ASO is no easy task! There are a few mistakes that can easily be made. You don’t want to unknowingly be impeding your own app growth with these common ASO myths. Find out what some of these mistakes are, and make sure that you avoid them when you are doing your own ASO.
1.Myth: Descriptions don’t have any effect on ASO
This is an ASO myth! Users may not read full descriptions, but they should not be neglected. In the Google Play store, they directly count towards ASO while in the Apple App Store, they have more effect on how individual users are perceiving your app. In both stores, they are certainly important for App Store Keyword Optimization. Whether or not your users are reading your description (and some of them are!). This is one of your best opportunities to describe your app.
You should use different keywords than you have in your title, and avoid “stuffing” your description. Instead, provide a clear explanation of the value that your app will bring to a user. Try to keep all the important points within the first 3 or so sentences. After that, they will be cut off and people will have to tap on the read more button to view the rest.
2.Myth: Advertising is more important than App Store Optimization
No matter how strong your branding, you are never too big for ASO. With around 60 percent of downloads coming from searches in the App Store, this is no small market. Though you may have a strong brand name, there is not much stopping your competitors from optimizing for your brand name.
There is also the fact that many potential users might be searching for generic keywords. Even if they set out looking for your app, there is no guarantee that they wouldn’t choose another if they couldn’t easily spot you in the store. It is important to stand out to potential users!
If you are ever wondering how to promote an app without advertising, or how to promote an app on a budget… ASO is your answer. The more you optimize your app, the more likely you are to become one of the most downloaded games, or whatever your goal may be. Mobile advertising goes a long way, but so does ASO!
3.Myth: Screenshots don’t matter for ASO
People need to be able to recognize the function of your app at a glance. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Your screenshots should be carefully crafted to show off the best traits of your app and to catch the attention of potential users who are being flooded with options. You need to make sure yours is the one that stands out and that they want to click on and also that it accurately portrays what your app can do.
The most important screenshot should be the first, at which point they will scroll through to see the rest. Your screenshots can be updated for seasonal marketing purposes, app updates, and so on. If your app is not getting taps despite well-optimized keywords, it may be time to revamp your screenshots.
4.Myth: Localization is simply Translating Keywords
Even amongst countries that speak the same language, localization can differ. Different places don’t only have different words for things, they have different ways of saying things. They have different search tendencies and different needs from apps.
For an in-depth look at App Localization see our Complete App Localization Guide.
For a jumping-off point, you can look at competitors’ keywords that have been localized for this region. We also have a translation module on MobileAction. This should allow you to understand the meaning of the keywords you may want to be localized for.
You can use this when you see that your competitor has used some keywords in that native language and you want to see what they would mean in English. This way, you can make sure that they are relevant to your app. It is great to be able to see the translation of keywords before you track them. You will save a lot of time by only tracking keywords relevant to your app.
5. Myth: You don’t need any ASO tools
Though at first glance it may seem like you should be able to easily come up with an intriguing title and some pertinent keywords for your app, ASO is far more complex than that.
You need to be looking at the search score of keywords. Knowing which keywords have high volume or low difficulty scores can be immensely beneficial to your app’s success. If your goal is to rank in the top 10 games, for example, you will need to be checking these metrics as well as taking note of what keywords your competitors are ranking for.
You can try to localize your app where theirs are not localized, you can try to look for gaps in their keywords. You can also try to mimic their strategy. ASO tools like MobileAction can simplify the ASO process by a huge margin. Not only can MobileAction’s tools help you with app localization, but they can also give you ad intelligence and the best app marketing tools.
You can see your app store rating and the app store ratings of your competitors. This, along with the keywords associated with the reviews left and the rating they gave will give you a full picture of what your competitors love or are looking for from your app.
Final thoughts on ASO Myths
To round things up. Just remember a few things next time you might be falling into one of these ASO myths. Firstly, descriptions do have an effect on ASO. In fact, they play quite an important role. Secondly, advertising is important, but so is App Store Optimization! Thirdly, screenshots require care and optimization like any other part of your ASO. Fourthly, localization is more than simply Translating Keywords. You can benefit from doing some localization research when trying to make your app more visible in other countries. Finally, ASO tools can be a very helpful resource for your ASO journey. If you can avoid these ASO myths then you will be well on your way!
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