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There are universal ASO best practices for all app types, but mobile games have unique requirements. With over 700,000 gaming apps competing for the attention of 3 billion gamers globally, merely creating a great game isn’t sufficient. Developers must ensure their mobile game stands out.
ASO is the key to achieving this and generating organic traffic. This article explores essential strategies for optimizing game listings in app stores, techniques to boost visibility and downloads, and advanced ASO strategies with case studies of popular mobile games.
You'll dive into the following topics:
Since we are discussing ASO for games, let's revisit what App Store Optimization (ASO) is.
App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a mobile app in various app stores. It involves optimizing several elements of the app listing, including the app title, keywords, description, icon, screenshots, and reviews.
By optimizing these key elements, ASO helps app developers make their apps more prominent in search results, leading to increased downloads and success.
While the core principles of ASO remain consistent across various mobile apps, game ASO has distinct differences compared to other types of app ASO.
Here are some factors that differentiate game ASO:
While ideally, you'd want your game in every app store, limited resources mean focusing on one or two initially. Android and iOS are prime platforms for launching new games.
Deciding whether to develop your game for Android or iOS first is a crucial decision that can impact your game’s success. Based on the article "Android vs iOS: Which Platform to Build Your App for First?" , you may get answer.
🔍 Expert insights: Beyond 2024, new game-centric marketplaces are expected to emerge alongside traditional platforms like Google Play Store and App Store. Independent game stores may offer lower fees and more payment options, thereby enhancing the in-app purchase profitability for game publishers.
👉 Related news:
>>> PhonePe Challenges Google with Zero-Fee App Store Launch in India
>>> Aptoide to Launch First Alternative iOS Gaming App Store in EU on Thursday
ASO strategies should consider genre-specific competition, identify niche keywords, and highlight unique selling points. For example, RPG games might use keywords like "DnD" or "turn-based tactics," while puzzle games might prioritize "brain teasers."
The relationship between ASO and game genre is significant. The genre forms the foundation of your app store optimization strategy, and understanding its nuances can lead to better results.
🔍 Expert Tips: Selecting the appropriate app category is crucial for maximizing your app's visibility and attracting the right audience. In our latest article, "App Store Categories: How to Choose the Right App Category to Boost Organic Traffic," we delve into expert strategies for making this important decision.
When embarking on mobile game ASO, market research should be your first step. You need to understand players' preferences for your chosen game type, what gameplay they expect, and what kind of visuals will grab their attention.
Check out the Top 20 game sub-genres listed by data.ai globally. Understanding what is trending and what is under the radar can give you insights into the level of competition:
Source: data.ai Intelligence
Don't be discouraged by statistics. Popularity doesn't mean other game types can't be profitable. Market research aims to identify ASO patterns to attract users and drive installations.
Stay updated with industry news and reports. This knowledge is invaluable for planning promotional activities and ASO strategies for your mobile game.
App store listings are crucial for effectively marketing your mobile game to potential users, conveying its value and features.
It's time to explore key strategies for optimizing your mobile game listing:
Incorporating relevant keywords into your app store listing can significantly boost your app's visibility.
Start by creating a keyword list for your game category, focusing on keywords with substantial search volume that effectively describe your game type and theme. Initially, avoid overly competitive keywords.
Once you have your keywords, update your listing metadata with these target keywords during your next update. Remember that app store algorithms may take time to recognize changes, so avoid frequent updates and expect gradual improvements.
👉 Related reading: Data-Driven Insights for App & Game Devs - How Often Should You Update Your App Store Metadata?
Aim to update your metadata approximately every 4 weeks if possible. Tools like ASOWorld's keyword dashboard can help you monitor the performance of your chosen keywords.
Identify which ASO adjustments have the most significant impact. Enhance keyword ranking by adjusting the density and placement of keywords in your listing, and continually test various creative concepts to determine the most effective keywords.
The first and most crucial step is analyzing your competitors to see what they’re doing right. Examine their descriptions and titles to identify the most relevant and important keywords.
Example: "Ultimate Soccer - Football" ranks high even against giants like FIFA. Despite the top three results being editor's choices, Ultimate Soccer uses strategic ASO by including the keyword "football" in its title, unlike FIFA. This gives it a higher ranking opportunity.
2. Long-Tail Keywords
Competing for keywords that industry giants dominate can be challenging. Instead, focus on long-tail keywords, which have lower competition and can attract more qualified users.
Example: Instead of targeting highly competitive short-tail keywords like "zombie game" or "strategy game," use long-tail keywords that are more specific and less competitive.
