Did you know that the iOS App has more than two million apps, with an average of 1165 new apps listed on it every day? In such a scenario, how do you stand out from your competition and create an app listing that is easily discoverable?

App store optimization can help you improve your app’s visibility and conversion rate – here are some ways you can do that.

Optimize for keywords

Just like Google search, the app store also looks at relevant keywords as a measure to list your app. By picking the relevant keyword and including it in the title of your app, you can increase the chances of being listed/ranked higher. The same applies to the app description. It needs to provide enough detail to capture the attention of users and encourage them to download your app, and include the keywords you are targeting.  

Keep It Small

When it comes to app size – the smaller, the better. Keep your app size to a minimum – if it’s too big, users might be tempted to delete it when trying to save space. In fact, there is a negative correlation between APK size and conversion rates for app installs with sizes below 100 MB. There is a 1% decrease in the conversion rates for installs for every 6 MB increase to an APK’s size.

Larger apps also require more data to function. This means that users might have a frustrating experience if they are using it with a poor internet connection. One way to keep the size small is by offering a lighter version of the app and reducing the additional features and size of the media in the app.

For example, Facebook offers two versions of its app – the regular app and Facebook Lite. While the regular app is superior in terms of graphics, animations and overall look of the app, the Lite app provides the barebones version of the Facebook experience. This is perfect for those who are not everyday users of the app, those who struggle for storage on their phone, or those who live in areas with poor internet connection.

First Impression = Best Impression

What’s the first thing you notice when you look at a list of apps, apart from their names? It’s their logo. Often, the logo is a user’s gateway to (potentially) discovering a new app – and therefore, it needs to be as catchy and authentic as possible. Of course, with limited real estate, you can’t always afford to use your standard logo in the app store, but a suitably optimized (smaller) one. Just make sure you have some options ready to test on your users before you go ahead and list it!

Stay True to What You Do

App screenshots are often one of the most vital aspects of your app listing – it is the first visual aspect of your app listing that your users notice, and it gives your users a glimpse of how your app looks. It’s important to include screenshots that are as true to the original app experience as possible so that your users get an authentic look at what they can expect from your app. It needs to catch the users’ attention immediately – because they will only spend up to 7 seconds before deciding if they want to download your app or not.

For apps that require a video, such as games or OTT apps, make sure you create a short video that perfectly encapsulates the gameplay or experience that users are going to get while using your app. This video should ideally contain the most prominent elements of your app and an ideal walkthrough of how it would be to navigate through the app.

Test, Test, Test

If you’re waiting till after the launch of your app to see how many people like it, you’re doing too little, too late.  

It’s important to test your app listing and all the elements as well – the logo, images, videos, and content – as early as possible. Doing concept testing at an early stage will help you understand how well your app will be received and, therefore, how likely it is to be downloaded.

Affect UX is a DIY research platform that can help you do concept testing for your app in-house. Here’s how it could benefit you:

Faster Turnaround Time (TAT): Affect UX can give you your UX concept testing results 4x faster as compared to traditional research methods.

Global Respondent Panel: With our 60 million+ global respondent panel, you can test various features of your app with users all across the world, to see how they react!

Behavioral Insights: User replies can often be biased due to a host of conscious and subconscious reasons. However, with our proprietary Facial Coding and Eye Tracking technologies, you can understand what your users actually mean, even before they know it.

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