With close to two million apps available for iOS devices and three million on Android, it’s tougher than ever to stand out from the crowd and encourage users to download your app.
Indeed, even if you develop an all-bells, all-whistles app and have the budget to spend on marketing, you’ll still need to invest in app store optimisation to ensure you’re appearing at the top of search engine results for relevant terms. Below, we’ve rounded up reasons why…
Perhaps the most cruical reason to invest in an ASO strategy for your business is to improve its visibility. We’ve shared some app store optimisation tips like including keywords in your app’s name, focusing on your description and including attractive screenshots – all of which will have an impact on where you rank. Unless you develop your app’s presence on the App Store and Google Play Store, consumers won’t be able to discover the software you have worked so hard to create. With a little nudge, you can start driving more downloads.
Although you can pay for Search Ads on the App Store, a good ASO strategy will help you to boost the number of organic downloads and help you create a more sustainable business model. Think of ASO as SEO for your app – you need to spend some time and money in the early days to get started, but once you’re ranking high, you’ll benefit from free sales (or downloads) forever. By monitoring your ASO strategy and adapting your campaign as your app evolves and demand for your services change, you’ll drive downloads without spending a small fortune on discoverability. Plus, the more organic downloads your app generates, the more favour your app will build with App Store and Play Store editors, and your app could even be featured in one of their spotlights, significantly increasing brand awareness for free.
As we’ve just touched upon, investing in a good ASO strategy can significantly lower the cost of user acquisition for your business. If you spend £5,000 on app store optimisation and that leads to 5,000 new app installs, for example, you’re effectively paying £1 per acquisition, which is much lower than the cost of paid advertising methods on the App Store and on Google. The added benefit is that ASO is scalable – as your marketing budget grows, you can continue to optimise your app for different use cases and reach new lucrative audiences.
Localising your app to reach new audiences is a great way to get more bang for your buck and ensure your app delivers a genuine return on your investment. Whether your app sells confectionery or offers productivity tools for businesses, the chances are that international consumers will value your offering just as much as those in the UK. With a corresponding localised marketing campaign, you can reach users around the world and take your app to global heights, unlocking new revenue streams and diversifying in today’s uncertain times.
Increasing the visibility of your app is one thing, but ensuring that the right people download and use it is another. A good app store optimisation strategy will have your ideal target audience at its heart, helping you reach users who are likely to become paying subscribers or customers. Of course, there’ll always be a level of abandonment – many people download apps out of curiosity and then uninstall it from their phones – but an ASO strategy can target relevant search terms and help qualified leads find your software without breaking the bank.
Whether you’re launching an ecommerce app or a subscription-based service for the B2B sector, the chances are that you want your app to make money. With a good ASO strategy, you can drive more consumers to download your app and take the actions you want them to take, whether it’s buying a new pair of shoes or subscribing to your service. A company that offers app store optimisation services should also be able to help you optimise your app’s landing page for conversions – when users first open your app, they should immediately be hooked and want to find out more about what you do. If they don’t, they’re likely to forget about it or, worse still, uninstall it. These sobering statistics demonstrate the reasons why ASO is so important: 28% of apps are uninstalled after 30 days, three in every 10 apps are deleted from users’ phones every month, and 21% of apps are only used one time in the first six months of downloading. The truth is that user acquisition is only the start of your journey.
Need a hand climbing the app store results pages? Ready to outmanoeuvre the competition and scale your business? Give Zudu a call on 01382 690080 today for a free consultation.
