Get your visibility convert

Great visibility of an app requires a lot of work from its owners. But all this work is only a first step to a better performance. The App Store algorithm is interested in the actual click-through rate and install rates of the app in the first place. Accordingly, good visibility doesn’t always pay back in high conversion rates; high conversion rates do always increase the app’s visibility.

Research

How to avoid a situation where your app’s rank goes down because of being unable to convert viewers into users by a particular word? Simple answer (holding in a lot of complicated work): monitor the characteristics of each word every once in a while and check how many conversions it brings you. Manual try-outs of the search page results by every phrase you use in the metadata will give you a good overview.

A proper research will take time. It is also a repeated process, just as the keyword optimization. In order to increase conversions, you will have to keep an eye on how well do the competitors do on the App Store, what hints they are using and how it influences the ranking position of your app.

Use your own KPI. Apple Search Ads data can show you, for example, how many clients do really use your app repeatedly and by which keywords they have found the app. This way you can adapt the ASO strategy to get more of the App Store placement. Keep reading, we’re going to tell more.

Construct a hypothesis

Just doing “something” with no reasonable hypothesis may not bring any positive effect. All the decisions you make in ASO have to be data-driven. This concerns all the content (visual and textual) used. In for an example?

Situation: People do not download the app despite it is ranked high.

Hypothesis: According to Store Maven Academy, 33% of the App Store users scroll through the gallery, thus: the gallery is important. The screenshots used for the app are now repetitive and do not give customers a good impression of how the app works.

Possible solution: Re-craft the imagery so that the screenshots tell the story of your app better. Another possible solution: Add a well-crafted preview video.

Create content

Now it’s time to create new content! When creating (or directing the content creation), think of the two musts:

• The content has to match the research done and the hypothesis existing. In other words: it has to be data-driven. Say, you have to know why and how to change the keywords set.
• Your content has to be unique. Not only should it differ significantly from what your competitors have, there should also be a serious (noticeable for an average user) difference between two versions of your own content in case you replace it or going to run tests.

A beginner’s way of conversion rate optimization is often working with one particular asset at a time: say, improving a video or optimizing a subtitle. However, it is more logical (and more effective after all) to approach the metadata and the imagery as an ecosystem and make consistent changes in it. Say, if you emphasise the luxurious quality of your services in the preview video and the screenshots, using a too casual tone in the copy will not be a good idea.

Figuring out how to reach the target audience in a best way requires a lot of testing, too. The common practice is running an A/B testing: launching two versions of the app metadata or/and imagery, and measuring visibility and conversion rates of the both of them.

Test your solution(s)

An A/B test is a pre-post test: one runs it before submitting an app to the store. You can do it via the Google Console. If you are going to run such tests, make sure you always have a clear KPI and an expected level of performance so that you can measure the effects of each version.

Analyze the effects

It is rather clear that your analysis concerns the data. You can access the data via various tools (we’ll cover them in the next lesson). Wait to analyze your results until you have enough data to make a balanced, statistically adequate decision.

As based on the analysis, apply it in your ASO strategy. Analyze the ASO performance again: are the actual results as good as in the test version?

Optimizing the visibility and the conversion rate of your app is a continuous process: as soon as one round of optimization is over, the next one can start. The iterations will stay the same: starting by a research and ending by the implementing of your ideas. We only hope that at every new level your app will be ranked better and better 😼

Stick to your KPI

The definition of a “good” app conversion rate depends on a lot of factors: first of all, your business model, the value of the proposition, and the local specifics. You can get the sought-for data using various tools, Facebook SDK for IOS or Android for example.

Here are some of the key performance indicators from the point of view of the App Store algorithm.

• The ranking of your app. In case the ASO strategy is successful, the app should get higher rankings than before. It is extremely important to check which keywords do lead to higher rankings: these should be your priority keywords, not just some common terms in order to attract more real, active users.
• Number of installs. This is the basic indicator that your app is doing well. The more people install your app, the more new people will get to see it as a popular app on the Store.
• Usage frequency. However, it doesn’t work well for an app if people only install it and never touch it again. This is why user activity is an important metrics. In case people really use the app frequently, the ranking position of it will improve automatically.
• Number of the enduring installs. The App Store algorithm also has an eye on how long the app stays installed. It helps to eliminate the risk of fake installs some owners use to get their apps ranking better.
• Number of uninstalls. This metrics supplement the previous one and basically shows the user retention. Good score here guarantees that the algorithm sees your app as a reliable one.

Your “homework” for today!

Think of the KPI for your app. What data is the most important and how can you influence it by means of optimization? Conduct a research on how your app is ranking on the Store. Create an optimization hypothesis and test it.