ASOBest Practices, KPIs, Tools & Challenges
• 55 person marketing agency located in Udim
• Global market only
• Zynga, Playtika, Scientific Games, Tinder, Miniclip, Gett and others
• Inbound – ASO & SEO• Performance marketing – Google
and Facebook teams
What is ASO?
• Buzz word – voodoo• App page management
• Texts: o Titles, Descriptions, short
descriptions, keyword lists (hidden)
o Graphics: Icons, feature graphics, screenshots
What is ASO
Search Optimization Conversion
Optimization
Increased paid traffic• Branded searches: no difference• Non-branded searches: Keyword visibility – page views – installs
Benefits of ASO
Reduced CPI• Better conversion rates• Acts as a landing page for keyword purposes
Gateway to other marketing efforts
Who should practice ASO?• Anyone who owns an app
• Not necessarily with an agency though…• Going from 65 to 80 to 95• Expensive tools
• As a rule of thumb – any app that has over 1-2K daily installs should consider getting professional ASO assistance
• Can not replace a holistic marketing strategy, but is a crucial marketing channel
Difference between Google Play & iTunesIt’s all in the DNA
• Google Play – SearchUnderstand what users might search for
• iTunes – MusicNeeds to be told what users might search for
Best practices – Search OptimizationiTunes
• Titles• 100 characters keyword list• Combinations
• Title: Wow Vegas Casino Slots• Keyword list: las,video,bonus
• Targeted Queries: Las Vegas, Video Slots, Casino Bonus, Las Bonus
Google Play• Titles• Short Description• Description
• Google “reads” the app description
• Keyword density
• Synonyms
• Not as sophisticated as the web algorithm
Best practices – Conversion Optimization
iTunesTwo first screenshots30 seconds videoLarge clear fontsOffers/advantagesNo native experiments tool
Google Play• Icons• Any YouTube video• Large fonts• Offers/advantages• Native experiments tool
Best practices – Conversion Optimization
Localization
Metrics
Metric Taken from Issues
Keyword rankings Sensor Tower/ AppAnnie/ Mobile Action External tools, traffic is an estimation (excluding than iOS US)
Impressions iTunes’ systemsiOS only, sampled data
Page views iTunes & GP’s systemsSampled data in iOS. Not easily accessed in GP
Organic installs GP’s systems, attribution platformCalculated as a subtraction – not fully accurate
Conversion rates CalculatedCan only look in terms of trends. GP provides bench marks
Tools – Solely ASO Oriented
• SensorTower/AppAnnie/Mobile Action
• Store Intelligence – estimations of installs by country
• App Intelligence – Keyword rankings, category rankings, reviews, competitors, app update timeline
Tools – Solely ASO Oriented
Tools – PlatformsGoogle Play Developer Console
Upload appsSee statisticsUser Acquisition – Page views, installs, broken down by countryExperimentsComment to Reviews
iTunes ConnectUpload appsSee statisticsUser analytics – impressions, page views, installation – sampledNo native experiments console
Tools – Platforms
ExperimTools – App Store ExperimentsStoreMaven/SplitMetrics
Duplicate the app store pageActually a web pageProvide a link to send traffic to
Plenty of insightsCostly – non-converting trafficTests only a part of the funnelTests one type of traffic
Challenges
Lack of data
• No attribution of keyword to install
• Higher rankings in some keywords, lower rankings in other
𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑘=𝐾𝑒𝑦𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ∗𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 (𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 , 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 ,𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 ,𝑅𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ,𝐶𝑣𝑅 ,𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 , ?)
Black Hat Methods• Directing positive only reviews
• Buying reviews
• Incentivized reviews
• Negative ASO
• Burst campaigns
• Bot Installs
• Brand names as keywords
• Keyword incentivized traffic
• Top Grossing Refund
Overcoming Challenges KPIs – important keywords
Ad hoc solutions• Comparing before/after changes (Tinder)
Breaking data/changes between countries
• Comparing Android to iOS (Gett’s Offline campaigns)
• Comparing trends to competitors (Slotomania)
Comparing trends to competitorsSimilar trends in keyword rankings for developers
Overcoming Challenges - Results
• ASO as a long term process• Modifications based on results
• iOS – check and replace keyword by keywordo Look at phrases, not at individual words
• Android – Look for low hanging fruits (high traffic queries that rank at #10-60)o Allow at least 3 weeks between iterations
Overcoming Challenges - Results
Slot Machines
Slots
Vegas Slots
Slots
Overcoming Challenges - Experiments
Overcoming Challenges - Experiments
Summary
• ASO is somewhat of a black box• General funnel is search – impression – page view – organic install• Tracking difficulties in every stage• Anyone who claims to have it figured out is being dishonest
• ASO is a crucial part of any marketing plan, but is not a holistic strategy
• Basic ASO is fairly simple – any app developer can (and should) practice it