The internet offers many opportunities for mobile app developers, but getting people to notice your new app can be challenging. That's where app SEO comes in.
SEO for apps utilizes search engines to help people find your app organically, without paid ads. It attracts people who are interested in what your app offers and are more likely to become loyal users. Let’s learn how to use SEO to market your mobile app effectively with the help of our experts.
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What Is SEO for Apps?
App SEO, or application search engine optimization, involves optimizing your mobile application to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). While traditional SEO focuses on improving the visibility of websites, app SEO aims to make your mobile application more discoverable in search engines and within app stores, such as Apple's App Store or Google Play Store.
The goal is to attract high-quality, organic traffic to your app's listing, leading to more downloads and user engagement. App SEO incorporates strategies to improve the app's visibility, including keyword research, app indexing, and quality backlinks. It often works hand in hand with App Store Optimization (ASO), which is specifically focused on enhancing an app's ranking within App Store search results.
By effectively implementing App SEO, you can increase your app's visibility, reach a wider audience, and achieve better download rates and user engagement.
How To Do App SEO in 5 Steps
App SEO requires a comprehensive approach. As Shreyansh Pancholi,Vice President (Global Sales) at Verve Systems, suggests: "Keyword research, optimization of app titles, descriptions, and information, as well as boosting in-app purchases, ratings, and reviews are essential for improving overall ranking in app stores."
Now, let’s look at how to effectively integrate App SEO into your strategy in five steps.
- Optimize Your App
- Create a Network to Drive Traffic
- Use the Right Keywords
- Measure Your Mobile App SEO
- Stay Updated on Best Practices in SEO for Mobile Apps
Step 1: Optimize Your App
The first step in offering a product is to ensure it’s working correctly. An unusable application won’t stay installed for long, and bad experiences often lead to negative reviews that can hurt your app store ranking. Just as websites need to load quickly and be well-designed and thought-out, your app should be optimized to the user’s needs.
Step 2: Create a Network to Drive Traffic
SEO and ASO work best when supported by a network of platforms and pages that improve their online presence. We recommend starting with a website and a landing page dedicated to informing potential customers about your application.
Set up your website content as your online headquarters. As mentioned above, fast loading times are essential to keeping visitors on your website long enough to convert leads into sales. This is where blog posts come in, as they provide customers with educational content that engages and retains visitors to your website. This decreases your bounce rate, informs search engines that your website meets your customers’ needs, and boosts your search engine ranking.
Additionally, set up social media pages, create guest posts on relevant websites, partner with peer reviewers for your product, and endorse it to more people. About 46% of consumers trust online referrals, so creating a good product and user experience is essential before you market your service.
The goal is to create a network of backlinks and references that endorse your app, highlight its usefulness, and encourage them to search and download it.
Step 3: Use the Right Keywords
Keyword research informs you of the words and phrases to use in your application’s title, product descriptions, subtitles, app reviews, and the content you post about the application.
Sully Chaudhary, CEO and Founder at WriterArmy, provides actionable advice on efficient keyword usage: "Include the main keyword with the highest search traffic in your app title; this is a key step that will help maximize visibility and installs."
Clever copywriting in your content effectively informs users of your app’s benefits and highlights the solutions you offer. Search engine algorithms value helpful content, which improves your app’s visibility.
The importance of metadata for SEO mobile apps is something that Avinash Chandra, Founder of BrandLoom Consulting, strongly believes: "The most critical aspect of SEO for mobile apps is optimizing your app's metadata, precisely the title and description. Your app's title should be concise, informative, and include relevant keywords. The description showcases the app's unique features and benefits, incorporating keywords naturally.”
“App stores use these elements to understand your app's purpose and relevance to user searches,” he continues. "Regularly update your app's content and remember, app store optimization (ASO) is an ongoing process, so monitor and adapt your strategy as needed to stay competitive."
Step 4: Measure Your Mobile App SEO
SEO is a data-based process. Make it part of your routine to track the effectiveness of your ASO and SEO practices. Conduct a monthly review, brainstorm, and collaborate with your team on what can be improved and adjusted accordingly.
Step 5: Stay Updated on Best Practices in SEO for Mobile Apps
Algorithms change frequently, affecting the content you see. Staying updated with the latest best practices for SEO and ASO is crucial to maintaining your rankings.
This is why it’s important to consistently reoptimize your product based on relevant trends and updates to ensure its quality. After all, there's little point in marketing an app that doesn't offer a good user experience.
