App A App B They both do the same thing. If you compare the two, App A has better UI/UX, better customer support, better pricing, Better everything, basically. BUT App B has better visibility. It's on the first page of app store
search results and App A isn’t. App A may be a better product, but App B will have more views and downloads. All things being equal, app B will
be a more profitable business. In this video, I’ll be covering App
Store Optimization, also known as ASO, the science behind giving
visibility to your app and converting that visibility
into views and downloads. Let me caveat this by saying that
App Store Optimization is marketing, not product development. It supports a valid app. It's not
going to save an app that doesn’t work, or a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. Of course, marketing and product development
should absolutely go hand in hand. I just want to be clear on where
this adds value to your project. Why Do You Need to Learn ASO? Dear non-tech founder, Say you’ve created an MVP
with a no code app builder. You’re gonna want to validate it with real users. You don’t want to ask your grandma. Actually, if old ladies are your
target demographic, then by all means. Point is, you’ll need to source authentic users. Second situation, you’re
hiring an in-house team and need to evaluate someone’s marketing knowledge. In both these cases, you’ll need to
understand App Store Optimization. ASO is not a technical topic. You should know enough to do a decent job yourself or make sure the person you hire
knows what they’re talking about. And that’s all I’m covering, just the
basics of ASO for Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store to get any non-tech
founder covered on the fundamentals. There are slight differences between Google and
Apple, but its always two main stakeholders: The algorithm, and
Users Before we start, a quick Public Service
Announcement from the sponsor of our videos, who has chosen to remain anonymous
to hide his incredible wealth. PSA: App Stores Have a Review Period! Hey guys, it's me, the sponsor of this video. Again, I’m definitely not Adrian.
We look completely different. I actually work out. See this? Adrian doesn’t have this. Anyways, I have something important to tell you. App stores won’t let you just
publish your app whenever you want - it needs to pass a review process. Their official statements say ‘just
a few days’, but it can take longer. So whatever date you want to launch on, submit
the app for review at least two weeks beforehand. Better safe than sorry. How do I know all this even
though I’m just a video sponsor? Adrian taught me. He’s amazing. His
agency is amazing. Subscribe. Subscribe. K bai. What do you mean I don’t have biceps? Anyways, two parts, remember?
Algorithm first, users second. We’ll start with the algorithm. App Store Optimization
Strategies for The Algorithm What you need to remember about
algorithms is that their function is to promote relevant and quality apps to users. So your app store optimization strategy should
convince them your app is worth promoting. We do this with Keywords Positive user feedback.
Performance metrics Let’s start with keywords The specific term is metadata - just
in case you ever come across that term. If a user searches for ‘apple’,
the algorithm will look for apps that say ‘apple’ or something
related like ‘fruit’ or ‘pie’. As far as we know, the Google Play
Store algorithm looks for keywords from: The package ID
The app title The short and long descriptions
User reviews The Apple App store looks for keywords from: The app URL
The app title The app subtitle
The keyword field The biggest difference here is that Google
scans your descriptions for keywords. Apple doesn’t. Instead, they’ve got a keyword
field that’s only visible to you. You provide Apple with the keywords
you’d like your app to rank for. With Google, you just do your thing,
and they’ll see if they like it. What can you do to maximize your
keyword usage for either platform? Look up popular competitor apps and
see what kind of keywords they’re using Don’t repeat keywords - use a
variety provided they’re relevant Don’t keyword stuff your product
descriptions - space it out You still need to appeal to
