Choosing an app category requires some strategic thinking. What user group is your app targeting? What user needs are met? Who are the main competitors in the relevant category? In terms of optimization and operation, what have the top apps in this category done? Maybe these questions will make something clearly and help you get a good start.

Why you should always know your real app category?

To answer this question, first you need to understand why categories are important:

• Discoverability;

• Industry and Competitor Research

• Audience

 

Discoverability

Apple and Google use categories to rank and display apps that they think users will find relevant, such as by top charts, by features, by similar and related apps, and more.

 

Industry and Competitor Research

Knowing your opponents, what's working/not working for them, and what sets you apart is critical to developing smart growth strategies and designing strong creatives. Platform categories are very inadequate in helping you isolate your actual competitors.

 

Audience

Of course, not all apps have the same audience. Categories help you get to know people who might be interested in your app. Perhaps more importantly, you want to be able to understand why users want your app and what they are looking for so you can meet those needs. Here, categories are most easily exploited by criminals because you don't have the right category to work with.

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How do application categories affect your ASO performance?

We know that app store optimization is the process of optimizing apps in the Apple App and Google Play Store to increase their visibility in search results and increase their conversion rates.

 

The category you choose for your app affects how users view it in the app store, especially in terms of relevance and competition. App categories play a vital role in your ASO efforts.

 

Let's take a look about it:

• Relevance

• Competition

 

Make your app category relevant to your app.

You need to make sure that the category you choose is actually relevant to your app. It is very important! First of all, the app store guidelines prohibit app developers from putting their apps in unrelated categories. Second, the users on app store, who browsing a particular category, are more likely to download an app if it matches what they're currently looking for.

 

Right app category right app potential users you will meet with the app store algorithm.

 

The right choice of competition can help your app grow better.

If your app fits easily into multiple categories, we recommend choosing the one with less competition. This way, your app has a better chance of ranking high in the charts and attracting new users organically. Top developers invest millions of dollars every month to promote their apps. If you can't match this payout level, consider picking a related category that doesn't have as many "heavyweights".

 

When you choose an app category that is highly relevant to your unique app but won't be overtaken by your competitors, you'll get more impressions and a higher conversion rate. It's very important for your app at beginning stage. Fewer competitors means your app ranks higher in search results, which attracts more users' eyeballs for your app. Relevance will help increase conversions once users click on your app because your app will meet the needs of users.

 

Choose the perfect app category for your app

Choose the perfect category for your application in three steps:

 

• Prioritize relevance;

• Run a competitive analysis;

• To make your choice

 

Prioritize relevance

Most importantly, make sure the category you choose is relevant to your app. Your category must be appropriate for your application.

 

Run a competitive analysis

Once you've narrowed the list of potential categories down to a few relevant ones, research the developers whose apps rank high in them.

 

You can find out the growth opportunities for your app with competitor analysis. Find out your niche market by comparing the features that differentiate your app from your competitors, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, and do good keyword research.

 

Get your start of app store category optimization

All that's left to do is choose a category for your app. Do your best to balance relevance with the information you find in your competitive analysis. You'd find a category that fits your application well, but doesn't crawl with deep-pocketed competitors.

 

Choose the right category for your app, but don't stress about it! If your preferences don't work for you, you can change your app category at any time.

 

Try different app categories to gradually optimize your app's ASO performance

Categories should not be changed on a whim. We only recommend changing your app's category if your app is underperforming or irrelevant to its current category.

 

To keep three things in mind:

• Analyze the competition

• Adjust your entire application strategy

• Be ready to change back

 

Analyze the competition of your app store category

You will benefit from analyzing the competition before and after changing categories. If one of your top competitors changed categories, but then went back to the category they were in before, you might conclude that the category they were trying to switch to didn't work for them. Again, we can assume that a permanent change in the category produces a favorable outcome. Consider all of this when adjusting your app's category placement.

 

Adjust your entire application strategy

You will most likely need to adjust your entire application strategy when changing categories. Users browsing category X may be looking for something different than users browsing category Y. Therefore, you need to ensure that your app's icon, title, screenshots, and copy appeal to the new audience you're targeting. Tools like Storemaven make it easy to test new application elements against your old ones.

 

Be ready to change back

Before making changes, set yourself specific thresholds, such as daily impressions, conversion rates, and keyword positions. If your app spans them after its category changes, switch back to the category you previously selected. By pre-setting the thresholds, you will make the decision to revert to the previous category easier. Just don't change back too quickly. Your app may take a while to gain traction and may not perform well at first. Give yourself at least a few weeks before judging your new app category.

 

Changing the app's category might just be the boost it needs. Just make sure to go through the change process carefully and keep your head up to ensure success.

 

Overview

App store category optimization may be just a small step for your app’s success. App store optimization is not a simple and single thing, it requires promoters to patiently implement a reliable strategy step by step. Experimenting with detailed tests and your creativity will help you gain more app growth in the competitive app market.