ASO stands for "App Store Optimization," and it refers to the practice of optimizing a software (both its listing and the app itself) to improve its visibility in the app stores' Search and Browse / Explore sections, as well as its visit and download rates. In a nutshell, ASO's major goal is to increase downloads at the lowest cost possible.
ASO is the foundation of every App Marketing strategy since, in addition to providing organic downloads, it directly impacts the expenses of sponsored user acquisition campaigns and as a result, business.
The most common ASO mistake is not realizing what it is, and the second is thinking ASO is the same on the App Store and Google Play. Even while all app stores have a similar foundation, there are some significant distinctions. Let’s see the differences in ASO on meta-data between the two most common app stores: Apple Store and Google Play Store.
Metadata Factors on Apple and Google Play
Icon
App Store and Google Play: The app's core functionalities must be clearly and creatively defined in the icon. To promote branding, we suggest using the same icon across all app marketplaces. In addition, the Google Play Store symbol has a serious influence on organic traffic, as it influences CTR, search ranking, and explore visibility.
App Name
Google Play: The title area, the most fundamental ASO on-metadata field, for now, has 50 characters available, where we must place the most relevant keywords for the app and the ones for which we want to rank the highest. In addition, the title must be descriptive and appealing. Google Play is planning to amend its criteria soon, limiting this area to 30 characters.
App Store: The App Name area here is 30 characters long, and just like Google Play, you should put it with the most relevant keywords and the ones you want your project to highest rank for.
Subtitles
Google Play: On Google Play, you get 80 characters to include the project's core keywords (you may even repeat some of the keywords from the title to make them more relevant) and a quick description of the app's primary features. This content will be visible to the user when they first look at the listing, and will thus have a serious influence on whether or not they decide to install the app.
App Store: The subtitle field on the App Store is 30 characters and should include the project's primary keywords as well as a quick description of the app's main features. This field shows immediately after the App Name, implying that they should be complementary and not repeat keywords.
Keywords
The app stores, like SEO, will look at the keywords in metadata to try to match an app to a user's search query. As a result, based on users' search tendencies, you must include relevant terms in these fields.
Google Play: There is no keyword field on Google Play. Google uses the Title, Short Description, and Long Description (together with the developer name and other fields) to determine whether keywords, themes, or topics are relevant to an app or game.
App Store: There are 100 characters available on the App Store to enter keywords for the app. We remind you that you should not duplicate keywords that already appear in the App Name or Subtitle fields and that you should only use a comma to separate keywords (e.g., "keyword1,keyword2,keywords3," etc.). Even if it is a very prevalent practice in the industry, Apple's standards state that employing competitors' brand keywords might lead to expulsion.
The keyword researcher gathers keyword ideas from a variety of places and compiles a comprehensive keyword list for an app's limited metadata space. They then use ASO metrics to monitor changes in keyword ranks and select future moves. Keyword research is a more technical aspect of app growth that is necessary.
Description
The description is another substantial field of Appstore metadata. It gives an opportunity for you to explain to your users why to download your app, what are unique features and also tells a short story about the app. As much as in other fields, the description also works differently for each app store.
Google Play: Long description field is limited to 4000 characters. Since Google crawls for the keywords in the long description., it's important to include essential keywords in that field. If you place the keywords on top, it will give much more effective results. Also, repeating keywords at least 3 times is suggested but you should also limit that to a maximum of 8 times.
Apple Store: For iOS, Apple gives 4000 characters for the description field. Keeping it clear and simple is highly significant to do. For iOS, keywords can be included as well but shouldn't be repeated like Google. Make sure you add the required information like subscription prices, support, and privacy links.
Video
For the records, Apple and Google both promote high-quality preview films as a best practice since they might provide customers a better grasp of an app than images. As a result, simply having a video on a page could be utilized as a positive indication for keyword rankings.
Google Play: In the app listing, Google Play allows you to embed a YouTube video. This video can serve as a tutorial or a sales pitch.
App Store: You can post up to three videos to the App Store, but they must only show app content and be fully functional. Promotional videos are strictly prohibited.
Developer name
Google Play: You can change and customize the Developer Name that shows publicly on listings on Google Play. With only 50 characters available, we recommend that you employ keywords to boost your ranking. Changes in this area should be handled with extreme caution.
App Store: While the Developer Name on the App Store cannot be changed, we still recommend including certain keywords there. To do so, your company's name (or your name as a unique thing) must include keywords... and this isn't something you'd expect.
