The 10 Best ASO Tips that You Should Know in 2022

With more than 3 million Android and 2 million iOS apps, how can you be sure that your app gets noticed and people download it? 

There’s no doubt that the competition in app stores is at its fiercest today. That’s why it is not enough to simply create a great app. You need the right ASO marketing strategies to increase your app’s potential for success.

A lot of app owners and marketers know that they need to perform ASO. However, not everyone knows how to do it. That’s why, in this post, let us go through the 10 most important and effective ASO tips that will surely bring your app to the next level of success.

What is App Store Optimization?

Before we proceed, we must first understand what App Store Optimization really is.

App Store Optimization, or ASO in short, is the process of increasing the visibility of your app in the app store. 

Image source: Apple App Store

Aside from that, ASO also focuses on improving click-through rate (CTR). This means that it is not enough for users to see your app, but they must also tap or click on it and perform your desired action.

Why is ASO important?

The importance of ASO can’t be overemphasized. According to studies, ASO is among the primary driving factors for 68% of new app downloads.

As you can see, ASO leads to increased visibility of your app on app stores. Data shows that the higher your visibility, the more people would see your app. 

Image source: Google Play Store

With more people seeing your app, there’s a greater chance for your app to get downloaded. From there, more downloads mean more opportunities for app growth and increased revenue.

In summary, the benefits of ASO include the following:

• Higher app discoverability
• Increased app store page traffic
• Increased sustainable and long-lasting organic downloads
• Get more engaged and high-quality users
• Lower user acquisition costs
• More app customers
• Increased profit

What are the different ASO optimization techniques?

There are different ways ASO is done. These techniques may include:

• using the right keywords, 
• designing your app store listing page to ensure people are convinced to download your app, 
• using the right assets such as screenshots and app previews, 
• improving your ratings and reviews, 
• and so much more.

The general principle of any ASO technique is to design every aspect of your app store page in such a way that it contributes to the discoverability of your app. 

We are going to talk about these in greater detail as we go through the 10 different ASO tips that you will learn in this post.

The 10 Most Effective ASO Tips and Techniques

Now that you have an idea of what ASO is, why it is important, and how it is done, it is time for us to discuss the best ASO tricks and tips you should know today and beyond.

1. Create the best app

Before you market a product, you’ve got to have a product first. You need to invest the time, energy, and resources to create an app that will benefit other people. After all, it is easier to market a great app than a lousy one.

Image source: Apple App Store

That’s why creating the best app would lay the strong foundation on which you will start your app marketing. Having the right app could very well improve your chance of dominating the app stores later.

If you don’t have an app yet, you need to choose an app that has a greater demand but lower competition. If you can find that sweet spot and determine what type of app you want to create, then you’ll have a better chance of succeeding. 

The bottom line is that you choose an app that people would find beneficial or enjoyable to use. From there, create an app that delivers what it promises. By doing so, you’ll find it easier to perform ASO.

2. Choose the right app name

Your app name plays a major role in ASO and it can provide the direction for your app. It is so important that you must take some time to think about your app name.

Remember, one of the first things people see is the name of your app. It represents what your app is all about. It can influence people’s decision whether to continue reading about your app or not and ultimately download it.

When choosing an app name, remember these ASO tips:

• Keep your app name memorable and short
• Add keywords to your app name
• Your app name should be easy to search
• Have a list of potential app names and brainstorm
• Think like your users

One good example of an app name is this one from YouCut.

Image source: Google Play Store

On their app store listing, they include not just their name, but also what they do. So, just in their app name alone, you can know that YouCut is a video editing app.

3. Choose the right app icon

If you want more people to download your app, you must have an app that would attract your target audience. Remember, a lot of people using app stores are visual beings. They quickly skim through a myriad of apps and if your app icon doesn’t stand out, you’ll have a poor chance of getting more users.

Image source: Google Play Store

So, how do you choose the best app icon? Here are a few ASO tricks to remember:

• Use shapes and/or symbols that represent best your app
• Choose a simpler design rather than a complicated one
• Focus your app on one theme
• Avoid long words as much as possible
• Choose vibrant colors that would look good on different backgrounds
• Do a poll and let people help you decide which icon would best represent your app

4. Improve your ratings and reviews

Google Play Store and Apple App Store designed their platform so that users can easily decide which apps they should choose and use. They do this by immediately showing users your ratings.

Whether it is on search results or your app store listing, the ratings are made highly visible. It is placed right below your app name. The number of stars that you get from your users can either move your users closer to the bottom of your sales funnel or farther away from your app.

People use ratings as a quick way to compare apps. Thus, it is not surprising to see that apps with higher apps get more downloads.

Image source: Apple App Store

To increase your app rating, you need to do the following:

• Create a positive user experience
• Avoid bugs and technical issues
• Reply to users who left a negative review
• Listen to your users and see how you can further improve your app
• Persuade satisfied users to leave reviews

5. Aim to increase downloads

The main goal of ASO is for you to have increased visibility in app stores. The rationale is that the more people know about your app, the more people would download it.

However, if your app isn’t that visible yet like you are just starting, how can you get more downloads? 

