the new app store optimization - aso guide

ASO Ninja – Earn Your App Store Optimization Black Belt! 1

Find more ASO info and latest news at www.asoprofessional.com

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Copyright Information Page

Copyright © 2012 by Gabriel Machuret. All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.

Gabriel Machuret, Machuret Pty. Ltd. Tura Beach, NSW, [email protected] www.asoninja.com



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Table of Contents

Intro to this Book ………………………………………………………………. 4

Chapter 1 - App Store Optimization Introduction ………………………………. 5

Chapter 2 - The Challenge behind ASO ………………………………………. 7

Chapter 3 - ASO conditions ………………………………………. 10

Chapter 4 - App Store vs. Google Play ………………………………………. 15

Chapter 5 - ASO: The basics ………………………………………. 23

5.1 APP Name/Title ………………………………………………. 24

5.2 Keywords ………………………………………………. 29

5.3 Keywords Considerations ………………………………………………. 33

5.4 KEYWORD TOOLS ………………………………………………. 35

5.5 The App Description ………………………………………………. 38

Chapter 6 - ASO Recap ………………………………………………. 42

Chapter 7 - Icons ………………………………………………. 45

Chapter 8 - Screen Shots ………………………………………………. 49

Chapter 9 - Videos, Trailers and Demos ……………………………………… 53

Chapter 10 - Reviews and Ratings ……………………………………… 61

Chapter 11 - Popularity Ranking Factors ……………………………………… 71

Chapter 12 - Tracking and Improving Rankings ……………………………… 78

Chapter 13 - Launching Your App ……………………………………… 90

Chapter 14 - Conventional SEO ……………………………………… 101

Chapter 15 - Quick Reflections about the Future of ASO ……………………… 110

Chapter 16 - A different perspective ……………………………………………… 114

Chapter 17 - Final Words ………………………………………………………. 125




Intro to this Book

I want to be honest; I’m not an ASO guru, expert or “App world personality” – I’m more of a humble ASO Ninja (can you be a humble Ninja?)

And as a Ninja, I’m a curious guy.

In fact I love to investigate, learn, research and dive deeper than anyone else.

May be that’s why I became a scuba diving instructor (for real!) Go deeper… try to learn what’s really under the surface.

The reason I’m writing this Book and putting up for the most affordable price possible out there is that I really wanted to share my discoveries with like-minded app enthusiasts out there.

With other future ASO Ninjas…

I believe many app developers are great at developing and coding, but many of them need some help in the marketing field.

This book tries to answer some questions about what App Store Optimization (ASO) is all about and how it can be applied to make apps shine a bit brighter.

Enjoy the book. Keep in mind this industry changes so fast that you may find some outdated information by the time you read it.

By all means, be open minded. There are a lot of great sources of information out there with different opinions about ASO. They could give you other perspectives about what works and what doesn’t.

Please don’t take this as the only source of info. Do your own research before applying any of this content.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected]

If you enjoyed the Book, please post a review in the Amazon Page or share it with friends, peers, LinkedIn contacts, followers, Facebook friends, ex-girlfriends, close family, you name it!

You can also follow me at http://www.asoprofessional.com

Help a future ASO Ninja by Tweeting about ASO



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Chapter 1 - App Store Optimization IntroductionThe secret to developing a successful mobile app is not only in building it.

You’ve done all the hard work in developing your app, but the real challenge lies in getting the app

to surface way above hundreds of competitors in the app store/app market.

ASO or App Store Optimization is a new trend for app owners to improve their chances of getting

their app ranking in any type of app market.

I decided to create this book to share my understanding of ASO after applying much of my

previous SEO knowledge in the app world.

Although many of the ASO rules change constantly, and ranking and search algorithms work

differently in different markets, I believe ASO is here to stay, and some of the ASO premises of

this book will be valid for a long time.

To start with, let me tell you that it is much simpler to optimize apps right now than web sites.

The SEO world is in “state of panic” after aggressive changes by Google with their famous Google

Panda Update and the even more infamous Penguin Update.

Both the Penguin and Panda updates have made the job of SEO practitioners more and more

complicated.

