ASO’s Evolution To App Store “Experience” Optimization: What This Means For You

The last few years, the Google and Apple App Stores have been upgrading their search algorithms and machine learning processes to account for their users’ experience. But, since their algorithms were built upon the reports submitted by automated “bot crawlers” (pieces of software that scour the App store listings and the internet), it has always been difficult for these two mobile giants to truly simulate legit user actions. Moreover, it’s not feasible for them to create algorithms that are based on the anecdotal feedback or ratings of their users.

Instead, the app store search pages have started to use logic and incorporate machine learning algorithms based on various user behavior metrics to make the ultimate user experience on an app or a game. It seems that the criteria they are now measuring include the app’s quality, loading speed, if it’s bug free or not, mobile optimization, the app’s structure, content, and other signals that should give the algorithm an idea of whether users are getting what they expect from an app or a game.

So, what does this mean for ASO experts, app developers, companies, marketers, and app owners when it comes to their ASO?

ASO industry experts have been writing about this for years and it’s now coming to fruition. We’ve exited the era of app store optimization (ASO) and have now entered a new era of App Store Experience Optimization (ASEO).

This is great news for those who perform digital marketing correctly. It means that “hacking” or “tricking” the system has become less and less viable, and those firms or groups who rely on black hat ASO techniques see their efforts become less effective.

How should apps be optimized for the app store pages now that user experience plays an important role?

Previously, ASO experts used to obsess over ideas like keywords, keyword density, traffic score, rankings, etc. They had everything listed down to percentages and numbers and it all made sense when it was placed into an excel file. But how on earth was an app that was built from data on an excel file supposed to appeal to actual human beings?

That’s the problem app store pages set out to fix. And we need to accommodate the changes that they’ve made.

So what to do now? We need to think about our app’s visitors at every stage of our app design and marketing process. This can be done effectively using a survey, Q&As, and many other techniques.

Let’s say you’re developing an app and you’re wondering how to make it appear in the App Store Listings. You should start by asking what your customers are typing into the app store search box. This sounds simple, but think it through for a moment. Previously, ASO practitioners would optimize for terms such as “casino games” or “slot machine games”. But search habits have become more semantic, and people are no longer typing in general terms. They are now asking questions.

Thus, the search term “casino games” has now evolved into, “What are the best casino games this 2016?”

Those firms or companies answering these questions are starting to win in the app store search rankings (ASSR). So, don’t fret on how many times you mention the keyword in your description or how many keywords you used in the title of your app, and instead start asking yourself what your customers need help with.

Pay Attention To Your User Experience Metrics

Once you’ve optimized your app’s page, the next steps are heavily data-driven. You should now begin understanding what is happening when customers are actually using and interacting with it. What you’ll want to look for are signals that tell you if you’re providing a positive user experience past the content and the quality of your app. To do this, look at your app’s ratings, the number of downloads, in-app purchases (if applicable), and conversions. These data points will give you insights as to whether your users are enjoying themselves while using your app. Once you identify the problems or sections, work on it, and optimize them through A/B testing.

The app stores are leveraging the data that is mined from people using their services. Wait… Google and Apple are tracking what you’re doing? Um, yes. Why else would they invest millions of dollars in a piece of software they give away for free. Their browser, iTunes, and Google Play store are all spying on us and reporting data points back to their creators.

Who knows what they’re using these billions of data points for, but we do know that they’re using them to determine whether users have a positive user experience on a particular app or a game. Those same metrics that I just told you to measure are the ones the app stores are reporting back to their search engines.

Importance of Social Networking Sites

Finally, you will want to ensure that you are not just giving lip service to the idea of social networking sites. Regardless of how dull your niche is, you need to engage or gain traction on social media. Why? App store search engines are proven to take major cues from social media signals as to whether a site offers a positive user experience or not.

After all, if you enjoy something, what do you usually do? Post it on your Facebook wall, share it, Instagram it — bottom line, you talk about it. And where do a lot of people talk about things? Yup. On social media. So, it’s only logical that if you’re trying to measure whether an app is providing a great user experience, there will be a social footprint signaling this.

Make sure that your app has social media integration. Additionally, create link backs to your homepage, product pages, your company information page, your location pages — all the places that should be getting signals from the social media sites.

You should also try blogging. Not only do blogs provide awesome content to your users, but they also encourage interaction, which leads to more social signals.

Wrapping It Up

So, if you’ve been wondering how to get your app or game to rank well in the App Store Listings and have been wondering what the secret sauce is, you can forget about some Black Hat practices or any mystical equation that perfectly balances keywords, keyword density, traffic, difficulty, and unicorn dust. It doesn’t exist. And that’s a good thing. Because App Store Experience Optimization (ASEO) is a common sense endeavor and anyone, even an “Average Joe”, can figure it out with a little bit of time and effort.

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