Posted on December 9th, 2017
App developers couldn’t ask for a better window of opportunity this holiday season to address their app’s core features and encourage users to tap “Get.” With new updates in the app stores and the release of long-awaited phones like the iPhone X, Google Pixel 2, and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, comes the perfect intersection for success. It’s more than likely that a good number of lucky recipients will be gifted a new phone before the year draws to an end – a phone that will be waiting to be filled with new apps. If you’re an app developer, you may be asking yourself, “How can I take advantage of this situation?” Regardless of whether your app is deployed on the App Store or Google Play Store, you have the option to choose the orientation (portrait or landscape) of your preview video and screenshots. A major question to consider is which option is right for your app? In this case, ASO doesn't have
Posted on December 8th, 2017
As the holidays are quickly approaching, Apple is giving developers the gift of Search Ads Basic and Search Ads Advanced, their newly released Search Ads programs. Since Apple announced Search Ads in late 2016, they have been a vital tool for developers expanding their app’s audience and visibility. They have also greatly helped developers understand the need to optimize their app’s metadata using ASO. Thanks to Apple’s two new programs, app developers of all types can start using Search Ads to compete against their competitors. The new programs aren’t necessarily targeting a certain demographic of app developers, but are instead trying to help them all understand how
Posted on December 2nd, 2017
In ASO, search visibility is important, but you need to focus on converting a viewer into a user. Your app can be ranked in the Top 10 for all high-volume keywords, but if you’re converting only a small percentage of users, you’re missing a huge mark. It’s a well-known fact that the best way to convert users is by having engaging creatives (icon, screenshots, preview video). Sometimes, however, the icon, screenshots and preview video don’t engage the audience well, resulting in decreased conversion rates. In order to successfully convert users, you have to test your creatives to see what resonates best with your audience. You can turn to A/B testing, the process of selecting an app variable and testing two variants to see which one performs better and converts the highest number of users. Testing your app’s creatives is an excellent way for developers to measure the impact of different variables to provide a more effective experience to users browsing the app store. Color palette, screenshot orientation, the order you position your screenshots, icon design and including a preview video are all variables that can be tested. Receiving quality feedback on which creative variant performed better than another will provide helpful insights that can save you time and money.
Posted on November 29th, 2017
As the holidays approach, many developers are launching updates to take advantage of the shift in seasonal search trends. Properly researching, preparing and launching updates tied to these trends can help apps stay competitive with what’s trending, while maintaining the app’s core rankings. End-of-the-year holidays provide a unique opportunity for apps across a wide range of categories. It’s always important to analyze how an app is performing and adjust accordingly. With the holiday season, however, comes specific opportunities for apps like shopping apps, games and even local restaurant discovery guides. These types of apps can benefit from eager users searching the app stores during the holidays, but can only successfully convert these users by incorporating ASO.
Posted on November 25th, 2017
It has been just over one year since Apple has rolled out its Search Ads platform, something that piqued the interested of developers interested in quality install channels world-wide. Search Ads is Apple's tool that helps developers bid on certain keywords at varying costs, allowing them to compete against other competitors in their market for their relative “hot keywords.” To this date, developers, agencies and marketers have spent upwards of $580 billion, according to a recent report by eMarketers. From a marketing perspective, it would only make sense to start spending it where millions of mobile users are browsing for the next big app. If you've got your campaigns all set up, how are they looking? Are you seeing the ROI you were hoping to see straight off the bat with your new investment in Search Ads? Hopefully your answer isn’t "no." If it is, then you may want to consider these five reasons why your Search Ads campaign may be failing: 1. Your Metadata is Irrelevant Make sure you fine tune your app’s metadata (title, subtitle, keywords, description) to make your app relevant for your most important terms in Search Ads. One of Apple’s first announcements was that your app would need to be as relevant as possible for all of the keywords you bid on. One of the largest pillars of App Store Optimization, relevancy can be built the following ways: a) Including the Search Ads keywords in your app's title b) Including the Search Ads keywords in your app's subtitle c) Including the Search Ads keywords in your app's promotional text d) Including the Search Ads keywords in your app's description Your ability to incorporate these keywords into your app description helps Apple determine how relevant you are for these keywords. This is not to say that you should keyword stuff- building contextual relevance for your targeted terms will help. The more relevant you are, the more likely you’ll appear and the more likely you’ll convert.