What used to be dead easy on-site SEO is now more delicate and complicated, and even off-site

SEO or link building has now become harder than ever.

The rules have changed, making the SEO game more challenging and difficult to predict.

On the other hand, ASO is a relatively new field and, to be honest, it will take a lot of testing, trial

and error to sort this out.

However, as with any new trend or industry, there is always enough room to master the art of

ASO over time.

I have decided to “give away” this book hoping you, the reader, understand I’m not a “guru” and

that this book is the result of my findings, research and work in this new industry.




The book offers information about ASO for App developers of Android and iOS only, excluding

ASO for apps for Windows, Blackberry and any other market. (Sorry Windows app lovers!)

In the future, I plan to update the book with new findings, the latest changes and more markets.

If you want to receive new version (and free) of this book as they become available, please

register for free at http://www.asoprofessional.com/friends/

Before we start, let me be clear… writing this book wasn’t easy.

During the time it took me to write, I tried to research as much as possible, and the more I

researched the more I understood how much I didn’t know.

Every time I learned something new, I doubted myself even more.

I interviewed some amazing app developers, ASO experts and App fanatics. All of them provided

immense value and helped me to approach this project as a constant investigative process, rather

than a “blueprint” about how to do App Store Optimization.

Although I believe ASO is vital for any app company, I’m a true believer that the first step we need

to take is to understand human behavior. It doesn’t matter how many technical terms I can write in

this book, or how deep I can dive into the way Algorithms work if we don’t understand, respect and

try to approach the concept of SEARCH from a “human” point of view.

Searching will be a challenge. It’s a challenge today and it will be a challenge tomorrow. The more

we understand the way users, visitors and consumers behave, the more value we can provide and

reach them in a more effective way and hopefully, with that approach, we can take ASO to the

next level. So let me stop now being all philosophical and let’s get started, shall we?



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Chapter 2 - The Challenge behind ASO

So what’s the challenge? Seriously, how difficult can this be?

Well to start with, there are more than half a million iOS applications and almost the same number

of Android apps that you have to compete with.

Then there’s the Blackberry AppWorld, the Amazon AppStore and Nokia Ovi also trying to get a

piece of the market.

So the question is: with such a vast market and such massive competition, what is required to

rank apps higher?

To start with: knowledge, tools and testing.

Although tools and testing are going to help you, without the knowledge (the boring theory), no

tool or test will really help you to understand the right way to approach ASO.

The purpose of this book is to jumpstart your ASO in the mobile search world and to do so we

need to understand the theory behind it all.

In the same way we learned SEO back in early 2000’s, with ASO we need to begin thinking along

the concept of search terms and target audience.

Search Terms are the keywords that you want to rank for and Target Audience clearly means who

will download and find your app.

Why ASO?

So why should we consider ASO, as opposed to any other app marketing strategy? Mainly

because ASO’s true power is often overlooked when it comes to mobile apps.

As a developer, ASO doesn’t have to cost as much as any other type of direct marketing strategy,

thus making it a potential option for small players trying compete in competitive app categories.




Also, ASO gives you the freedom to test, experiment and compare results without having to keep

reinvesting in complex marketing campaigns, PR or media buys.

ASO is free, uncomplicated and it’s here to stay.

ASO frame of mind

For content creators, the need for making a play for the App Store is greater than ever since apps

have become an increasingly valuable mechanism through which content reaches consumers.

Be forewarned; this is just the beginning. There is plenty of potential in the world of digital

entertainment.

The number of mobile-only startups is continually increasing, which is why so many bloggers and

tech junkies are claiming that ASO is the new SEO.

With over two million apps in different app stores and markets right now, it is easy to fall into the

app graveyard, especially if you don’t make it to the top in the first few weeks. That’s why getting

things right from the beginning is a must.

Before you go and start optimizing your app, it’s essential to understand that ASO needs to be

one part of your overall marketing strategy, the same effort you put into developing an App needs

to be put into the marketing and the positioning of your end product.

The download and revenue potential

Now let’s look at reasons why ASO techniques can benefit your app business in case you still

have any doubts.

