Published on June 23rd, 2021 | by Sunit Nandi

ASO Mistakes you Need to Avoid in 2021

There are several ASO optimization mistakes that mobile marketers should try to avoid. This article will discuss these, so that you can improve your app’s performance in Google Play and the Apple Store.

Not Completely Understanding ASO’s Impact On Your Business

App Store Optimization (ASO) involves optimizing an app so that it’s more visible in each app store and naturally generates more downloads. Good optimization requires you to focus on both search traffic and the installations that you can get when people use the Browse or Explore option in store.

Forgetting that SEO and ASO are Different

Some developers make the mistake of viewing ASO and SEO as the same thing. They don’t work in the same way, so while paid campaigns can be beneficial for ASO they don’t impact SEO. SEO focuses on raising your rankings in Google search, while ASO improves your visibility in the stores, so you can spend less to acquire new users.

Forgetting that Quality is A Factor

If your app has a low level of user engagement or retention, has lots of negative reviews and takes forever to download, stores will be less likely to feature it. You’ll achieve your optimization goals by fixing bugs and delivering a quality product.

Not Knowing your Market

Learn what users in your niche are expecting. Study your competitors, so you understand how they position their app, how they update their metadata and what kind of visuals they use in their branding. Implement good practices so you always match what buyers expect.

Only Doing Post-Launch ASO

You should start doing ASO before you launch your app, so you maximize its reach. Do thorough keyword research, refine your listing and study what your competitors are doing.

Under Utilizing Metadata Fields

You can strategically select the long tail keywords that you’ll use in metadata fields like the subtitle and description. Your main keywords should always be in the title. ASO Mobile can be used to research your mobile app market.

Low Quality Visuals

People are attracted to engaging screenshots and videos. If you don’t utilize an icon and other images that will grab attention, you won’t have a chance to convert interest to sales.

Avoiding Split Testing

Some marketers never do split testing to find out what works and what doesn’t. A/B testing makes it easy for you to find out which icons and screenshots drive more traffic and sales. Google Play Console’s Experiments platform can be used for testing two versions of the element that you’re interested in,

Focusing On The Wrong Keywords

Focusing on keywords that major brands are already targeting might not give you the results that you’re looking for, even after months of hard work. App Store Optimization is made easier with ASOmobile, which offers comprehensive analytics for all stakeholders, including developers. It will help you to find keywords that you can effectively compete for, even if you’ve just launched your app.

Forgetting That Many Users Explore The Store

Several users find new apps by using the Browse/ Explore feature, so your optimization strategy should help you to rank in Browse. Even if you avoid ASO optimization mistakes like this one, you’ll need to be consistent with your efforts, to keep getting good results. Aim to constantly make strides with keyword optimization while increasing the traffic that you gain through the Explore feature.

Treating Google Play Just Like Apple’s App Store

Some of the top ASO mistakes made by marketers include treating Google Play and the App Store as if they both work in the same way and ignoring key differences in the audiences that can help you with traffic. The ranking factors are different for each store, so you’ll need to become familiar with what works well on each. Sometimes you’ll even find that a strategy that worked well for a particular app has to be tweaked for an app in another niche, although it’s in the same app store.

Not Realizing That Paid UA Affects ASO

Paid User Acquisition (UA) boosts App Store Optimization. Likewise, ASO boosts User Acquisition. As your app becomes more visible, the cost of acquiring new users drops. You should work on both simultaneously to generate more downloads.

Halting ASO

App Store Optimization is something you’ll have to commit to for the long term. If you don’t constantly monitor your competition, conduct split testing to improve conversions and track your KPIs, your app will not perform well. You’ll have to budget time to regularly check the rankings.

Not Checking On Your Competition

Your competition could change their strategy, target new keywords or make other changes to their optimization techniques. You benefit from tracking those who offer products that are similar to yours or rank for the same keywords that you do.

Using Fake Installs and Other Black Hat Techniques

Fake reviews and other techniques that give a false impression of your app’s popularity may work at first. However, if you’re caught, you’ll be penalized.

Not Using ASO Tools

ASO tools let your track your KPIs. You need the data that these tools provide, in order to monitor your performance. ASOmobile is a reliable tool.

Not Localizing Content

Most app users are not located in the United States, so your content should be adapted to several cultures. Your listing gets you more conversions if you localize it to every country where your users may be. Otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on profitable opportunities.

Not Following Experts

You’ll learn a lot by attending marketing events online or in person. You can also follow marketing experts, to learn about the techniques that are giving them an advantage.

Not Responding Quickly To Algorithm Updates

App stores frequently change their algorithms. You’ll always need to be aware of these updates, so you can adjust your strategies and remain profitable.

Not Monitoring Your Performance Indicators

You may not be able to efficiently monitor every single KPI. However, always monitor the main ones, such as organic conversions and your rankings in each category.

Conclusion

By avoiding these ASO optimization mistakes, you can enhance your app’s current ranking. You’ll also improve traffic, while encouraging more people to download your app.

Tags: 2021, app store optimization, ASO, mistakes

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.