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Top Ways To Rank Higher In App Stores & Boost App Downloads

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4,000,000 and still counting…. Can you guess what it is? Bravo! You guessed absolutely right. That’s the number of mobile applications combined together in the Google play store and iOS app store – and this staggering number is rapidly increasing by an average of 1,000 apps per day making smartphone app discovery more challenging than ever. According to Forrester, 63% of users still rely on major app store searches to download and install a new app on their phones. From this we can conclude that, the higher your app ranks in the app store search results, the more visible it will be to potential customers, resulting in more App Store Optimization companies in India downloads.

Have you ever wondered how your app will appear at the top in search results? No, alright let us tell you. There is a mechanics behind this which is commonly known as ASO, App Store Optimization. It is a process somewhat similar to search engine optimization, used for optimizing mobile apps to rank higher in the app store search results. Even some call it app store SEO, app search optimization, or mobile app SEO as well. The mechanics of app store optimization services include understanding your target audience and business goals first, doing in-depth research on the targeted keywords you want to rank for the in-app store,s and then optimizing your mobile application for those keywords. This overall effort helps in increasing the visibility of your mobile application for the targeted audience and targeted keywords, thereby driving more traffic and resulting in more app downloads. To optimize your mobile app, you may need to find out best App Store Optimization Company in India or if you are on a tight budget and don’t want to hire an agency or a company, you can follow these steps:

  • App Title: Make The Most of 255 Character Limit    

Believe it or not, unless you are a big brand, your app won’t get any recognition among potential users. In this scenario, what you can do is make the best use of 255 character limit for the App Title to describe the core functionality of your mobile application. You may not know that along with the app icon, your app title is the very first thing that your potential users notice, so it needs to be very attractive and unique. While deciding the title for your app, don’t use generic terms or names similar to the existing mobile apps. Also, don’t forget to use suitable targeted keywords in your app title so that it can be discovered easily, and keep everything under 50 characters because out of those 255 characters, hardly 50 characters clearly appear in the search results. So, play with the characters smartly.

Your App Title:

Needs to be short
Needs to be the point
Needs to explain your app clearly

  • App Icon –Must Be Attention Grabbing

Your app is one of the millions in the app store and the only way it can stand out is if its icon is beautiful, unique, and attention-grabbing. We all know that when a user searches for an app in the app store, the first thing he notices is the app icon followed by the app’s title and preview images. Therefore, while designing an icon of your app make sure it is attention-grabbing and tempts users to download your app. Do not clutter your app icon by adding so many visuals or app titles again onto the icon. The best possible way to decide on an icon for your app is to do some A/B testing with a couple of app icons to see which one works better.

  • User-Friendly App Description Is A Must-Have

Let’s be honest, not everyone is going to read your app description to find out what your app does, but this doesn’t mean that you should overlook this part or do a sloppy job while writing the app’s description. Although not many users are going to read the app’s description, it’s sure that a well-written description could be a game changer. You might not know that the app store ranking algorithm considers the app’s description into account while showing results for the app queries. That’s why it is recommended to use the target keyword 3-4 times in the description section, but don’t overstuff of high-ranking keywords. Stuffing keywords is a strict NO NO because it can penalize your account as well.

While writing your app’s description, you should be inclined more toward your customer base, rather than on the app store ranking algorithm, but this doesn’t mean that you should overlook algorithm ranking factors. The first few lines of your description should be compelling enough, as those are the ones that are clearly visible without clicking on reading more. Here are some tips for writing a good mobile app description:

Make short and persuasive paragraphs
Use bullet points
Clearly, list out benefits and use cases
Use social proof (press coverage, user testimonials)
Add information like what’s new in the updated version, version number, bug fixes, etc.
Incorporate links to website or support
Always keep in mind that the first 167 characters of the description become Meta description for the app store ranking algorithm

If your app has won an award or been nominated for an award, mention it. This will increase the chance of getting more downloads

  • Use Appealing Screenshots & Video To Drive More Downloads     

Like the app’s icon, screenshots & videos are the eye-teasers, which tempt users to download an app. Before hitting the install button, users spend the most time checking out the screenshots and preview video of an app, and if you’re app’s screenshots and video are not appealing and low quality, users are not going to hit the install button and download your app.  Here are some tips to design compelling screenshots:

The first two screenshots of your App Store Optimization Company in India play a crucial role in grabbing the attention of a user. By checking out just two screenshots, users make up their minds about whether they will install the app or not. So, make sure your first two screenshots are the attention grabber.
Don’t hesitate to explain one feature at the top of every screenshot. Make sure, it doesn’t look cluttery.
Make the best use of all the screenshots slots.
Do A/B testing with your video and screenshots to find out which one works better
If have designed your mobile app for tablets as well, make sure you upload tablet-size screenshots as well to get the ‘designed for tablet’ badge.

  • Influence and Encourage Users To Get Positive Reviews and High Ratings   

App store ranking algorithms consider the app’s reviews and ratings into account while showing results for app queries. So, naturally, if your app has good ratings and positive reviews, it will appear at the top of search result queries. If we think from the user’s point of view, reviews and ratings are certainly helpful in deciding whether to download an app or not. Right? Today, people do not even buy a small utensil from online stores without checking out reviews and ratings of other buyers. For anything to everything, we check out reviews and ratings. The same is the case with the mobile app in the app stores. Would you try to get your hands on a new mobile without checking out reviews and ratings? Of course, not. Right? Similarly, users check reviews and ratings before downloading any application on their phones. The opinions of other users matter a lot and play a crucial role in the success of your app. Therefore, you should always aim for getting as many positive reviews and ratings as possible for your app. You can also give a reward to your users for positive reviews and ratings. When you reward your users for positive reviews and ratings, chances are more that you will receive lots of reviews and ratings.

Although there are many other insane ways to rank higher in app stores & boost app downloads, you can start with these simple yet effective steps mentioned above. If you would like to harness the benefits of app store optimization, you need to invest both time and effort consistently. Like they say, Rome was not built in a day.

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Good Luck! See you very soon on the top charts in the app store!

Atul Kumar

Atul Kumar is a Digital Marketing Manager at Impressico Digital with over a decade of experience, making him the go-to expert for SEO, PPC, Social Media, Email Marketing, and Content Marketing. With a deep understanding and expertise, Atul has helped numerous businesses improve their digital presence and strategies to maximize ROI.

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