You need to focus on converting the few people who have seen your app and turn them into users.

To do this, offer incentives and rewards. Special promos and deals can also convert potential users into actual users.

Aside from that, when people see that you have a lot of downloads, it tells them that your app could be something worth their attention. Thus, by merely having more downloads, you can get more attention from other users and you’ll be more effective in convincing them to download your app.

The number of your downloads influences your visibility. Remember, app stores feature and prioritize apps with a higher number of downloads.

6. Choose the right screenshots

Your app screenshots give your users a quick walkthrough of what your app is all about. If you have impressive screenshots, you’ll have a better chance of getting a new user.

Every expert ASO marketer knows that neglecting screenshots could be one of the biggest mistakes you’ll ever make. As you may already know, screenshots are part of the First Impression Frame (the area of your app listing that people see without scrolling down).

Image source: Apple App Store

By simply looking at your screenshots, people will only take about 7 seconds to decide whether they will use your app or not. That’s why screenshots can convince them to stay longer and hopefully, download your app later.

Here are a few of the best ASO tips to help you choose the right screenshots:

• Choose the screenshot style that you want to use: lifestyle, feature, or hybrid
• Your screenshots should showcase your unique selling points
• Include images captured within your app
• Create artistic screenshots that combine multiple in-app images
• Avoid small fonts and too many details
• Users will see your first screenshot, then the second, third, and so on. So, place the best screenshots at the start.

7. Add app preview videos

Aside from screenshots, another creative way to showcase your app’s impressive features would be to add app preview videos.

The best thing about app videos is that they are more engaging than simple screenshots and other assets on your app store listing. Videos capture people’s attention faster and longer.

It is true that app videos don’t directly affect the ASO ranking of your app. However, you need to realize that app videos can dramatically increase your app’s downloads. 

In other words, as part of ASO techniques, adding video may help you increase visibility because videos can attract more users. Apps with impressive app videos enjoy an additional increase in their app traffic and downloads.

The new look of app videos on Google Play Store when viewed on the web (Image source: Google Play Store)

Creating and adding videos can be different in Google Play Store and Apple App Store. However, there are general principles you can apply to whatever platform you are using.

Here are some of the best ASO tips for app preview videos:

• Add a clear CTA (call to action) in your video (“Play now” or “Download now”).
• Aim to create a short app video. Ideally, it should be just about 30 seconds.
• Add the most important message at the start of your video.
• Focus on showing the actual app experience.
• Think of your app video as a trailer for a new movie.
• When using text elements, they should be big and bold so people can easily read them.
• If you’re promoting a gaming app, be sure to feature more gameplay scenes.
• Choose visuals and materials that you have legal permission to use.
• Don’t include any references to specific events and dates to keep your video relevant all year round.
• Avoid misrepresentation and misleading content.

When creating videos, bear in mind the differences between the Play Store and App Store. Check out these differences:

Google Play Store

• App videos are called app promo videos
• App promo videos are displayed on the app store listing page and in selected branded searches
• Video length can be 30 to 120 seconds
• To add a video to the Play Store, you need to upload the video on YouTube
• You can add only 1 video per localization
• Thumbnail would be the same as the thumbnail you chose on YouTube
• No need for Google’s review and approval
• No specific restriction to what content you add (except those that violate terms and conditions)

Apple App Store

• App videos are called “app previews”
• App previews are displayed on the app store listing page and search results
• Video length should be 15 to 30 seconds
• File formats include MOV, M4V, and MP4
• You can add up to 3 videos per localization
• You can select the video thumbnail
• Needs to be approved by the Apple team
• Apple strictly prohibits the use of footage taken outside of the app

8. Compose the right description

App description allows you to talk about your app in greater detail. However, you shouldn’t think of your app description as a boring and long string of words and paragraphs.

Generally speaking, you write your app description intending to showcase the features of your app. At this point, you need to convince users why they need your app and what it can do for them.

Writing the right description would depend on which platform you use. Since Google Play Store and Apple App Store are the most popular app stores today, let’s take a deeper look at them.

Google Play Store

The app description in Google Play has two sections:

• Short description: app description preview, which is composed of up to 80 characters
• Full description: this allows you to write a description of up to 4,000 characters.

Think of the short description as a summary of your full description.

A crucial piece of information is that you must include keywords in your short and full description. Google uses keywords to determine what search results to give to users. If your keywords match the query terms, then you have a better chance of ranking higher.

Some quick ASO tips when writing your full description:

• Use bullets so that users can easily scan through your description.
• Use concise but descriptive paragraphs that allow your users to know more about your app.
• Divide your paragraphs into smaller blocks of text for easy reading.
• Use structured, easy-to-understand, and clear language.
• Include your contact details and website link so users can learn more details.

Apple App Store

Unlike Google Play Store, Apple does not scan through your description for keywords. This means you can better focus on writing a description that is fully dedicated to human readers rather than the algorithm.

Here are ASO tricks you can use when writing your description:

• Highlight the functionalities and features of your app
• Write an informative paragraph first before adding a list of functionalities
• Use terms and words your target audience would easily understand
• Focus on providing engaging details of your app in the first to third sentences because this is the first thing users will read without tapping on the “Read more” text.
• You can add keywords but it is not necessary.
• Avoid adding pricing because this is already added in a different section on your product page.

