App Store Optimization: 3 Main Factors to Measure ASO Success

September 14th, 2018

by David Bell

CEO at Gummicube, Inc.

App Store Optimization is vital for any app. It helps apps both reach users and appeal to them, through research and best practices. But once your ASO strategy is in place, how do you know if it’s working? What do we use to measure the success of ASO? There are several factors one can look at to determine how well their App Store Optimization is working.

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Keyword Rankings One of the easiest ways to tell if your ASO strategy is working is to see how your keyword rankings have improved. If you’re ranking higher for more relevant and high-volume keywords, then that’s a sign that your metadata updates are working well, and your app is showing up in more searches. This information is also useful for Search Ads on iOS, as it can give you insight into which terms you are being found most relevant on. Along with measuring your organic keyword rankings, measuring your Search Ads impressions can give you insight on which keywords work well and which do not. Google Play has no declared keyword field- you’ll need to use terms you want to target in advantageous areas of the Title, Short Description and Long Description. Seeing improvements in keyword rankings means the description has been implemented in an ASO-friendly way. Compare how many keywords your app ranked for before and after optimizing, then take a close look at them. How many more keywords does your app rank in the top 10 for? How many high-volume keywords does it rank for now? How significant an improvement is it? This is your first measurement for ASO success. However, while this is a sign that users are finding your app thanks to App Store Optimization, the next measure of success shows how many of them are actually downloading it.

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Conversions and Installs Once users find your app, are they actually installing it? Your conversion rate is another important measurement of ASO success, as it indicates that your app’s creatives, descriptions and more are optimized to appeal to the users after they find the app. There are several key components to improving conversion rates, all of which must be considered when creating an ASO strategy. The creatives must appeal to users and highlight the app’s benefits, the description must be easy to read and make it clear what the app has to offer and even the way you communicate your brand to users can influence your conversions. Compare the installs per month you received before and after optimizing and see how much it’s increased by. Follow the increases month to month and see how it continues to grow – if you’re consistently seeing an uptick in installs compared to your pre-optimized app store listing, you’ll know your ASO strategy is working.

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Cost Per Install It’s not only important to see an increased number of installations – one must also keep the costs of each installation down. Paid marketing efforts such as Search Ads are great at bringing in new users, but you’re still constantly spending and bidding on each keyword your ads target. As such, every acquisition has its cost. How much are you spending per install? How much value are you getting from each user? Make sure you monitor your cost per install along with these factors to determine your strategy and budget for a campaign.

To Conclude

There are several metrics for measuring a successful App Store Optimization strategy, and each one is important. Improving your keyword ranking is a sign you’re building reach and relevancy, increasing your conversion rate means you’re appealing to more users and seeing more success in downloads, and a lower cost per install while still seeing high installation numbers means your marketing dollars are being put to good use. A successful app needs a good App Store Optimization strategy. If you want to see high search rankings, high conversion rates and a low cost per install, you’ll need a solid ASO plan in place that ensures users will not only find your app but will like what they see. Learn more about these and other key performance indicators for ASO by contacting Gummicube.