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App Store Optimization for Gaming Apps

July 19th, 2024

App Store Optimization for Gaming Apps
David Bell

by David Bell

CEO at Gummicube, Inc.

Idle clickers, makeovers, PvP action – whatever kind of gamer you are, there’s a mobile game out there for just about everyone. Gaming is by far the largest category in the app stores with one of six apps in the marketplace being a mobile game. With this level competition, how can a developer stand out from the rest?

In this App Store Spotlight, we'll go over some App Store Optimization tips for mobile game marketing.

Mobile Gaming App Competitors

It’s not enough to have a great mobile game to compete in the marketplace. You can have notoriety, cutting-edge graphics, impeccable gameplay mechanics, and everything that makes an in-app experience great. However, the gaming experience itself is just one part of your digital loadout. The first weapon in your inventory is the deep understanding of who your direct competitors and target audience. How do you do this? Through thorough competitive analysis.

While antithetical, the user is the one that creates the competitive landscape. Their search queries populate results with apps that appear relevant to the terms they are searching for. This means your positioning will depend greatly on a variety of user-driven actions - in this case, the terms they decide to associate to potential features of your app.

This understanding of how users shape the competitive landscape and the players within your niche will ultimately help you form your keyword optimization strategy and overall mobile game ASO. And while some phrases are more difficult to rank for than others, leveraging ASO tools can help understand pick the right terms and adapt them over time.

Gaming App Screenshots - The Power of Storytelling

Mobile games are dynamic and exciting by nature, and you want your creative sets to convey that as well. App creatives are directly responsible for converting your users, so you'll want to learn how to create app screenshots that are visually captivating and help improve your conversions.

Many game developers often think that the story of the game will tell itself, but many users need visual cues in the form of effective screenshot design. How can you do this? Through creative optimization that showcases the different standout features of your app. Associate each of those features to keywords found in the image itself. Although not indexed, these keywords can act as a connector between the feature being illustrated and the term the user might have searched for.

gaming app screenshot best practices brawl stars
Brawl Stars employs a series of ASO best practices when it comes to designing its App Store screenshots.

Your game can’t speak for itself, so help the users understand what it’s about with effective app screenshot design.

App Feature Videos in Your Mobile Marketing

Feature videos are a powerful app marketing tool at your disposal. If you can’t seem to convey your mobile game’s true essence in a few app screenshots, a feature video might be the solution. Just like screenshots, the feature video is directly responsible for driving users toward a conversion.

Presenting gameplay in a more dynamic manner, videos give an even more accurate depiction of how the game performs. They provide a window of opportunity to display different features in a format that users have grown accustomed to over the years and has been proven to drive engagement.

Dynamic and action-packed games often use feature videos to highlight in-app gameplay. Videos also serve as a great place to bring forth accolades or acclaim your app may have received.

Gaming App Reviews & Ratings

For mobile apps in their infancy, there may still be some lingering bugs and kinks to smooth out before the app runs smoothly. During this time, users might voice their concerns or praise in the review section of your mobile game.

A crucial part of gaming app ASO is reputation management, where developers actively engage with app reviews. Engaging with both positive and negative reviews is a great way to show users that you’re proactive and engaging with their needs.

Reviewing feedback also helps to identify those game-breaking elements that demand priority in the list of fixes.

App Seasonality - Keeping Users Interested

For some mobile game genres like MOBA, implementing app seasonality elements is a great way to retain users and acquire new ones. Seasonal updates that include new skins, features, and other additional or limited-time events are all axioms of seasonality that keep your users interested.

brawl stars ios screenshot changes

This continuous evolution of your in-game content promotes engagement among existing users and helps attract new and even lapsed players.

Want to learn more about App Store Optimization? Contact Gummicube and we’ll help get your strategy started.

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