 12
Where to place keywords in the Google Play Store listing
The title
Description
Similar to the Apple App Store, placing a keyword in the
Google Play doesn’t offer a keywords field like the
title can only help to improve the optimization of your
Apple App Store does. This means it’s important to
listing in the Google Play Store. Avoid common terms.
write your 4,000 character description so it appeals to
Instead look to reinforce what your app is about. Try to
humans and robots. What does this mean? Your
keep your title focused and as short as possible while
description should repeat important keywords five
conveying meaning. Depending on the size of the form
times each, but should also not feel like SEO bait.11
factor the viewer is using, the title may be truncated.
13
Pro tips for ranking in the Google Play Store
Link to your Google Play App listing As you enter characters in the Apple App or Google Play Stores, it will recommend queries based on the characters you have entered. Do this to brainstorm good keyword ideas for your app. If this isn’t yielding enough results for your app, try Google’s Suggested Search results instead.
Leverage Google+ Put some effort into getting as many +1’s as you can on Google+. Post about your app in relevant Google+ communities, and get your coworkers and friends to help promote it on their Google+ profiles. 14
Keyword placement
APP STORE
APP
GOOGLE PLAY
Highest impact on rankings
TITLE
Highest impact on rankings
DESCRIPTION
Impacts rankings
Impacts rankings
KEYWORDS FIELD
No keyword field
Impacts rankings
RATINGS & REVIEWS
Impacts rankings
No impact on rankings
APP LISTING LINKS
Impacts rankings
No impact on rankings
15
How to choose your keywords
Know your target demographic To jumpstart your brainstorm session have a solid understanding of your target audience and precisely how your app benefits them. This can provide parameters for choosing your keywords or even knowing where to start. Begin by anticipating the need your audience is trying to solve. Are they satisfying their urge for fun, organization or maybe both? Put yourself in your Now you know where to place your keywords in an
users’ shoes and anticipate how they might
Apple App or Google Play Store listing. Choosing
search for it. Assume the vernacular of your
them is a completely different ball game. It’s a
audience. How a 60+ business man searches
little intuition, a lot of research and a good dose of
for an app could vary markedly from a 16-year-old
time. Yes, time. Proper placing and spacing of your
athlete. Ask yourself—is my query searchable and
keywords won’t matter if they aren’t the right ones.
is it sensible? 16
Tools that can guide your search
Google Trends Best for checking the popularity of keywords Use Google Trends to identify keyword phrases that have a lot of interest and seem likely to trend upwards in interest in the immediate future.
SEMRush Best for comparing the keywords competitors are targeting If a similar app has a website, scan its website with
Google Suggested Search Best for brainstorming keywords As you enter characters in the Apple App or Google Play Stores, it will recommend queries based on the characters you have entered. Do this to brainstorm good keyword ideas for your app.
SEMRush to see the kinds of keywords it’s ranking for. Then assess their popularity and value.
SensorTower Best for checking the uniqueness of your app title
If this isn’t yielding enough results, try Google’s
Type your app’s name into SensorTower to see
Suggested Search results instead.
whether apps with competitive names exist. 17
Popularity
Considering the emergence of the “long tail” in mobile app keyword selection
What is the “long tail”? Chris Anderson, former editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine first wrote about the long tail in an October 2004 article. He later released a book on the same topic in 2006. The idea of the long tail is one of fragmented consumerism. In today’s age, Anderson argues mainstream products and markers are less important. They have been replaced with niche products. If this holds true, it’s good news for app developers.14
Head Long Tail Products
Apple App and Google Play Store users aren’t afraid to explore. It’s important to note general browsing in the app stores isn’t far behind recommendations from friends and family as an impetus to download. This could indicate the “long tail” as noted by research firm Nielsen is playing an increasing role in user behavior navigating both app stores.13
The long tail in the world of app listings For our purpose, the short and long tails relate to the specificity of targeting. A keyword that could be considered part of the short tail is popular with high search volume. By comparison, a keyword that falls into the long tail is highly specific. When choosing a short or long tail keyword, consider the potential search volume. Analyze whether the high traffic of a short tail keyword will be more impactful than what could be a highly specific or motivated audience searching for a long tail keyword. Best case scenario? Find a happy medium, a golden zone keyword where the competition is low enough and the search volume is high enough to provide the desired download rate. 18
Keep an eye on the competition Approximate difficulty ranking for keywords If X number of apps exist in the competitive space, A large part of keyword research is understanding
how hard will it be to rank for those keywords?12
the landscape and where your competitors have decided to play. So, make a list and note how they’re ranking. Look to determine how popular they are. Use downloads and the positivity of their reviews as your guide posts. Begin to determine
• Easy - 25 apps • Medium - 25-100 • Competitive - Keywords used in 100+ apps
where your app would rank in the list. Although these numbers provide a good Competitive listings can also provide inspiration.
