How does my app stand out from millions of apps out there?
Although answers to this question could easily form a lengthy paper that is comprised of deep dives into discussions from app development to some all-rounded marketing theories and strategies, here are some essential aspects and steps to evaluate and consider if you want your app to be well-performing and successful during (and after) its launch to the market. First of all, a “successful” mobile app is largely defined by the following parameters:The Level of Searchability and Discoverability by Consumers
No matter how brilliantly developed and designed, you need the app to be seen rather than being a hidden gem.
Whether Users Are Willing to Download Your App After They Found It
Is your app appealing and relevant enough for people to install.
UI and UX Design
Factors on both user journey level and branding and aesthetics level.
The Technical Experience When Using The App
Whether it is technologically smooth or always encounters glitches.
This article addresses pain points lie in the first two parameters and tries to map out viable suggestions for marketers, based on our company’s expertise in mobile app marketing for years.
Point 1 and 2 jointly direct us to app store optimisation (ASO), a concept that is important under the context of app economy, but not so well understood so far especially in Asia. We often get questions from clients or brands asking “does ASO only work for big MNC brands”, or “can I do my brand ASO as one-off”. In response to these common misconceptions, we always tell our clients: you need ASO for your app just as you would need SEO for your website.
So, what exactly is ASO? Simply put, ASO is a dimension of efforts that consists of several key sub-categories of work that contribute to the ranking and downloading of your app. It directly impacts the performance of your app, just as what SEO does to websites – an organic (and more “invisible”) process to improve your app’s searchability and relevance, opposite to it is the paid search ad which is more widely known and seen (apps with that little yellow “ad” icon when scanning through the app store).
Here’s a breakdown of the essential ASO areas we advise our clients to assess, thus to find ways to optimise their app performance:
Keyword Performance
Organic ranking of the keywords used to describe and position the app.
Conversion Rate
Whether the current app presentation (description, image screenshot, visuals etc) in the app store product page acts effectively to attract people download the app.*
*This always associates with another important concept in ASO: A/B testing, through which two different versions of app presentation are made available to viewers. Brands and service providers then compare the performance of each version to judge which set of app presentation leads to a better conversion rate.
Organic Install Performance
Statistics and numbers for a certain period of time (usually provided by client).