To start, ASO can be easily the cheapest, most affordable step in the App marketing process.

Although you can’t expect ASO to take your app from zero to hero overnight, ASO can provide an

increase in ranking that could give you the required boost in downloads to get your app noticed

and help you become profitable.

By achieving a higher ranking, hopefully you’ll attract the right users who are searching for the

type of app you have.




In a few words: Search brings organic traffic which usually converts into buyers much easier and

that’s where ASO becomes an asset.

So understanding it’s importance, let’s take a look at what ASO is and how you can start get

started. (Yes, no more boring intro!)

Have you checked my ASO Ninja Course? Find more info at www.asoninja.com






Chapter 3 - ASO conditions

By now you have a clear idea that ranking your app is a critical aspect in your strategy to generate

downloads, traffic and revenue.

So, let’s look at the different types of rankings and ways to optimize apps in different markets.

Let’s start with the types of rankings you can achieve.

Top Free/Paid Apps:

This is a list of apps based on their cost. Everyone loves to be in this “Holy Grail” of rankings.

The list is generated by adding the number of downloads of each app in a specific time frame and

ranking them in descending order.

Top Free/Paid Apps in Your Particular Category:

This is the list of the most popular apps within a specific category that have been downloaded the

most often.

This is the ranking you need to focus on to beat the competition. Most of your potential users will

pay attention to this ranking before they decide to download your app.




That’s why making the wrong “category” decision can mean the difference between being in the

top ranking or not.

In reality, this is our most realistic target, to appear in the top 100 ranking in your category.

Top Grossing Apps:

This is a list of apps that have generated the most revenue. If you aren’t in the big leagues yet,

this won’t be of much use to you.

If you’re successful, you’ll appear on this list, hopefully while enjoying a Mojito in Jamaica enjoying

your luck and revenue on your holidays.

For the “normal app developers” out there, the likelihood of reaching the top grossing apps is very

unlikely.

The ASO Process.

To start, let’s be brave enough to claim that the ASO process is not very different from Search

Engine Optimization (SEO).

At this stage, nearing the end of 2012, the algorithms in the app stores aren’t extremely advanced

yet, compared to conventional search engine algorithms, which leaves developers with enough

room to use their old fashioned SEO skills.

In the same way, you have in the SEO world, Google, Bing and Yahoo (hmmm... who uses Yahoo

to search anymore?), in the app world, there are multiple platforms to optimize, which can be

achieved by using separate app versions for each market.

You have:

● Apple App Store.

● Android Market.

● Blackberry App World.

● Samsung Apps Stores.

● GetJar




● Nokia Store.

● And more.

All these stores have technical and ethical guidelines on which the apps need to be based.

However, once you have been accepted by an app store, you have the green light to try to

increase your own app ranking.

Now, the challenge is that each platform has its own ranking factors and search algorithm. So

what may work in one market may not work in the other.

However, content, popularity ranking, ratings and reviews are some of the global aspects you may

expect to have an influence in almost all the app markets out there.

So far we know that ASO involves a combination of elements that can help your app get noticed,

downloaded and rated so that you move higher up the charts in the app stores.

Obviously, ASO, like the old SEO, is not “a magic bullet” or quick solution like direct advertising or

pay per click.

That’s why it’s important to talk about the ASO prerequisites.

Gab’s ASO Prerequisites

Build a good app (seriously!)

To start off, let’s make this clear. You MUST come up with a great application.

Only a great app, combined with ASO, can get people interested, and help you achieve some type

of success from your app development.

Just like in the SEO world, SEO will never help a mediocre site make money. That’s why, if your

app sucks, then no ASO, marketing ads, optimization or advertising will save it.

By asking you to use a good App, I’m talking about building something people WANT. Not

something people install and 25 seconds later realize it was a waste of their time.




Building something that people WANT, will keep and keep using will make your ASO process

easy, logical and natural.

Playing The Name Game Properly

It makes sense to baptize an app with a name that indicates what the app does.

Not only is choosing the right name important from an ASO point of view, but it’s also beneficial

from a marketing and branding perspective.