benchmark, it’s all relative. If all 25 of the apps
You may see important keywords in their listings
in a given competitive space are optimizing their
that you hadn’t thought of yourself. Also consider
listings really well, it could be more difficult to
looking at competitor’s reviews to see what their
break through then in a category where 100 app
users are talking about. This can be helpful for
lists are optimized very poorly. It’s also entirely
keyword selection, as well as crafting a compelling
possible that ranking eighth for a competitive
app description (based on what users are calling
keyword could serve your interests better than
out and talking about the most).
ranking first for a keyword no one is querying. 19
Tactic 2: Icon selection
20
Pay attention to conversion optimization
Make a good first impression
Conversion optimization differs from rank optimization and is measured by how likely users are to actually download the app after they view it. A more polished icon with a more concise title might attract users to convert and download your app compared to a more highly ranked option.
A/B test your icon options
Besides your title and category, the icon you
Create a few different visual styles to test and release them as paid social promotion via Twitter and Facebook. Also consider Google Ads. Target the same keywords you are planning for your app store listing and see what performs best. Then use that intelligence to make your icon selection. You only have a few seconds to entice users to download you app. Make them count.15
choose to represent your app is one of the first ways users assign credibility. The cleaner, more unique and more impactful your icon is, the more visual credibility it conveys. So don’t leave your icon selection up to intuition. Test it. There are a variety of ways you can assess whether your icon choice is a good one. The most common is to leverage social, search or banner advertisements to see how potential users are reacting to the visual identity system and how effectively the icon you choose drives conversion action.
Icon pro-tips • Consider omitting text • Ensure consistency between your icon, app and
corresponding website • Create a border within your icon, so no matter
the user’s phone background, it stands out 21
)x1( IPDM
Icon size guide Apple App Store16 iPhone 6 Plus (@3x)
iPhone 6, 5, and 4 (@2x)
iPad & iPad mini (@2x)
iPad 2 & iPad mini (@1x)
App Store Icon (@1x)
180 x 180px
120 x 120px
150 x 150px
76 x 76px
1024 x 1024px
Google Play Store The short answer: 512Ă—512 pixels, PNG format. The long answer: Different screen displays require different display densities marked as dots per inch. The table below captures the size variety needed.17
ICONS
MDPI (1x) 160 DPI
HDPI (1.5x) 240 DPI
XHDPI (2x) 320 DPI
XXHDPI (3x) 480 DPI
XXXHDPI (4x) 640 DPI
Launcher
48px
72px
96px
144px
192px
Action Bar
32px
48px
64px
96px
128px
Small/Contextual
16px
24px
32px
48px
64px
Notification
24px
36px
48px
72px
96px
22
Tactic 3: Strategically choose visuals
23
Get visual with your listing
Apple19 • 5 screenshot maximum • 1 screenshot minimum • 72 dpi, RGB, flattened, no transparency • High-quality JPEG or PNG image file format Create your screenshots in any of the following sizes: • 640 x 920 pixels for hi-res portrait (without status bar) minimum • 640 x 960 pixels for hi-res portrait
Beyond the app icon, screenshots are the next best way to help users connect with your app visually. Better yet — it gives them more insight into the experience. The first two screenshots are the most important. These appear in search.18
(full screen) maximum • 960 x 600 pixels for hi-res landscape (without status bar) minimum • 960 x 640 pixels for hi-res landscape (full screen) maximum
Pro tip: Add additional information to your screenshots Think beyond a screen capture. This is your chance to communicate information to users in a small amount of time and using a small amount of real estate. Consider adding additional text or overlays to explain the functionality of your app.
