Top 5 ASO Tips to increasing your app downloads

by Sean Casto, CEO with PreApps.com

Creating a great app is only half the battle. In the USA alone, over 28,000 apps are submitted to Apple a month, according to app metrics firm 148apps.biz. While this is good news for Apple, it means heavy competition for developers. With App Store Optimisation (ASO), developers can create an app that not only works well but stands out in the overcrowded app store. Here are five great tips to increasing your apps visibility on the app store.

1. Make a good first impression

If your icon and screenshots aren’t enticing, you’ll never get a chance to impress users with your masterpiece.

The icon should adequately represent your app’s theme while still being eye-catching enough to stand out in a page of icons.

All screenshots should not only be high-quality and high-resolution, but also serve as a great overview of what users can expect if they download and use the app.

2. Create a great app title

A great title not only defines the app to its potential users but is both unique and memorable.

Keep in mind that users will be searching for your app, so if your title is too obscure it can render your app unsearchable.

For this reason, many app developers include important keywords in their title, increasing the volume of potential searches to drive users to your app.

3. Focus on keywords

Keyword search ranking is critical, so before writing your app description, research what search items are relevant to your app.

By searching for apps like yours in the App Store, you’ll learn your competition, allowing you to determine what keywords you’ll need to use to rank high.

Don’t make the mistake of using keywords that are popular for searches but not relevant to your app.

This can actually hurt your ranking, as Apple and Google will notice your lack of search relevancy and demote you.

4. Write an appealing app description

The most important part of the description is the first three sentences. The best way to begin is by writing out all of the items you’d like to communicate about your app.

Once you have it on paper, you can then prioritize and organize the features, removing those items that aren’t enticing nor informative.

It’s important to remember that in the app store, less is more – so focus on how useful the app will be in solving needs of everyday users, rather than listing all its features.

5. Promote, Promote, Promote

Once your app is live, post links on your social media sites to entice your followers, fans, and current customers to take a look.

Don’t limit your promotion to sites like Facebook and Twitter. Even your YouTube app demo videos can include links in the description that will bring users over to download your app.

Author biog

Sean Casto is a Boston-based entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of PreApps.com, the exclusive place to preview mobile apps coming soon. Casto discovered this under-served niche of the market through his business experience in the industry both as an employee and as an app and web developer himself. He has been an analyst for TapWalk, a location-based mobile app development company, and served in logistics at Wayfair, a leading e-commerce conglomerate.