Choosing the right name is not only vital to increase the chances of your app succeeding but it

can influence how viral your app may become or the possibilities of it being featured in the app

store.

Remember:

Your app name must promote the image you want project, and in many cases, your app name can

be the first step in building a solid app brand that will help you to stand out from the competition.

Getting the name right is also vital when you understand that the NAME (or App title) plays a huge

factor in the ASO game.

Some researchers claim that around 75 percent of users install apps based on searching the App

Store or Google Play, while the remaining discover apps from ads, blogs, worth of mouth or news

sites.

Categorize – Put your app in the right place

It may seem strange, but some developers make the unforgivable mistake of choosing an

irrelevant category or sub-category when submitting their app. The wrong category can only spell

doom for an app’s visibility.

That’s why it’s vital you categorize your app correctly to guarantee exposure to your target

audience.

Think about your app from a user’s perspective. It is wise to choose a relevant category with the

least competition and use competitive keywords.




If your app fits into multiple categories, balance it out well and choose a category with the least

competition in terms of keyword search rankings and similarities to your app.

Later on, I will talk about different tools that analyze the level of competition in different categories

and sub-categories along with price, rank and average star rating.

Get the Price Right.

I know…. I know… you have done all this hard work and you really want to cash in big. Right?

You want to move to Jamaica and have mojitos at the beach. Am I right?

Regardless of how bad you want it, please price your app right.

You can put all the hard work in the world into your app but if you price your App game at $29.90,

trust me, nobody will buy it. It doesn’t matter how amazing your ASO skills are or how much your

mum thinks you are a great developer.

So be smart with your pricing.

Pricing your app right from the start is an important factor to get the initial sales rolling. So start

small, get the momentum going. Then, if life is good, start testing different pricing strategies.

Be Proactive

Hi Gab, I tried that ASO thing and it didn’t work out really, so we gave up.

Oh really? What did you try?

Well, not a lot, we played with the description and that’s it… then we stopped. You see, it wasn’t working.

This is a marathon so be proactive. ASO is a process… not one move. So be sure if you are going to embrace this process that you’re prepared to do it properly.

You will need to be willing to experiment, track, improve and invest.

Don’t expect miracles when you don’t put time or energy into it…. Things like that don’t happen... not to people like you and I at least.




Chapter 4 - App Store vs. Google Play

Want to rank? Then get ready to adapt, to compete and to face your competition in different

markets and arenas.

In this ASO game, you need to deal with different rules and variables depending on where you

want to promote your app.

As I announced in the 1st chapter of this book, I will be focusing mainly on the App store and

Google Play.

The App Store was built by Apple (I bet you didn’t know that!) and there has never been such a

large player in the search industry. Compared to Google Play, the AppStore is more complicated.

This is mainly because it is a “mix” of 2 different algorithms… the traditional App store search

algorithm created by Apple and the Chomp Algorithm purchased by Apple in 2012.

Google Play’s algorithm is a baby version of the “big” Google algorithm, and I believe Google

could do a better job in the future than Apple in the Search arena with Google Play.




While Google Play can rely on Google’s army of Search geniuses, Apple’s Search technology has

failed to be as accurate as required, to the point where some third parties like Appchomp

(purchased by Apple in 2012) have managed to provide a better result that the App Store itself.

Although Google Play has a lot to improve, I believe that the app community (developers and

users) are less patient with Apple than Google regarding changes to their algorithm and the way

searching takes place.

While the App Store has for years been criticized by the app developing community, implementing

the right amount of algorithm changes to keep everyone happy has shown to be more challenging

than expected.

The Challenge

The difficulty with ASO is that you don’t just have to achieve results. You also need to keep up

with the constant changes and diverse factors that influence search results in the App Store, and

Google Play.

Also, it’s pretty obvious to assume that Apple and Google are not going to find a common

denominator to rank Apps. In fact, it is most likely each company will stick to their rules and

algorithm to command the way Apps get ranked.

For us, this means that every submission sent to the App Store needs to be treated in a different

way to an app submitted to Google Play. Different markets mean different rules.

That makes the challenge of ranking an app even harder.

