Is there ASO life outside of the store?

One can say, ASO never ends. One can also say, there’s always more to ASO as you get outside the App Store. Let’s have a look what else you can optimize to strengthen your app’s positions.

Your services quality and the user retention

Although having a smart ASO strategy helps a lot to promote your app, in the end, it’s all about the quality of the product. In our case, of the services you provide. The App Store algorithm is following the user retention of your product really close, and any change in it influences the visibility and thus the convertibility of the app. So what influences the user retention and how to optimize it?

• Clear absolute value. Here’s the crucial question: how exactly is your app unique? Why is it better than Uber or anyone else? What problems of the potential users does your app solve? Answer these questions and make the answers clear to the customers.
• The sign-up process quality. The sign up should be easy, clear and nice. This prevents users from dropping out immediately after downloading.
• Regular updates. It’s a market fact: every self-respecting app needs to update regularly. With the updates, apps get new features, fixes, and sometimes the whole new user experience. People love it. The apps that are never updated lose users naturally and very quickly.
• Encouraging further engagement. We’re not talking about junk-mailing the customers. Too much of anything makes people sick. However, don’t think about a complete refuse to do this. A clever blend of notifications, texts, and maybe even emails can help you keep the community engaged.

Bonus: Nobody knows how exactly the App Store algorithm is considering the user retention. But it’s very obvious apps are only being compared to the apps alike. This is good news: your app’s retention will not be compared to the one of Facebook. You only compete with Uber 😅

User acquisition (from every possible source)

A well-functioning ASO strategy will help you attract more active users. Yet this doesn’t mean it’s clever to ignore alternative sources of user acquisition. Even better: acquiring more users via other sources will make the conversion rate of your app higher. As a result, the app will get more visible. Pure magic (well, we call it marketing). Here are the most promising sources to gain new users now:

• Influencer marketing. Thanks to how a human brain works, we rely a lot on what the people we trust do. This is why in the post-truth society influencer marketing is a big thing. Think of YouTube personalities, Instagram and Snapchat folk, Facebook, and of course bloggers and media platforms contributors. Good to know: there are enough influencer marketing agencies that can help you to target right, on the basis of “no cure no pay”-based billing.
• Apple Search Ads. As we’ve already mentioned, Search Ads is not yet available for all the counties of the world, but brace yourselves: it’s coming up. Same as now on Google Adwords, on Search Ads, you will be able to bid on the relevant keywords. This could bring your app to the top of the heap — as soon as it goes global, of course.

Then again, why forgetting about good old user acquisition channels, word-of-mouth method, for example?

Your take-away from this little chapter: ASO alone is not always enough to make an app visible and convertible, especially in a crowded market. This is why out-of-the-store user acquisition is crucial, especially for a young business.

Your “homework” for today

Whoa, look at you! You’ve made it through the whole course!

Really, very cool. But it’s practice that makes perfect. Let’s ASO-practice one last time! Here are the stages of the optimization process. Each of them is shortly explained for you to brush up your knowledge. Plus there’s a tiny task to it. We bet now you can do it easily!

• Keyword research. Use one of the handy tools to make a reliable and prioritized keywords list. Point out the places on the app page to insert the relevant keywords.
• Copywriting. Now you’ve got the keywords, play around with them. Put them in a nice, appealing text telling the customer about why this very app is so special. Remember who your customers are and how they communicate: use their language. Do not forget the textual elements of the visuals.
• Design. The design includes all the visuals. What is your vision of the ideal visuals? Is this vision data-driven? Think of it and get the best out of it.
• Analysis. Now we’re speaking of “data-driven”, it is time to measure the effects of your optimization efforts. After you make changes, check its results and analyse what is done right and what can be done better. Keep a close look on the user retention rates.
• Customer service. Listen to the reviews the customers leave about the app. Try to follow up all the negative feedback and to act on it. Not only it helps to develop a community, it helps an app to convert better.
• Think of alternative user acquisition channels. Start with the cheaper options (such as referral programs) and then maybe move on to a more expensive one.

And we wish you great success with your ASO! 😎