Posted on November 23rd, 2017
The holidays are just around the corner and app developers all around the world are updating their app’s metadata to let users know they are ready for the holidays. One thing developers have to consider when preparing their app’s metadata is how different territories celebrate the holidays. App developers that have their app deployed in multiple territories already know the importance of localization. What they might not know is how users in different territories take part in the holiday season. Some territories celebrate their version of Thanksgiving at different times, while some don’t celebrate it at all. As we move into December, many developers are looking to target Christmas, a holiday that some territories don’t celebrate or celebrate differently. Developers need to pay attention to the differences among territories. For instance, Japan celebrates Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day, and part of India celebrates Christmas by decorating banana and mango trees. It’s differences like these that developers need to pay attention to when localizing their apps for the holidays. If any developer is worried or unsure about where to start in the localization process, they can follow our tips to aid them this holiday season.
Posted on November 16th, 2017
With the release of iOS 11, developers everywhere are double checking their ASO checklists, especially in regard to their app
Posted on November 11th, 2017
As we near the holiday season, it means that we also get closer and closer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Posted on November 10th, 2017
Now that the iPhone X is released to the public, more and more app developers are realizing that they’ll need to create different sized screenshots to accommodate the new display size. While many users are excited about the brand-new retina display, they are also excited about its 5.8-inch display, which is larger than any iPhone Plus display of 5.5-inches. iPhone X screenshots are currently optional, but they will not size down to scale for other devices, meaning developers will need to create another set of screenshots just for the iPhone X. If developers want their users to get a feel for how their app would look and feel on the iPhone X, it’s smart to bite the bullet and create screenshots that match the required resolution. Below are the resolution sizes for the new iPhone X screenshots:
Posted on November 2nd, 2017
Now that users and developers alike are used to iOS 11, they have a new iOS device to get ready for. The iPhone X is nearly here and Apple has kindly reminded app developers to get their apps and screenshots ready for the device. Since the iPhone X features a different sized screen, developers need to make sure that their app and screenshots will work with the phone. Developers can currently test their apps using the iPhone X simulator in Xcode to capture screenshots and upload their new metadata and app into iTunes Connect. Developers cannot forget about their creatives, especially with a new device being released. Creatives are key for converting users, and developers need to make sure that their screenshots are ready and looking good on all of Apple’s devices. Here are some things developers need to think about when creating screenshots for the iPhone X:
Posted on October 16th, 2017
Despite the anticipation behind iOS 11, many users and developers alike took note that the App Store was prioritizing old reviews first when the beta for iOS 11 was released, but now that it has launched, it seems those old reviews are still present. Previously, users could sort reviews by “Most Recent,” “Most Helpful,” “Most Favorable” or “Most Critical. Without those filter options, users are stuck seeing old reviews on outdated version of an app. Many developers are worried that these old reviews could deter new users from converting, meaning that they are losing out on improving their install and retention rate despite their app no longer having these issues brought up by users. While developers are worried about what their users are thinking, there is a way to combat old reviews until Apple either shows reviews in reverse chronological order or adds filter for users. Developers can take advantage of replying to old reviews to encourage users to either test the current version of the app and hope they write a new review or update their previous review with high star ratings.
Posted on October 10th, 2017
Apple Search Ads is growing rapidly, especially since Apple launched their new App Store redesign. Since Apple announced back in April 2017 that they were expanding their Search Ads to the UK, Australia and New Zealand, developers around the world have been reaping the benefits of Apple Search Ads. If any developer has been considering getting into Search Ads but hasn’t taken the plunge, now is the time, but there are some things you should know before getting started. Similar to ASO, Search Ads isn’t a one-time thing. Running Search Ads requires constant monitoring to make sure the campaign is working within the set budget and converting users. Many developers fail to realize having bad Search Ads management can actually hurt their apps more than not having a Search Ads campaign at all. Focusing on their budget, audience, and metadata, developers will ensure their Search Ads are optimized to attract and convert users. The key to making successful Search Ad campaigns is achieved by following ASO best practices.
