By: Liza Ro.
6 AUG 2016 1839
So you want to get the most number of downloads for your app on the app store. Well, all app developers want that but only a few know the exact way of doing it. In what follows, the process to get a high number of downloads is discussed. It is not rocket-science but it's surely one of those things that you may find a bit tricky if you are not already familiar with these sort of things.
Let us, therefore, start with a more common term known as SEO, or search engine optimization. Most of you must have heard of this term and would also know that in order to make any website stand out while searching through a search engine, keywords are critical. You get the right words, and your website is most likely to be highly ranked on various search engines, primarily Google. We are going to apply the same concept for apps as well. Any App Development Company can use the techniques for SEO and optimize their apps for easy accessibility. In other words, App Search Optimization (ASO) can be an efficient way of making your app stand out in the iTunes store.
Describing your Apps
Have an App name that is self-explanatory
It is vital that the viewers can understand what your app is about just by looking at the name of the app. If the name sounds a bit irrelevant to what the customers are searching for, they will immediately ignore your app. So it is therefore very crucial that you get the name right.
App Store keywords and the App Name
Having an app name that consists of App store keywords is also a good idea as this makes the app more accessible to customers. Have a short catchy name that is meaningful so that your customers do not have to read big chunks of text to understand what the app does.
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a name is to avoid using special characters. This is because Apple creates a URL to your app using the app’s name. This means that if you have such characters, your link will contain your ID and may not be recognizable by potential viewers.
Do not repeat
It is also important not to repeat app names. Having a name that is copied will cause your app to become disabled as Apple flags such apps which have copied names which means your keywords will not work in helping your app to be found.
Selecting the right keywords
Now that you know something about keywords and apps, it is time tell as to how you can effectively make a phrase that is easily discoverable.
Firstly, you need to know that Apple allows you to choose from a hundred keywords to name your app. So you have ample opportunity to come up with a unique name, given that now Apple has also become quite efficient with plurals which means now you can have a lot more flexibility in choosing keywords.
A tool that you can use when you create mobile app and want help with naming it is Sensor Tower. It keeps track of how many words you have used out of a hundred and this saves a lot of time as you know how many words are left at your disposal.
Overused keywords
People who design app know that the process of iOS app development is not as simple as you think. Usually, an app development company spends a significant amount of time to find their way out of overused keywords. It is not uncommon when you create mobile app. However, one way to get rid of it is to come up with names that are synonyms or perhaps you can use everyday idioms that reflect the function of your app. It is always a good idea to have your app in the top 5 search results for keywords that are not searched very often rather than being in the top 100 for keywords that are searched very frequently. In addition, you might be tempted to use trademarks for your app, but it is highly dangerous and therefore you are advised not to do so, otherwise, you will be shooting your own foot.
Be precise
Being concise is key. You do not get anything extra by putting long phrases as names for your apps. Make sure when you start to design app, you already have a clear idea of what the app is going to do and based on that come up with a short catchy name that gets the attention of your potential viewers.
Apps for ASO
A smart app development company will know that using some very efficient tools to optimize their app has become more of a necessity these days than a luxury. There are a number of apps that are very helpful as they can guide you to select the perfect keywords and names for your app. Some of them include:
You can have a look at any one of these and choose the one that fits your criteria. They can be used to find the keywords your competitors might be using along with some really unique words to name your app effectively. Additionally, tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends etc. can also come in handy while you are brainstorming for the keywords you want to use.
Quality
So a new app development company along with many new other independent app developers may lose track by focusing more on keywords that are frequently searched. However, this can be a wrong approach. Below are some tips and tricks that can get you up and running more effectively.
It is important to have a compatible app name
What this means is that it does not matter if the app name you might want to go with is not searched that often. What’s important is that your name is relevant to your app. You need to have a name that is most likely to generate the lead.
Look out for competitors
You need to be careful in selecting your keywords so that you are ahead of the competition. At first, you might be tempted to choose a word that is most searched, but this may be the one that can put your rankings in the top 500 which means your app many not be viewed at all. So have a name that puts at the top.
Frequency of Search
After having considered all of the above, it is only then that you will have to worry about the number of searches a keyword gets.
You can use the app tools mentioned above to help you with all of these tasks.
Some Extras
Let’s consider some extra tips that you can use to optimize your app search.
It seems that combining your app name with your or any developer’s name works quite well. This is because the App store is programmed in a way that it looks for the developer’s name as well when running the search. However, you have to a bit cautious as it can be dangerous sometimes when using names that are specific to the app as the developer’s name.
So I believe it is best that you keep trying different keywords and observing the results. The app store is very dynamic and things keep on changing so you need to be alert and keep trying new things if you want to stay ahead of the game. Use the app tools mentioned and try different techniques and keep track of the downloads that you manage to with each new attempt.