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Using App Store Optimization to improve performance marketing
App Store Optimization, more commonly referred to as ASO, enables improving an app within the Apple App Store and Google Play in order to increase the number of app users.
And with Apple saying that 65% of downloads via organic searches in the Apple App Store, there is a lot of performance marketing value in ASO.
After Apple's privacy changes last year and more recent updates from Google and Apple's recent developer's events, we wanted to give you an update on the latest ASO changes you need to know to optimize your app store presence.
Apple/iOS: new performance-driven app store updates
At Apple's annual developer conference in June – WWDC 2022 – the company updated App Store Connect to provide benchmark data enabling the comparison of app performance with industry benchmarks. These benchmarks include conversion rates, retention as well as monetization benchmarks such as average proceedings per paying user.
At WWDC 2021, Apple announced a range of app store updates including In-App Events, Custom Product Pages, and Product Page Optimization.
In-App Events enable developers to create and promote events on their product pages. Developers can then view performance metrics for their In-App Events via App Analytics, including downloads, acquisition sources, event impressions and app opens.
Custom Product Pages allow developers to run targeted user acquisition campaigns on platforms and external channels. This enables marketers and developers to create product pages that reflect the content of the page where the ad appeared, creating a true contextual targeting opportunity. Data from Custom Product Page performance can provide insights for future campaign targeting.
Finally, Product Page Optimization facilitates the creation of up to three variations of the default product page. Developers can then run A/B testing in the iOS App Store through App Store Connect to determine which variation delivers the greatest conversions.
Google/Android: new performance-driven app store updates
At Google's I/O Conference in May 2022, the company made a few announcements that will impact ASO. First, Google announced that developers can create up to 50 Custom Store Listings (CSL) and generate a dedicated URL to drive traffic directly to the link. These are very similar to the Custom Product Pages for iOS mentioned above. CSLs enable analyzing performance, uplift, and the revenue impact for campaigns to specific CSLs.
Google also announced the expansion of LiveOps which closely resembles In-App Events on iOS. LiveOps enables adding different events, embedding deep links within events, and gaining visibility in the Play Store for new and returning users.
App store best practices:
Beyond these updates from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store, below are some ASO best practices for improving app store performance:
Use both English and local language keywords
Via Skai
Research from data.ai indicates that app marketers need to focus on both English and local language keywords for app store marketing.
And while we're talking about language, don't forget to target misspelled keywords. Make sure to research all queried keywords. For many categories, misspellings outperform branded keywords.
Monitor competitor keywords
ASO is a very competitive segment of marketing. Once a prospective user arrives in an app store, they're interested in solving the problem your app addresses. The only question is if they'll download and install your app or one of your competitor's apps. That's why it's so important to monitor competitor ads, examine their share of marketing voice as well as new keywords competitors are targeting to identify threats and opportunities.
Optimize frequently
According to research from the aforementioned data.ai report, leading apps are updated 44 times/year. And each update can improve an app's discoverability while creating new keyword marketing opportunities by highlighting new functionality. Data.ai found that non-gaming apps are updated more frequently than gaming apps, both in the Apple App store and in Google Play.
Do you have questions about ASO? Need assistance optimizing your app's performance in the app stores? If so, feel free to reach out to Creative Clicks.
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