Posted on September 22nd, 2018
When developers release or update their apps, they need to choose a category. Selecting a category is necessary on both the App Store and the Play Store, and the right one can be a potential avenue for discoverability. Understanding categories is an important part of an overall App Store Optimization strategy. Choosing the right category can bring more visibility. Choosing the wrong one can lead to lackluster results or potential rejection from the App Stores. But how do developers go about determining the right app category? Does choosing the wrong one mean their app will be invisible? Here is a breakdown of categories on the App Store and their impact.
Posted on September 21st, 2018
iOS 12 has just launched, and already we’re seeing apps begin to take advantage of the new features it has to offer. Among the most popular of the upgrades is Siri Shortcuts, which enables users to create custom commands for Siri to launch multiple apps and perform functions on them with a single request. Several developers are already boasting apps compatible with Siri Shortcuts, but they need proper App Store Optimization to truly make the most of the update.
Posted on September 20th, 2018
The App Store environment is frequently shifting as users find new ways to search for apps and new functions are added. With the constant changes, one might wonder what rankings still matter – are category rankings important, or are they a relic of a bygone era of the App Stores? The differences in displays of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and how they have changed over time, are an important piece to consider in an App Store Optimization strategy.
Posted on September 18th, 2018
The next big update for iOS devices has launched, and users will begin updating to iOS 12 over the coming days. With new changes rolling out, there are several questions one must ask. What will it provide users? What should developers do? And how will it impact App Store Optimization? 1. What’s New in iOS 12? iOS 12 introduces several new updates and enhancements for iPhones and iPads. Several of these were introduced at WWDC earlier this year, so developers and users have had time to prepare. These updates include:
Posted on September 15th, 2018
Many app developers know one of the best ways to make their app more visible is through their ASO strategy. However, just because a developer creates a strategy doesn’t mean that they’ll always do it correctly and achieve the results they want. While there’s still no perfect way to do ASO, there are tips and best practices that help developers succeed.
Posted on September 14th, 2018
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.
Posted on September 13th, 2018
At the Apple Special Event, held September 12, 2018, Apple announced the latest in its iPhone devices: the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. These new devices boast several enhancements, which app developers will want to make note of as they update their apps and create new ones to fully utilize the capabilities of the new devices. Additionally, Apple announced changes to the Mac App Store with macOS Mojave, which will be released September 24th.
Posted on September 11th, 2018
Fate/Grand Order is a mobile game based off the popular franchise by TYPE-MOON. It’s a financial success, earning billions in worldwide revenue, but is its achievement based off of the brand alone, or does it have an App Store Optimization strategy that helps increase its downloads and conversions? For this week’s App Store Spotlight, we’ll take a look at Fate/Grand Order and see if its ASO is grand as well.
Posted on September 8th, 2018
App developers and marketers were overjoyed when Google announced they could use another form of advertisements: playable ads. Since this format is so relatively new, there are questions and concerns regarding its benefits. Some may have perceived the announcement as another tactic to attract users, while others are worried about hindering the audience’s impression. Before diving into why playable ads are beneficial, developers should understand what they are.
Posted on September 7th, 2018
A recent update to the Google Play Developer Console is providing interesting new information. Acquisition reports now show new insights on how users discover an app on the Play Store through organic acquisitions.
Posted on September 6th, 2018
Ever since Google introduced Playable Ads as a mobile game-focused form of Instant Apps, developers have been trying to find the best ways to make great interactive advertisements for their apps. Playable ads are a great way to demonstrate an app’s capabilities or the gameplay of a mobile game, but as with any marketing strategy, it’s important to follow the best practices to get the optimal results. Here are five of the best practices to consider when designing your playable ad.
Posted on August 31st, 2018
When users search for a television streaming app, they often search for the specific shows they want to watch. Google Play app developers attempted to take advantage of this by listing their app’s shows in the description, but now Google is giving them a boost by making TV apps show up in searches for the shows they stream. A recent update to the Google Play Store now places TV and streaming apps in searches for the shows they feature. This follows a similar update to Google Play Movies in March, which provided options to watch shows and movies on subscription-based websites such as Hulu or Prime Video from the website’s search. At the time, Google stated that the updates would eventually reach the Play Store, and that time is now. When users search the Play Store for a television show or movie, the first results will be from Google Play Movies (or Books, where relevant), as per usual. Following those, however, is a list of streaming apps that include the show as part of their services, with a line in italics stating that it is available for streaming on the app. While this is great news for users, since it makes it easier to search for a specific show and finding which streaming service has it, it’s great for developers too. From an App Store Optimization perspective, it opens new avenues for streaming apps to organically appear in searches. To target a specific show in Google Play, a developer needs to include that show in its description so Google’s algorithms can index it. For example, an app that includes “The Office” as an available show would want to include lines such as “Watch The Office,” “The Office episodes,” and a bullet list of shows it offers including “•The Office.” Following this update, Google also checks the streaming services to see what shows an app offers, then includes them in the list of apps under searches for that show. With this new update, the inclusion of an italicized line saying “(this show) available to stream” under each app helps users quickly find which apps will let them watch the show, rather than slogging through multiple apps with ringtones, fan quizzes and reaction images from the show. It will help improve traffic for those apps by making them easier to find and clearly relevant and may help increase subscribers by demonstrating what shows an app has available. With all of this in mind, developers should not simply remove listings of the shows their app features from its description. The keywords are still important for ASO and ranking well for highly-searched shows will help the app show up higher in searches for them. This update will enhance an app’s optimization for the shows it streams, but it is not a substitute for proper ASO. Developers of streaming apps will certainly benefit from this update, as it will help direct users to their apps whenever they search for a show. To get the most out of their app store listing, though, developers should still ensure they have a strong App Store Optimization strategy in place that includes the shows people are watching.