3. Seasonal Event Keywords
Seasonal events offer a great opportunity to customize your keyword strategy.
Example: For a Halloween-themed game, use keywords like "scary adventure," "haunted quest," or "trick-or-treat challenge." During festive seasons, integrate keywords like "holiday fun" or "festive games" to attract players seeking seasonal entertainment.
Engaging creatives are crucial, especially for mobile games. Here's how to optimize them effectively:
The app icon is the first thing users see when browsing the app store.
Screenshots give users a glimpse of the gameplay and features.
Video previews can dynamically showcase your mobile game's gameplay.
To ensure your optimization efforts are effective, conduct A/B testing for each creative element you produce.
User reviews and ratings have a significant impact on the appeal of a game. Striving to maintain at least a 4-star rating is crucial, as users are more likely to download apps with higher ratings.
👉 Related reading: ASO Best Practices - How to Improve App Ratings & Reviews to Enhance Visibility in App Stores
Managing app reviews can be a time-consuming task. Tools like ASOWorld can simplify this process. With customizable review templates, you can maintain your brand tone while speeding up the review management process. These templates can be selected from predefined options or created from scratch to fit your specific needs. Additionally, ASOWorld offers an AI-powered feature that generates engaging responses, further streamlining the process.
If you have some great user feedback, consider incorporating it into your creatives. This move will definitely have a positive impact on your mobile game's conversion rate.
Localization involves more than just translating text; it requires effective communication with different audiences.
👉 Related reading: App Localization - All-in-One Guide to Expand Market Reach & Boost User Engagement
Although localization may seem complex, it is actually quite simple. By using the ASOWorld ASO tool, you can track keywords across various languages and regions, thereby facilitating the localization of international keywords for both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Additionally, our team of professional ASO experts, with extensive research experience in the global app market, provides comprehensive one-stop localization services for your game.
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Let's explore some advanced ASO strategies to further boost your mobile game's visibility.
Being featured on app stores can significantly boost app growth. Ensure high app performance, positive ratings, localization, and leveraging new technologies and features. Aligning app updates with seasonal themes and holidays can increase visibility and the likelihood of being featured.
For more details: How Could Your App Get Featured On IOS And Android App Markets?
🔍 Expert Tips: Remember to leverage Google's latest technologies and features (such as pre-registration) to enhance your app's visibility and appeal to the Google Play team. Check out the article "How to Promote Your Android App with Google Play Pre-Registration." This resource provides step-by-step instructions and best practices to help you maximize the benefits of this powerful feature.
Custom product pages allow creating variations of the default App Store product page, emphasizing specific app content, features, and elements. These pages can be tailored for different user intents, geographic regions, demographics, seasonal events, or testing new features, enhancing keyword conversion rates and organic visibility.
👉 Related reading: How Custom Product Pages Could Dramatically Impact UA Strategy
Custom store listings can precisely target user groups in selected countries/regions, allowing marketers to create tailored product pages with specific resources and text. This personalized approach can enhance user experience and improve app installation conversion rates. Each country/region can have only one custom store listing, and translations are not automatic.
Creating custom store listings in the Google Play Console is very straightforward. Marketers can customize app metadata, images, and creatives for each listing, ensuring relevance to the target audience. Use cases are diverse, ranging from targeting specific language users within a country/region to highlighting features for different countries/regions that use the same language.
Comparing Google Play's custom store listings with Apple's App Store custom product pages reveals both similarities and differences. While both offer customization options, Google's feature provides greater flexibility in targeting traffic sources and countries/regions.
In-app events and promotional content can significantly impact a game's visibility. Highlighting updates and new content in the app store listing can attract users with exclusive rewards and limited-time offers. Clear and compelling calls to action can drive downloads and enhance user engagement.
🔍 Expert Tips: Consider the case study "2024 Olympics Feature: How A Casual Game Tripled User Engagement with Seasonal In-App Events." This case study demonstrates how a casual game successfully used seasonal in-app events to triple user engagement, providing a practical example of how in-app events and promotional content can lead to substantial improvements in user activity and game visibility.
While direct category changes are not possible, updating the app's metadata and requesting category changes through support channels can help reflect the correct category.
ASO indirectly aids user retention by attracting genuinely interested users through clear messaging and engaging visuals. Insights from ASO can also inform retention strategies.
Common pitfalls include neglecting keyword optimization, using poor-quality graphics, providing inaccurate descriptions, ignoring localization, and failing to iterate and test ASO strategies based on performance metrics.
Get a good start for your app optimization with practical ASO guideline！
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