How to Effectively Promote a Mobile App

Google Play and App Store algorithms change regularly. Today we propose to talk about techniques that will help your application to be at the TOP and overtake competitors. In this article, you will find clear recommendations for step-by-step application promotion that can be used as an effective marketing plan. We will figure out how to determine the niche of your application, and how to analyze the data of your competitors and use it to your advantage. We will show you how to intelligently plan your promotion so as not to waste money and get profitable results. Finally, we will look at the promotion process and highlight the aspects that affect its effectiveness.

Keep reading for the latest mobile marketing updates and practical tips on how to market your apps.

Make ASO today – Save money and time for promotion tomorrow

ASO (app store optimization) – measures aimed at improving the indexing of your application in the stores. This is SEO for apps. If you have ever done website optimization, you can draw a parallel. If you want to get your app indexed or promoted, you need to run an ASO at the beginning – this greatly increases the effectiveness of the further promotion. ASO includes work in the following areas:

• formation of a cloud of keywords;
• creating a title, a subtitle for Apple, a short description for Google, and a long description for both stores;
• preparation of screenshots and icons.

Let’s consider all these aspects in more detail.

Let’s say you’re promoting a new food ordering app. First, you need to get into the search results. Choose keywords with less difficulty to index your app. Such phrases consist of several words like “convenient food ordering cues”. However, this search term will help you rank for food ordering, which you can add to your title. For iOS apps, you must also add keywords in the keywords field. Keep in mind that only 100 characters can be entered here, so use only commas between words without spaces.

The description is our next step. It plays an important role in Android applications, so it must be optimized and unique. You can use the same principles for the App Store, but the algorithm does not pay attention to this. See how your competitors create their descriptions by adding keywords to them. Write several paragraphs with a clear structure and a call to action. Then naturally add 5 to 10 keywords – they should not catch the eye of the reader. Finally, check your text in the Natural Language API tool. To successfully pass the test, the score must be 0.8 or higher in the relevant category.

The icon is the first thing that catches the eye of a potential user. Make it attractive, and show the features of your application. The same goes for screenshots. We recommend that you write keywords on screenshots for Google Play – this will also help index your application. Take care of such optimization before launching an advertising campaign.

Whether it’s a new application or an existing one, you can adapt our tips to your needs and benefit from ASO.

Collect the core and cloud of keywords

We have repeatedly written about the importance of selecting keywords for advertising a mobile application. However, to reiterate, this is the most important step and you should pay special attention to it. To understand what keywords you need, analyze the product you have created. Prepare answers to the following questions:

• What are the main features of my app?
• What problems does it solve?
• What category does it belong to?
• What technical features does it have?

By answering these questions, you will get the core. The core is a collection of the most significant words that describe your application. It can be racing, dating, billing, etc. Then create phrases with those words to expand your keyword cloud. You can use the following methods:

• noun + noun,
• noun + adjective,
• noun + verb,
• noun + adverb.

Example: off-road racing, dating near me, offline billing app for free. The more specific a keyword is, the easier it is to promote it. Try to create a big cloud of keywords to choose from.

If your app is in a popular niche on Google Play, then you may need 400 to 600 keywords per app. Not all search queries will be useful for promotion, so it is worth checking their relevance. This can take a long time because you have to do it manually. Enter keywords in the search field and analyze the search results. If the apps are similar to yours and offer the same functionality, your keyword is fine. Another way is to use auto hints from the store. Just enter your keyword in the search bar and see what the store offers. This will give you even more keyword ideas.

This is how all ASO specialists work with keywords. This is an efficient method. However, sometimes this is not enough.

Analyze competitors

If you’ve run out of ideas for your keyword cloud, it’s time to look for similar apps and analyze them. First, it will help you understand what you need to improve. But the more important marketing insight is that you find the words and phrases that drive conversions. If the application is optimized, it contains keywords in the title, subtitle, and description. Moreover, professional ASO specialists use keywords in motivational reviews as well. Find the top-performing apps in your niche and read their descriptions and reviews. Pick phrases that might be relevant to you and add them to your keyword cloud.

Life hack from keyapp.top – Abundant Marketing Platforms

Do not include brand names in your texts, as the algorithm may block your application. BUT, you can add them to your reviews by using the services that help with this.

Once you’re done collecting keywords on your own, check out free keyword research tools to give you a few more ideas. For example, on the keyapp.top platform, you can get system-recommended keywords for free. Just add your application, and a few keywords and see what the system suggests.

keyapp.top platform interface

The platform also allows you to find out the rating, popularity, and number of search queries for your keywords for free. For an ASO manager, this is very useful information.

Launching a test advertising campaign

Now that your app is optimized and you have relevant keywords to work with, we’ve got to keyword app promotion.

To run an advertising campaign, you need competitive keywords. Choose the most relevant, but not highly competitive keywords if you need the algorithm to index the application. If you’re already in the search results, use keywords with an average competitive score. To begin with, you need to screen to estimate the required number of installs for each keyword. You can also run a test advertising campaign on the keyapp.top platform. Start with 4-5 keywords, ordering about 20 installs for each. Keep track of your rankings in the “My keywords” tab

Some keywords are easier to promote and have a fast growth rate with average installs. In turn, others may need more installs to rank up. Therefore, you should regularly monitor your changes and adjust your campaign.

Common mistake ASO managers make is looking for a surefire solution. They use brand names or popular searches that aren’t related to their app and wonder why they don’t work. Keep in mind that keyword promotion will not bring you instant results. You can’t order 1000 installs and wait for your app to be in the top 3. Your marketing strategy should consist of relevant keywords and a reasonable number of installs. It will take longer, but the result will bring you organic traffic in the long run.

Summing up

We discussed above the highlights of effective app marketing. Follow these rules to be successful with your keywords:

• Optimize your app before promotion. Create compelling visuals, and add competitive keywords to your title, short description, and long description. Don’t overuse them, as your text should look natural and coherent.
• Choose relevant keywords. They should represent the features of your application. Identify the core and expand it using noun+noun, noun+adjective, noun+verb, or noun+adverb combinations. If you need to index your app, promote phrases with low difficulty. They consist of 4-5 words and will be useful at the initial stage. For further promotion, choose keywords with average frequency or average popularity. Increase your keyword cloud regularly.
• Don’t try to get immediate results. Gradually increase the number of installs after you get into the top 20. Don’t focus on popular search terms. Not all of them are relevant to your application, and not all of them are easy to climb to the top of the search results.
• Use 1 or 2 analytical tools to avoid confusion. Analyze the data in the developer console and adjust your campaign based on it. You can also track it on a platform that provides you with installs. Bookmark keyapp.top to enjoy the full range of features.

We wish each of you to occupy top positions for the most visited keywords.

Author: keyapp.top – mobile app promotion and analytics service