Google20 • 8 screenshots allowed for each supported device • 2 screenshots required at a minimum • Minimum dimension: 320 pixels • Maximum dimension: 3840 pixels 24
Extra visual considerations Considering a video? Adding an informative video to your listing that shows your app in action can be a very good thing, enticing potential users to convert and download. There’s no question a video shows an app’s capabilities better than five or eight screenshots ever could. On the other hand, if it’s not wellexecuted, users will be able to tell, and with a swipe of the finger they’re on to the next thing. Only include this if you have the dedicated creative and financial resources to create media that offers an informational or visual wow-factor.
Plan what to show above the fold When writing your app descriptions, think about what should go above-the-fold versus below-thefold (where you need to click to reveal). 25
Tactic 4: Choose the right category
26
App store category selection
Most popular apps in the Apple App Store, July 2015 22 Games
21.8%
Business
10.33%
Education
9.79%
Lifestyle Entertainment Utilities Travel
8.57% 6.5% 5.05% 4.42%
Books
3.67%
Music
3.05%
Health & Fitness
2.81%
Productivity
2.81%
Sports
2.6%
Food & Drink
2.5%
Photo & Video
2.41%
Finance
2.36%
Reference
2.34%
a great idea gathering dust. Apps can be listed in
News
2.32%
two categories in the Apple App Store, and three
Medical
2.05%
Social
2.03%
Picking the right category to classify your app can also spell the difference between high visibility and
categories if it’s a game. The Google Play Store allows only one category to be assigned.21
Navigation
1.16% 27
Manage your reputation
Recipe to successfully collect reviews 1. After a certain threshold of engagement (maybe opening your app five times), add a Since both of the app stores factor the positivity
prompt asking users to rate/review your app.
of reviews into their algorithms, reputation
Only display this once.
management is key to boosting the visibility of your app. The best way to do this? Mitigate
2. If the user responds, “Yes,” link them to provide
negative reviews and nurture highly-engaged
a review. If the user responds no, direct them to a
users. One way to accomplish this is using your
form where they can offer constructive criticism.
app for two-way communication with users and building review collection into the experience. That
Using this process you’re helping to gate the
way it’s easy for the most highly engaged users
reviews your app receives, encouraging positive
to add their input and help boost your scores.
reviews and deflecting the negative user feedback
However, don’t be too aggressive.
that can harm the visibility of your app. 28
Parting tips
1. We all need a “take-two” sometimes. Let’s say you release your app and it becomes apparent that another set of keywords would fit your app and target audience better. Know that when you release an update, you can replace or add keywords.23
2. Expand your reach. Translate your app. If users can’t understand your app, how can they use it? That’s why only apps in the user’s language will show up in their search. By investing the resources to translate your app, you open up usage to a whole new population. Think of the potential to earn a leg up over the competition. 29
Talk with an expert Ready to innovate? Contact us to learn more about App Store Optimization. We’re all ears. 855-403-5514 info@mentormate.com
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References 1
7
13
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8 Saccomani, Pietro. (2015, March 10). App store optimization in 9 steps. http://www.mobiloud.com/blog/2015/03/ app-store-optimization-9-steps/ 9 See Tune. 10 Urban, Diana. (2015, February 6). How to name your app to get more downloads. http://info.localytics.com/blog/how-to-nameyour-app-to-get-more-downloads 11 Parrish, Adam. (Accessed: 2015, August). Simple Android icon size guide for Lollipop 5.1. https://www.creativefreedom.co.uk/icon-designers-blog/simple-android-icon-size-guidefor-lollipop-5-1/ 12 Kissmetrics. (2013, June). App store optimization – a crucial piece of the mobile app marketing puzzle https://blog.kissmetrics.com/app-store-optimization/
14 Anderson, Chris. (Accessed: 2015, August). About me. http://www.longtail.com/about.html 15 Johnson, Robin.(2015, March 17). Actionable tips for app store optimization [infographic]. https://blog.optimizely.com/2015/03/17/ actionable-tips-for-app-store-optimization-infographic/ 16 iOS Developer Library. (Accessed: 2015, August). Icon and image sizes. https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/ documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/ MobileHIG/IconMatrix.html 17 See Galazzo. 18 Galazzo, Laurie. (2015, March 6). Apple App Store vs. Google Play Store: 3 major ASO differences. http://www.applift.com/blog/ios-app-storegoogle-play.html
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