By Ajit Jain
With more than 2 million apps in App Stores, app discovery has become a difficult task for mobile app development companies. According to a leading research, 63% of mobile apps are discovered through app store searches. This makes the app store ranking more important than ever. To ensure your app appears on the top for targeted keywords here are some essential components that you need to focus on.
App Title Keywords
The App title is an important component in the App store ranking. The title with the keyword in it is considered a heavyweight than app title that is keyword less. You should always pick up right keyword and try to include in the app title wherever possible. An optimized app title is the one that is descriptive, relevant and contains keywords with high search volume.
Keywords Set
You need to select a set of keywords that has search terms used by your target audience. Choose your keywords wisely as you have a limit of 100 characters. You need to select a keyword that has high search volume but less competition. Don’t select keywords that are already included in title, category or Publisher name. Choose keywords with the right context as both are considered important by App Store algorithms.
App Downloads and Velocity
The app downloads refer to a total number of app downloads while the Download Velocity refers to number downloads in last seven days. App store algorithm prioritizes apps with high downloads velocity. You need to take steps to boost traffic post-launch to maintain high downloads velocity at all times to maintain your store ranking.
Ratings and Reviews
Ratings and Reviews are both important components in app store ranking. These components indicate a user experience- higher the ratings, better the user experience. The Reviews speak a lot about your app and these components influence other users. It is generally seen higher ratings and good reviews encourage smartphone users to try new apps.
App Store considers a rating of 4 as good and apps receiving 3 stars or less receive some penalty. Hence, you need to take steps to ensure users give a 5-star rating to your app and post a good review.
App Revenue and Engagement
The revenue is not important for developer alone. App Store also considers revenue generated by the app for rankings. Similarly, app engagement is also an important factor. App Store algorithms prioritize apps with higher download conversions. Hence, you need to optimize “on page” elements like icons, screenshots, and descriptions for higher conversions.
App Starts
Just having higher downloads is not enough; users need to use your app regularly. App Start is a measure of retention and engagement. It demonstrates that users actually use the app.
Recently Updated
When you update your app, your existing user base gets a lift. Hence, mobile app development companies update their app more frequently. However, that does not mean you release the app with bugs and later update it. The app updates should be genuine and focus on enhancing the performance of the app.
Uninstalls
App Stores like Google Play use uninstall to rank down the app. So be careful about this component when developing app store optimization strategy. If users are uninstalling your app in large numbers, it is certainly going to hurt your store rankings.
Social Media links
App Store’s like Google Play checks Twitter, Google+, and Facebook referrals as ranking influencers. The app stores are well aware of traffic sources and they give importance to app having a high social media presence.
Wrapping Up
Focus on these essential components and you will see the App store rankings increase as you put in more efforts. Remember all these components are interlinked so make sure you focus on everything essential to rank in the top list of your app categories.
Ajit Jain is marketing and sales head at Octal Info Solution, a leading android app development company, offering platform to hire android app developer for your own app development project.