Not only do you have to keep up with the latest ASO trends, but also you have to understand what

type of ASO tactics produce results, depending on the market you are targeting.

The App Store

We all know the app store… this is where everything started.

As we already know, the Apple App Store layout and listings work like a big directory of Apps,

where Search seems to be a painful process.




Finding the EXACT type of app you’re searching for can be a frustrating ordeal with Apple or with

any type of App Store at the moment.

There are too many apps, not a lot of accurate results and some strange layouts.

Now that Apple has purchased Appchomp, the app industry predicts that they’ll try to focus on

providing a more accurate search algorithm where less “spammy Apps” will appear in the results.

Regardless of Apple’s intentions, the App Store’s search function is still in its infancy and Apple is

aware that search will be a decisive factor in the way they compete with Google Play.

Apple knows that not only do they need to satisfy app users expecting accurate search results, but

they also need to keep app developers happy.

The more frustrated app developers become with Apple, the more credits and brownie points

Google Play will win automatically.

The Chomp Algorithm

The “Chomp update” took place while I was working on this book and obviously I was excited that

my predictions were right, but also frustrated by the fact that I had to edit a lot of the content!

The first chomp algorithm update took place in June 2012, and like any search algorithm update,

Apple decided to do the Chomp rollout in phases.

This means that we may expect the Apple search algorithm to have incremental updates during

the next year or more while they try to focus their search function to work more in the “chomp way”

of finding apps.

But before I continue; let’s try to understand what exactly Chomp is?

Let’s ask Wikipedia, shall we?

Chomp is an app search engine company founded by Ben Keighran and Cathy Edwards in 2009.

Chomp’s app search engine is available in a Chomp app or as an integrated search box in

partners’ websites or other content. Chomp’s propriety algorithm allows users to search for apps

based on what apps do, not just by what they are called.




In February 2012, Apple purchased Chomp (the app search startup).

The purchase of Chomp not only gave Apple an advantage over Android, but it gave them the

technology required to improve their search algorithm. Apple slapped Google in the face with this

purchase and they also acquired a smarter algorithm ready to be implemented in the big leagues

such as the App store.

So what is the Chomp Update about?

The chomp update could be defined as an update where Apple started to move towards

replicating their algorithm to the way Chomp works.

In the eyes of Apple, Chomp has brought a smarter search system where the algorithm can detect

and understand what types of apps are more relevant to user search terms.

The changes implemented by Chomp also provided a decrease in the power of previous

contextual ASO factors such as title and keywords.

This means that just keywords and names as ranking factors have lost power compared to

downloads and the topic correlation between search terms and what the app does.

Although the update could be labeled a soft update, it could be considered the first move by Apple

to start building a more accurate search algorithm.

This update not only improved the search function, but it’s a first move by Apple to battle “grey hat

tactics” where developers were trying to manipulate the algorithm.

Obviously with any update, many developers claim that the biggest losers are the small players

that will always have less downloads than the big app companies. But some developers claim this

is the right move towards a new era where the App store is actively improving their search

algorithm

Google Play

Google Play obviously comes from the creators of modern search. I.e. Google. (I bet you didn’t

know that!) And I believe Google Play has as a huge advantage, the search background of the

Google search algorithm.



http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/23/apple-chomp/


Clearly ASO is not SEO and apps are not websites. Therefore Google Play has its own variables

that make its algorithm difficult to predict.

So how does Google Play work?

Good Question! One way of understanding the way the algorithm may work in Google Play is to

read the definition by Johannes Borchardt, founder of ANDLABS and blogger on Droid-Blog.net.

He states that if you could “formulate” what the Google Play algorithm would look like, it would be

something like this:

Temporary relevance * t + keyword frequency in the title * u + keyword frequency in the

description * v + ratings * w + composite score * x + active installs in percent * y + black magic * z

One of the things that I love the most about Johannes’ formula is the “black magic” component.

For sure black magic, or the secret sauce, is one of the realities of any SEO, ASO or ranking

game: the unknown factor.

What I really find interesting behind Johannes’ theory is how important “keywords” are in his

hypothetical ranking formula.

Also, it’s important to highlight the concept of temporary relevance.

