How to Improve Rankings of Your Mobile App in the App Store

And this is where it gets more interesting.

According to statistics, 90% of mobile time is being spent on these apps.

Does this mean every other app in the store is making it big?

Well, not really.

On the flip side, 28% of apps are uninstalled within the first 30 days, with 25% of apps being used only once in the first 6 months.

So, What Makes the Difference?

Three words—App Store Optimization, or in short ASO.

What is ASO?

ASO is search engine optimization (SEO) for the mobile app stores.

It’s a process where a mobile app is optimized to achieve a higher ranking in search results and top charts within an app store.

ASO holds a lot of similarities with SEO for websites. The result for both processes is the same—get easily picked out from the competition.

Why Does ASO Matter?

Well, digest this—63% of apps are discovered through search in the app store, according to a statistic by Forrester.

And for mobile apps that have used ASO to improve their app store rankings, this case study showed that their downloads increased by a whopping 1,478% in under a month!

How Do I Improve My Mobile App’s Ranking?

ASO might seem like rocket science at first, but it’s actually fairly easy to do the basics yourself.

You just need to master these 6 tips if you want to turn a few thousands of downloads into whopping millions, and a top ranking.

Infuse Keywords in Your App’s Name

Whenever a user searches for an app in the Google or Apple App store, what their algorithms do is scan through the various app names, to search for ones that best fit the inputted keyword.

This is why it’s very important to include a keyword or two in your app’s name.

But then again, not too many. You don’t want Google’s or Apple’s algorithm marking your app as spam.

There are several online tools you can use to find the right keywords, such as Ubersuggest, Keyword suggestions—which only works for iOS, and OneLook Reverse Dictionary.

Have a Comprehensive and Relevant Description

Your app’s description also plays a big role in how app store search engines find it among a host of many other apps.

Your best bet is to have a crisp yet relevant description, which also contains a few keywords that your potential user might use while searching for your app.

And just like for the app name, avoid spam. Google has a content policy that stringently deals with spam or repeated content in the app’s descriptions.

Focus on Your App Icon

App icons can go a long way in determining whether you’ll break the top rankings barrier or not.

This statement is backed by the results from this statistic, which shows that a better icon design can boost conversion rates by up to 560%.

Users tend to prefer simple app icons that don’t have too many words or symbols cramped up within a small space.

Your icon should still look good and legible when scaled down to iOS and Android sizes.

And, since these phones support dark mode, their design should still be eye-catchy against dark and light backgrounds.

Invest in Screenshots, and if Possible, a Preview Video

App users tend to be visual, especially when deciding which app to download from the app store.

Thus, investing heavily in the screenshots—especially the first three can go a long way in increasing your app’s ranking in the app stores.

But what works?

Well, two things:

• You need screenshots that show some of the best sections and features of your app.
• You need custom images that explain some of these core features your app has.

A nice example of this technique is that employed by Airbnb in the Google Play Store.

They have a mixture of in-app screenshots and a few custom images that sell the entire Airbnb experience to a user who’s just about to download the app for the first time.

A preview video can combine all these images into one file with motion and thematic music, that can also go a long way in explaining and cementing what your app does.

Make Use of Important Insights and App Analytics

How many downloads is your app getting so far?

What are the most common complaints or bugs from your users?

How long do they stay with the app before uninstalling it?

These are analytics and insights that should go a long way in not only informing how you are marketing the app but also how you are performing the entire app development process.

You see, the process of developing your app doesn’t stop with the launch—it goes far beyond that.

If there are some issues and bugs after launch, you will have to fix them and work on the experience people have with your app continuously.

With these insights, you can figure out where your conversion rates stand, what makes the figures stand as they are, and what you can do to improve them.

Keep a Keen Eye on the Number of Downloads and Reviews

These two are factors that are extremely difficult to control. But at the end of the day, they do affect how your app is ranking in the app stores.

For starters, as far as downloads are concerned, improving your app’s ASO, recognition, appeal, and brand visibility would go a long way in influencing the total number of downloads you get.

You can even make use of social media to get more reach and influence more people to download the app.

Your app’s review, on the other hand, will be affected by how well your UX is. Thus, a lot of effort needs to be channeled here to ensure most users are satisfied with how the app works, thus provide a better review.

Localizing your app can go a long way in affecting how well it’s ranked within the app stores.

Unlike what intuition might tell you, actual numbers indicate that English speakers, including the non-native ones, constitute only 20% of the world’s population.

Thus, you should localize your app, and have it cater to other languages.

The Bottom Line

Not all high ranking apps are wonder products made by geniuses in the deep of Silicon Valley.

At the end of the day, these men, women, and corporates had to employ ASO to better their rankings in the app stores.

And if you follow the tips provided, getting into the same league with the big boys won’t be a long shot.

Lisa Michaels is a freelance writer, editor and a thriving content marketing consultant from Portland. Being self-employed, she does her best to stay on top of the current trends in business and tech. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter @LisaBMichaels.