users - remember to sound human If this is for something serious, consider
paying for a keyword tool like App Radar. If you want to see good keyword usage in action, I recommend checking out Signal’s
product pages on both app stores. They’ve used a variety of
keywords across their sections, and it doesn’t read like a boring manual. Of course, Apple won’t show you the keyword field, but it’s a fair bet that a lot of Signal’s
keywords will also be used in their description. Next up, we look at Reviews and ratings Positive reviews, negative reviews and no
reviews all tell the algorithm something. Positive and negative reviews are
pretty self-explanatory, I think. No reviews can be taken to
mean your app is pretty meh, and a competitor with better
engagement can overtake you in ranking. We’ll stick to Signal, let’s look at
their main stats in the Play Store: Three-quarters of their two million
ratings are five-star reviews. They’ve got a teeny tiny percentage
of people who gave them 1 star. You can’t please everyone,
and the algorithm knows this. If you have a million users and a
hundred negative reviews, no big deal. If you have ten users and eleven
negative reviews, very big deal. Your app is so bad that somehow even
people who haven't used it don’t like it. But for MVP validation, you know
that’s just what you need to do. To add on to this:
Not all positive and negative reviews are equal Some users will say stuff like ‘attractive or
unattractive design’ which could apply to any app. The best kind of review you can get
are ones that validate your USP. In the case of Signal, they claim to offer secure
messaging, so this is what they want to see: Those underlined parts are great because it
contributes towards ASO from the algorithm. It’s not you saying you’re good at something,
here’s a real-life user verifying it. This also means the opposite is true: a review that criticises your app’s ability
to deliver what it promises is very damaging. As publishers and developers, focus on delivering
great UX through an intuitive and attractive UI. Really understand your user
journey, because then you can… Be strategic about when to ask for a review This is actually quite a bit less to do with
marketing and more to do with product development. The two really do go hand in hand. If you want reviews, you need to ask for them. If you want positive reviews,
choose when to ask wisely. You’ve experienced those annoying pop-ups
on apps asking you to review and rate them. They’re like mosquitoes, and you
know what we do to mosquitoes right? Wait until users have had a
positive experience with your app. After they’re done making a purchase. Gotten off a call, Read three articles. Opened a mystery prize that
gives them ten billion coins. Just don’t interrupt them while
they’re getting shit done. Also, space out your requests. Don’t ask them every time,
it gets irritating fast. If you’ve ever browsed Reddit’s website on mobile, you know they are relentless about
asking you to download their app. I literally have to hit not now on every page. Thing is, I’m on Reddit a lot. I think I’d find the app useful, but I’m
never downloading it just because I hate how Reddit put advertising
above my user experience. And I’m not alone. Ok, now I’m done. Come back here. See, you just have to know when
to catch people in a good mood. Of course, some people are
never in a good mood, so be prepared to… Handle Negative Reviews Gracefully Your app could cure cancer. Someone will still find
something to complain about. Don’t ignore these people. Reasonable or not, their emotions are valid. Also, your app is new, and every
review carries more weightage. So respond to all of them,
especially unhappy ones. Apologise for negative experiences. Mention that bugs are being patched. Address requests for features. If you want to be a successful founder, you
need to be responsive and care about users. Make them feel heard and appreciated. Turn critics into your most vocal supporters. Converting a low rating into
a higher one has been proven to boost your user conversion rate like crazy. Ok, that wraps up ratings and reviews. It’s more straightforward than keywords
I think, just make sure you: ask users for a review at the right time, and
address negative feedback That brings us to...