Temporary relevance could be understood by looking at the way Google works today.

The Google search algorithm has a factor called the “freshness factor.”

Freshness update:

http://searchengineland.com/google-search-algorithm-change-for-freshness-to-impact-35-of-

searches-99856

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/googles-freshness-update-whiteboard-friday

The freshness factor gives relevancy to sites recently updated or sites that tend to provide more

“fresh” content that others. Is it possible that this also works in the Google Play Algorithm?



http://www.seomoz.org/blog/googles-freshness-update-whiteboard-friday

http://searchengineland.com/google-search-algorithm-change-for-freshness-to-impact-35-of-searches-99856

http://searchengineland.com/google-search-algorithm-change-for-freshness-to-impact-35-of-searches-99856

http://droid-blog.net/

https://plus.google.com/106448042991774980147/posts


I find it difficult to believe Google Play won’t follow some of the same concepts the Google

Algorithm uses for websites and adapt it to apps.

Therefore temporary relevance could be the variable that guarantees that fresh results will get

higher “priority” for indexing and ranking compared to sites with no updates or new content.

What could trigger the temporary relevance?

Potentially (and we are speculating here) we could be looking at apps with new updates, recently

released or with a recent spike in downloads or reviews. Again, it’s difficult to predict what could

be or is not relevant for Google Play, but launching an update, for example, could trigger Google

play to consider a new app as “fresh” potentially helping it to be more “relevant”

Composite Score.

To understand the composite score I want to quote what Google defines in their Google developer

distribution agreement

“Product Ratings. The Market will allow users to rate Products. Only users who download the

applicable Product will be able to rate it. Product ratings will be used to determine the placement

of Products on the Market with higher rated Products generally given better placement, subject to

Google's ability to change placement at Google's sole discretion. The Market may also assign you

a composite score for any Product that has not received user ratings. A Developer Composite

Score will be a representation of the quality of your Product based on your history and will be

determined at Google's sole discretion. For new Developers without Product history, Google may

use or publish performance measurements such as uninstall and/or refund rates to identify or

remove Products that are not meeting acceptable standards as determined by Google. Google

reserves the right to display Products to users in a manner that will be determined at Google's

sole discretion”

Are you still awake?



http://www.android.com/us/developer-distribution-agreement.html

http://www.android.com/us/developer-distribution-agreement.html


Good. Ok, so this is not the most interesting content ever, but it’s very important to keep in mind to

look at how Google Play works, mainly because when I read this, I have a strange feeling of déjà

vu.

The representation of the quality of your product based on your history can be a way of Google to

establish a page rank system for apps developers.

Page Rank is defined in Wikipedia as:

A link analysis algorithm, named after Larry Page and used by the Google Internet search engine,

that assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as

the World Wide Web, with the purpose of "measuring" its relative importance within the set.

So the question to ask here is …

Could the composite score be Google Play Page Rank for the app world??

Only time will tell (but I have the feeling I will be right – send me an email If time makes me eat my

words).

The App store Algorithm Formula

(Guessing what Chomp formula could look like.)

It’s only fair that I try to play the same game as Johannes Borchardt with his Google Play

algorithm… and give you my 100% unprofessional guess of a potential Chomp formula

Temporary relevance * t + keyword the title * u + keywords * v + ratings * w + downloads * x +

active installs in per cent * y + Apple Love * z

Voila!

My own taking on the secret formula that keeps tweaking every month…. but let’s presume I had

to defend my formula to a room of skeptics ….

Why Keyword and not keywords in the title?

I believe saturation of keyword(s) will make no difference to ranking



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank


Why not description as one of the variables?

Description doesn’t make a difference in the App Store Algorithm – it does in Google play

What’s the difference between Downloads vs Active installs?

Downloads are always higher than active installs. Many users may download the app but not use

it or uninstall it later on. Active installs I believe play a stronger role than many companies expect.

Why Apple love and not black magic?

Editorial Love by Apple seam to give a huge “ranking effect” in Apps.

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the new app store optimization - aso guide

Documents

keyword frequency

top freepaid

top grossing

active installs

accurate search

app store

google search

google play