ASO: Promoting Mobile Apps and Games | Mobio Group

In our previous article we discussed mobile app registration, the 2023 requirements for registering mobile apps and games in the Stores, and the difference between optimizing an app in the App Store and Google Play.

In this article the Mobio Group team will continue to share their knowledge and experience on how to promote mobile apps and games using ASO.

The basis for successful promotion of games and apps is optimization of text and visual blocks. The deeper ASO is done, the faster and better metrics will grow. In the long run everything will matter: the number of characters involved, conversion rates, rating, reviews, installation base. Therefore, starting from the basics, it is important to work through each block of the application page.

1. Title, sub-title (iOS only)

The most important factor is the title of the app. It should be memorable, include keywords and speak for itself. The user should understand from the title what the application does.

2. Screenshots

Screenshots should be consistent with the brand message. A good first impression can improve conversions. Screenshots should be relevant, visually captivating and explain the app’s functionality.

3. Rating

Rating can be compared to users’ trust credit. If an app has a low rating, the chance of installing it decreases, because when the rating is low, the user automatically concludes that there is something wrong with the app. The critical bar for a rating is considered a range of up to four stars. In principle, four stars is not bad, but the rating should be improved to at least 4.3.

4. Reviews

Another important component that affects both your ranking and conversion rate is user feedback. Here it is extremely important to pay special attention to negative feedback: quickly fix bugs, consult on emerging issues, modify your product, taking into account the opinion of users. And it is obligatory to inform them about it in comments.

You should work with your audience. This increases the trust and loyalty of the audience who wrote this review. It will also be a bonus for those visitors who do get to the reviews and decide to see what other users write about the app.

Interesting fact:
Starting in December 2021, the AppStore and Google Play began a global sweep. They are removing a huge number of reviews and ratings, both organic and purchased. So the old ways of boosting ratings are no longer working. Now there’s a wonderful thing — a rating with a guarantee. You pay a fixed fee, and they raise your rating. This is the best strategy, which now works.
P.S. We at Mobio Group guarantee a high rating in the App Store and Google Play.

5. Localization

Localization is a crucial part of the app store optimization process that is often overlooked. It can be a decisive factor because it allows you to reach a global audience. In addition, Google Play and the Apple App Store favor localized games because localization improves the user experience.

But don’t think that localizing just the game itself is enough!

You also need to take care of ranking elements in the app store, such as keywords, description, icon, images, promo, and even the name of the game, basically every aspect of your page in the app store.

The Apple App Store is available in 155 countries, and you can localize content for 40 different languages. On Google Play, you can choose from 77 different localizations. However, this does not mean that you need to localize the app for all languages — choose the ones based on your target market.

Incentive traffic — users’ actions for which they receive a reward. For example, Incentive traffic includes installing an application from a search engine or writing a positive review.
Incentive traffic will yield good results if used carefully. Otherwise, the App Store and Google Play algorithms will find a spike in installations suspicious and block you.

You can also test a way to attract users, such as video reviews. Video previews entice users to learn about your product through a promotional video. This is the format that works better than other graphics right now. Relatively recently, the AppStore has added the ability to publish promo videos. This is a good option for video games, for example, to demonstrate gameplay and graphics.

ASO is a living direction. There are not many clear rules, and the specialist always has the opportunity to try his ways, find new points of growth and test hypotheses.

Think of your organic user as a child. And the data about what your app is about, what it’s for, should be placed on screenshots in such a way that even a child understands the information. Then you’ll have a better chance that your app will be found, seen and installed. It is important to communicate with the user in a very simple, understandable language and to be able to convey the information succinctly.

How Do You Make an App or Game Profile in the Storerooms Attractive to Users?

The main rule is that ASO blocks should be easily understood, convey information clearly and not leave any false hopes. The user should understand what the app is about in a couple of seconds.

Very few users get to the full description of the app, so screenshots help us here. In this regard, the information should be easy to read and the screenshot itself should be eye-catching.

It is also worth examining the competitive field, look at the results and try to make your product stand out visually.

There are also such concepts as category trends. For example, a few years ago, very good conversion rates were given by horizontal screenshots, then the presence of video previews.

Since ASO works directly with the user, such trends are constantly changing, and a specialist needs to keep track of such trends.

It’s important to understand that ASO is the closest channel to the user. When users come to the application page, they must like everything there. Then it will be installed, and your business will not lose the budget you have already spent on advertising in other sources. After all, regardless of which traffic source the potential user came from, in the end the user will end up on the application page in the store. And this is where the final decision about installation will be made. Once again we return to the rating, the headlines and screenshots.

If there are any flaws in them, there is a high probability that your application will not be installed. It turns out that the advertising worked well — the user came to the application page, but nothing happened next. Agree that it would be a shame to invest money in advertising, bring the user to the store and lose him at the last moment.

Mobio Group provides ASO services on the App Store and Google Play. If you need quality promotion or advice on promotion on a particular platform, feel free to contact Mobio Group for help.