Aside from the full description on your App Store listing, there’s also the promotional text. The promo text is composed of up to 170 characters. Apple displays promotional text at the top of the description.

9. Use the right keywords

Among the different ASO optimization techniques, this could be the most important one. Using the right keywords directly affects your search ranking and app store visibility.

Both Google Play Store and Apple App Store use keywords to determine what search results they give to users. If you have the right keywords, you’ll massively increase your chance of getting noticed.

Image source: Apple Developer

How to choose the right keywords

Keyword research is vital to your ASO campaign. You can’t simply choose any keyword that comes into your mind. You have to make data-driven decisions in selecting the right keyword.

The exact steps to take when doing keyword research would vary depending on which app store you’re using.

Nevertheless, these are the most important steps to take when you need to do keyword research:

Brainstorming

• Write as many keywords as possible.
• Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and think about what keywords they may use when looking for an app like yours.
• Ask different people for keywords. It could be your friends, co-workers, family, and friends.

Broaden your keyword terms

Now that you have a list of keywords, you can expand that list further by doing the following:

• Think of the words that are associated with your keywords
• Using synonyms
• Check the apps and websites of your competitors
• Read the reviews of your competitors
• Use auto-complete suggestions of app stores

Narrow down your keywords

Both the App Store and Play Store give you a limited number of keywords to use. Obviously, you won’t be able to use all the keywords you have listed. Thus, this time, you need to narrow down and choose the best keywords.

You can do the following:

• Choose the most relevant keywords
• Determine which keyword has the highest search volume 
• Identify the keywords with the lowest competition

The difference in keyword research in Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Keywords play a vital role in both Play Store and App Store. However, keywords don’t work entirely the same on these platforms.

In Google Play, keywords should be added to the app title and short and full description. Avoid keyword stuffing and make sure that your description would still read naturally.

From the studies conducted, experts recommend that you add a keyword once in the app title and short description and 2-5 times in the full description.

In the App Store, Apple gives you a specific field where you can write all your targeted keywords. You need to make sure that you have added all your needed keywords in this field.

Aside from the keyword field, Apple also checks keywords in your app name and subtitle. Since Apple offers a limited number of characters you can add, you should not repeat keywords.

10. Perform A/B tests

You can’t possibly do all things perfectly on the first try. It is impossible that you will create an app landing page that has all the best combinations of app titles, icons, screenshots, videos, and keywords.

There will always be room for improvement and that’s where A/B testing comes in.

Image source: Vecteezy

A/B tests allow you to identify which of your assets and treatments give you the best results. It shows you which version of your app icon, screenshots or videos lead to higher user engagement and downloads.

In the Google Play Store, you can use the “Store Listing Experiments” to do A/B testing. On the other hand, the Apple App Store has a similar feature called “Product Page Optimization (PPO).”

A/B tests should be done regularly. This helps you to keep your page updated and optimized to gain more traffic.

Other important ASO tips

We have covered a lot of ground so far. However, there are other important ASO tricks and tips you should know.

These are the following:

1. When determining app ranking, in-app purchases are now being considered. So, if you are earning a lot from your app, chances are, your rank would also increase.
2. App stores have become more intelligent. They don’t just measure the number of installs, but also the retention and usage rate of your app.
3. Keyword research can be done using advanced tools. Don’t hesitate to use third-party services and products to ensure you’re targeting the correct keywords.
4. Be customer-centric. This means that in every ASO effort you do, think about your users and how your actions can affect their decision.
5. If you have the resources, it is better to hire professional designers and editors who can create the best app store assets for you, which include app icons, screenshots, and app videos. While yes, this means additional expenses on your part, your visual assets are too important to simply be done by inexperienced designers.
6. There are specific guidelines, terms, and conditions for each app store platform. We can’t discuss every one of them here. Therefore, be sure to read through them to better understand how to optimize your app store page.
7. Localization can dramatically boost your app ranking. When you create a separate app store listing for other countries, you begin to open a floodgate of new opportunities.
8. Don’t hesitate to study your competitors. You can take note of their strengths and emulate them in your app. You can also determine what they lack and their weaknesses. You can then capitalize on them.
9. Use consistent branding for your products, services, and company. This helps users to remember you and eventually create loyalty to your brand.
10. Update your app regularly. Building the best app doesn’t happen overnight and it is definitely not a one-time event. You have to constantly look for ways to improve your app and keep it on top of the competition.

Wrapping app: Learn more ASO tips and tricks

There are a lot of things to learn about ASO. What you learned from this post gives you a general overview of what it takes to run a successful ASO campaign.

If you are serious about improving your app’s visibility and therefore downloads and revenues, you should get the right ASO partner.

ShyftUp is your best choice when it comes to app store optimization. They have the right knowledge, experience, and expertise to perform various ASO techniques. They don’t just help you become more visible on app stores, but would actually assist you to become a popular brand in your industry.

Give them a try today and see how they can boost your app’s performance.