Performance Metrics for App Store Optimization ASO for the algorithm doesn’t stop once a
user downloads and starts using your app. It’s just begun. In fact, it never ends. The algorithm will now monitor
how well your app performs. Things it measures include: Stability - how prone is your
app to crashing, and where? Rendering time - how fast does
it take to load the interface? Energy-drain - how power-hungry is
your app compared to competitors? Startup time - how long does it take for
your app to go from closed to running? Permissions - how keen are users on granting
you access to their devices and data? For Google, this can be accessed via
their Play Console, and for Apple, head to their App Analytics via App Connect. You need to check your stats regularly at first because there will always be bugs
and you need to address them quickly. Past that point, always make sure your app’s
performance performs at or above benchmarks, especially as the user base grows and your puny
little no-code app gets stretched to its limit. Sorry, elitist developer side speaking there. Everything we’ve seen so far tells
us how to speak to the algorithm. Hey, algorithm, I’m an app and I’m really
good at providing a certain service. And the algorithm is like, prove it. So I go, Look at these keywords I’m linked to
Look at my rave reviews Look at my zero crash rate
I’m legit, bro. And the algorithm is like, ok, ok, pretty good,
I’ll recommend you to my millions of customers. You’ve won over the machine, now for the humans. App Store Optimization
Strategies for User Conversion At this point, your app appears at the
top when there's a relevant search. But it’s not the only option
- there will be competition. You need to use every visual and
text-based trick to convince the right kind of users to visit your
app product page and download it. There’s slight differences between stores, but
here are the ones you need to focus on for both. App Icon
Screenshots, Video and
Description Let’s start with App Icon Your icon alone should give an
indication of what your app offers. Let’s look at Signal’s icon in isolation Judging from the speech bubble,
we can guess its a messaging app Now let’s put it next to WhatsApp. They’ve both got speech bubbles, so
they’re both definitely messengers. From there, the design differences are clues. Whatsapp has a phone - it’s telling users,
hey, I can help you make phone calls. Signal has a line around it to
represent a layer of protection - hey, I provide security for your messages. Look at the icon and the
title as a whole, they fit. I have to say, I do think it
could have been done better. I think on iconography alone, something like SafeSwiss does a better
job of communicating ‘protection’. But hey, Signal’s icon is different enough to
convince people, and that’s all it has to do. Let’s look at Signal’s
screenshots from the Play Store. Here’s what’s good about them: They use Signal’s brand colour The screenshot is accompanied
by clear and concise copy Signal’s five screenshots,
plus the accompanying copy, clearly show and tell users what they
can expect to get out of the app. Plus, it’s a chance to show
their user interface in action. Signal only targets phone users, so
they only need phone-sized screenshots. If your app is also optimized for tablets, include
a couple of screenshots from a wider screen. Do I Need a Promo Video? Short answer: If you have to ask, probably not. Longer answer: Good quality video content
is expensive and time-consuming to produce, Evaluate what a video can communicate to
your users that screenshots alone cannot. Signal doesn’t have a video, they’re doing fine. Are screenshots not enough to
clearly capture what your app offers? Does your app contain video
elements that are crucial to the UX? If you have a case for a promo video, make sure
you set aside enough resources to execute it well. And that’s it! We’ll recap everything now but
first, holy crap that was a long one. When you’ve been doing it for so long you
don’t notice how much actual work goes into it. Editor, can I have a cup of coffee, please? Thank you.
ASO Strategies For Algorithms: Takeaways
Level up your keyword game by doing research or paying for a tool
Plan when to ask users for reviews Respond to negative reviews to
convert them into supporters Monitor your app’s vital performance metrics
ASO Strategies For Users: Takeaways ALL assets here must be pleasing to the
eye and consistent with your branding Your icon alone should give an
indication of what your app offers Your screenshots should show
users key value propositions include some copy to clarify what users are seeing
Video is not always necessary Again, these are the basics of ASO.
These are things you definitely need to know and need to do if you want
your app to appear on anyone’s radar. ASO is a rabbit hole, you
can go way deeper than this, into things like A/B testing and
localized keyword optimization. Here’s my advice, all knowledge
is useless until you need it. Right now you don’t need it. As a non-tech founder, you’re gonna
be playing lots of different roles. You need to be a jack of all trades. Get your app optimized in the app or play
store with these basic principles first. And because I know you’ve already forgotten, remember to submit your app for
review with a 2-week buffer window! Whatever leftover time you have,
pour it into product development. Thank me later. Or thank me now, by subscribing to
my channel for more content on app development for non-tech founders. I’d like
to cover more practical topics like these. Do you think the video was too long or was it an
ok length? Would love to hear your thoughts. And If you want to see marketing and
product development done simultaneously, check out my story on Alex Turnbull, a non-tech
founder who created a highly successful software company with no technical co-founder. Alex made
lots of great decisions and a few bad ones, I learned a lot from studying
him and I think you will too.