Initially, you should handle SEO and ASO manually to get a better understanding of the process. Many online resources and Google SEO tools can help determine what works best for you. Once you're comfortable with the basics, you can explore SEO automation to make the process more efficient.
ASO: What SEO for Apps Can Do for You
App Store Optimization (ASO) improves the likelihood of your app reaching the right audience with every organic search. Close to 50% of users discover apps through store searches, making it vital to use the right keywords. Include these keywords in the app's title, subtitle, description, reviews, and ratings.
According to CP Digital, “ASO is akin to SEO for mobile applications and involves optimizing various elements within the app store to improve its visibility and discoverability.” They believe that the key elements that are vital for ASO are:
- App title and keywords
- App description
- Keywords and metadata
- App ratings and reviews
- Localization
- App updates and maintenance
- External promotion and marketing
When executed effectively, ASO can offer several benefits:
- Increase organic downloads and installations for your app
- Boost the likelihood of being recommended in-app packs
- Attract relevant attention from potential customers
Diell Behra, Head of SEO at SpaceRanker, illustrates the importance of optimizing listings in app stores:
"We optimized the listing page on Google Play Store for relevant buyer intent keywords for a client’s app. We started with basic optimization, adjusted the content accordingly, and built backlinks. This works perfectly because Google's Play Store listing page already has an established authority, thus making it easier to rank a listing page. We have driven many downloads through this strategy, making this a worthwhile SEO effort for mobile apps."
So, make sure to include ASO in your mobile app marketing strategy and optimize your listing to enable downloads. Create and fine-tune informative content to encourage potential customers to install your app by highlighting its main benefits and features.
Benefits of App SEO
App SEO strategies focus on increasing your app’s visibility on app stores and search engines, notably Google, which dominates the search engine market with a 91.47% share as of February 2024. However, aside from better visibility, what other benefits does SEO for your mobile apps offer?
Relevance and Visibility
Ranking on the first-page results of Google instantly boosts your visibility and increases your traffic and conversions. In fact, the first organic search result receives 34% of the organic traffic — the ultimate goal.
As discussed earlier, one way to organically achieve this is by optimizing your platform and producing high-quality informative content. Search engines prioritize placing the most helpful websites at the top to ensure users get high-quality content that meets their needs.
Connect with the Right Customers
Search engines are primarily used by people with queries or specific needs for products or services. By increasing visibility through marketing efforts that promote your service's benefits, you can reach ideal target consumers and lead them to your online platforms where they can engage with your material. Through SEO and ASO, you can create content that potential customers can find and discover.
Build a Dedicated Audience for Your App
In SEO, you can present the positive aspects of your product or service. With enough time and effort, you can create a loyal customer base, whether they buy into your service immediately or after some time. The key is maintaining a reliable presence where your business remains at the forefront of customers’ minds and converts leads into sales.
Takeaways: How App SEO Helps You Promote Your App and Content
SEO is essential to increase your visibility and help people find your online content. With such tight competition in search engines, it takes hard work and creativity to market and promote your product or service. This doesn’t all have to come from you. To make this process easier, consider outsourcing digital marketing or professional SEO firms with expert professionals who can aid you.
SEO is a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy for several reasons:
- Cost-effective marketing: SEO is generally more budget-friendly than Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, which makes it an excellent option for small to medium-sized businesses that want to get the most out of their investment. 70% of marketing professionals say that SEO is more effective than PPC, highlighting its cost-efficiency.
- Informed and improved content decisions: SEO isn't just about keywords; it's also about providing valuable content your audience wants to read. By understanding what your audience is searching for, you can create content that meets their needs, thereby improving your site's relevance and authority.
- Competitive edge: In today's competitive market, everyone vies for the top spot on search engine results pages. Effective SEO can help you maintain a competitive edge by ensuring your content is more easily discoverable than that of your competitors.
Investing in SEO not only helps you save money but also enables you to make smarter content choices and stay ahead of the competition.
App SEO FAQs
1. How does mobile SEO work?
Mobile SEO works by optimizing your website and app to rank higher in search engine results on mobile devices. It involves making your site mobile-friendly, using responsive design, and focusing on mobile-specific keywords. Mobile apps SEO aims to improve visibility and provide a better user experience.
2. Do you need SEO for apps?
Yes, SEO helps your app become more discoverable in search engine results, not just in app stores. It increases the chances of attracting a wider audience and getting more downloads. App SEO complements App Store Optimization (ASO) to maximize visibility and user engagement.
