## Mobile App Store Optimization: The Significance of Search Terms – iGB
Even the most exceptional app is useless if it doesn’t appear prominently in app store searches. Matthew Balch clarifies how to utilize the correct search terms to ensure your app is discovered.
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**Mobile App Store Optimization: The Significance of Search Terms**
It doesn’t matter how excellent your app is, if it doesn’t rank highly in app store searches, it’s worthless. Matthew Balch clarifies how to use the right search terms to enhance your ranking.
After several years of the “mobile era,” many operators have finally decided to concentrate on their mobile business.
In 2017, most operators have developed applications, integrated diverse product verticals and payment methods, and added various “must-have” software development kits to assist them in better understanding what works and what doesn’t.
While their decision to focus on mobile is entirely justifiable, many operators have invested a significant amount of money in developing an app, only to discover it ranks below 100 (or even lower) in the app store category, with only 20 installations per day (of which only 4 convert). This is a harsh reality.
Since 2013, the idea of App Store Optimization (ASO) has been a prominent topic in the mobile industry. Many top betting operators quickly recognized its potential and have long been advocates of this widely considered “black box” marketing strategy.
Despite this, if your application’s standing is not high enough to attract organic downloads through the App Store’s ranking system, ASO can still provide a solution.
This piece specifically focuses on keyword selection and how to utilize individual keywords and keyword combinations to boost organic downloads and attract the right users.
Currently, Apple’s App Store algorithm evaluates keywords in three ways: brand name, keywords used in the app’s title, and keywords used in the app’s keyword field within iTunes Connect.
However, there are limitations on the number of characters permitted in the app title (including spaces, ) and the number of characters allowed in the iTunes Connect keyword field .
The positive news is that any keywords included in the brand name and app title are already considered, so you don’t need to repeat them in the iTunes Connect keyword field.
When selecting an application for a case study, I chose to venture outside our industry and select an application from the equally competitive UK travel industry.
Rather than opting for well-known applications like Trivago, Expedia, or Hotels.com (which I know have invested heavily in “online” marketing funds in recent years), I chose a “catch-all” application called HolidayPirates.
A key factor in my selection of this application was its consistent placement within the top fifty of the “Free Travel” category, despite my prior unfamiliarity with it. How does this “all-encompassing” application consistently maintain a top fifty position while contending with numerous top-tier brands?
My initial phase of inquiry led me to my keyword analysis tool, where I conducted a simple search for the terms HolidayPirates is presently recognized for within the App Store search.
The following table presents the top twenty most pertinent terms the application is recognized for in the top ten, alongside the quantity of applications ranking for each term, search volume (expressed as a score out of one hundred), competition level (again, out of one hundred) among all applications (not solely travel applications), and lastly, the keyword efficiency score, which is a score out of one hundred that evaluates the overall suitability of the keyword in conjunction with all of these factors.
Table 1. Source: AppTweak
While the quantity of relevant keywords HolidayPirates is recognized for in the top ten is undeniably impressive, perhaps more intriguing is which individual words and combinations of words the application ranks highly for, and the likelihood of those words leading to direct sales.
Nevertheless, numerous factors must be taken into account when condensing a list of keywords into a limited character allocation, such as:
The term “reservation” serves as a suitable illustration.
AppTweaks data reveals that the application holds the 29th position for this search term. However, we all understand that users navigating the App Store are unlikely to scroll that far down to download, let alone make a purchase, so why include it as a search term in iTunes Connect?
By incorporating it, we can shape and enhance key search phrases in the App Store, in this instance “hotel booking app” (ranked 4th) and “flight booking app” (ranked 20th).
These two terms not only rank highly but are also search terms that potential customers might use and could convert into actual users.
In conclusion, here are the proposed app name and keyword fields for the HolidayPirates app:
App Name: HolidayPirates – Flights, Hotels & Package Deals (50)
As you can observe, it incorporates at least five high-volume and pertinent search terms and utilizes the allotted .
Intriguingly, the app name doesn’t include any search terms, which is a missed chance for the developer.
Suggested iTunes Connect Keyword Field: Airlines, Budget, Cruise, Travel, Tourism, Booking, Vacation, Flights, Railway, Fares, Cheap, Beach, Train, Last Minute (100)
Naturally, the following are the actual search terms that are currently driving downloads:
In certain situations, when specific search terms have considerably more search traffic than others, you might query the worth of incorporating search terms with less search traffic, intense competition, and low efficiency ratings.
However, I would propose that these search terms are still valuable to include.
Give yourself a pat on the back every time your application ranks among the top ten for a search term other than your own brand terms.
Ranking highly for a search term with a low efficiency rating is more advantageous than ranking in the top twenty-five for a search term with a high search volume, as long as the term is pertinent and potentially converting.
Any reputable mobile marketer will tell you, “We don’t just want traffic, we want traffic that converts.” By shifting the main performance indicator of any app store optimization strategy from “ranking” to “acquiring high lifetime value users” and “first-time purchase customers,” the importance of keyword selection becomes clear.
A quick look at HolidayPirates’ UK travel category ranking chart (see red line below) suggests that their strategy is not to manipulate chart rankings through “paid installations,” but rather through careful keyword selection.
The outcome is consistently high search rankings in the App Store for search terms and phrases (see Table 1), all of which lead to an increase in organic downloads, keeping the application in a stable chart ranking throughout 2016. Efficient, effective, and free!
Table 2. 365-day chart ranking, highest ranking on January 9th at position 18.
## Top Tips for Keyword Exploration: A Handbook for iGaming Enterprises
Don’t lose heart if your application is positioned beneath the top 40 in its classification! Effective mobile acquisition is about more than just rapid bursts of marketing and downloads.
By meticulously crafting your app’s title, selecting the appropriate keywords, and constructing an engaging description and visuals, you can transform App Store viewers into paying clients. This approach helps attract the ideal users who will generate income and long-term value for your enterprise.
Matthew Balch, a media advisor specializing in iGaming, assists companies in developing mobile and app marketing plans.
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