App Store Optimization (ASO) is the “science” that optimizes the referencing of applications in stores. It's an inaccurate science because the algorithms that govern the ranking of apps on the App Store, Play Store, and Windows Store are kept secret. However, some best practices make it possible to gain hundreds of places in the rankings, or even to occupy the top positions.

Some data on the current state of blinds explain the importance of being well referenced:

• In 2016, there were more than 4.5 million applications on the stores (cumulative figures App Store + Play Store)
• The share of search in downloading an application is 45% on the App Store and 52% on Google Play

Therefore, for an application to succeed, ASO is no longer an option, it is a necessity. So here are 10 tips that can boost the SEO of your application, and therefore, boost downloads:

1) Choose the title of the application carefully

The name of the application is one of the variables that has the most weight in Apple and Google's SEO algorithms.

• On iTunes Connect, you have 255 characters to fill in the name of your application.
• On Google Play, you have 30.

Some publishers choose to maximize the placement of keywords in the title of their app. For example, an application like Le Point has long had a title of around 250 characters including the keywords: “News, News, World, World, Information, France etc.” and was listed in the top 5 for all these keywords. It is possible to implement this strategy as long as we do not lose potential users with a vague and ineffective title. Also, be aware that the title you display on the stores and the title that appears on your users' phones is different. There is therefore no risk that it will be cut off once the application is installed.

2) Have a consistent keyword strategy

First of all, you need to have a list of keywords on which you want to be referenced. These keywords do not necessarily describe the content of your application, but they are the ones that your potential users will type in to find what they are looking for.

Once you have this list, you need to:

• Place the ones you think are priority in the title of your application
• In the dedicated space in iTunesConnect, enter the other keywords: 100 characters available, separating the words with spaces or commas (not both)
• On Google Play, place these same keywords in the application description with a maximum of 5 occurrences (beyond that, the algorithm no longer takes the keyword into account)

There is no need to repeat the same keyword in the title of your app and in the description or in the keywords box on iTunesConnect, because repetition will not lead to better referencing.

3) Encourage grades/feedback

For all stores, the number of ratings is an essential criterion for determining the ranking of an application. It is therefore important to ensure that users rate your application after each update. In addition, a feature on Google Play allows you to directly contact users who gave you feedback. So you can target those who gave you bad ratings and contact them after an update by telling them that their problem has been resolved. The aim is for these users to transform their rating into 5 stars with a positive comment.

4) Customize incentives to grade

To avoid having a flood of bad ratings and negative comments following an update, a tip allows you to sort your users. At the appropriate time, schedule a pop-up to be sent calling on the user to give feedback:

• Suggest satisfied users to rate the application on the store
• Offer dissatisfied users to contact you directly, via your contact email
• Allow undecided users to give their verdict later

5) Manage the growth of downloads over 7 days and 30 days

The App Store algorithm takes into account the growth of your downloads over 7 days, giving even more importance to the last 24 hours. In other words, it is possible to go from 20,000th place to 1st place in less than 24 hours.

On Google Play, this calculation is carried out over 30 days to avoid having “burst” effects, that is to say, to go through a service provider that makes your downloads swell for 24 hours.

The strategy you adopt therefore depends on which store you target first and foremost. If you do not have a priority, it is best to rule out the “burst” strategy, which will have devastating effects on your ranking on the Play Store, because Google's SEO algorithm also takes into account the number of uninstallations (see point 10).

6) Target attainable keywords

The difficulty in ranking well on a keyword depends on the competition. If other publishers, generally well ranked, are your competitors and you have only a few downloads, there is no point in trying to cope. It's better to be ranked 10th on a poorly searched keyword than 500th on a popular keyword.

For example, there is no point in trying to compete with Booking.com, Liligo, Kayak and other giants of the sector on the keyword: “travel”, as soon as you launch your app if you have a reduced marketing budget or if you do not address the general public. In this specific case, prefer a keyword that directly affects your core target audience and that allows you to avoid competition.

7) Build a route to the summit

According to the logic mentioned in point (6), it is better to start with rarer keywords and then climb the rankings as the application becomes popular. If you have an application whose specificity is to offer a fish-eye view, it is better to include keywords related to the specificities of your service rather than having only keywords such as: “photos, photo, picture etc.”

By testing & learning your SEO strategy, you maximize the chances of being among the best ranked on the keywords that bring you the most downloads.

8) Focus on serendipity

Some application publishers have made the choice to target audiences that at first glance have nothing to do with their target audience. This is the example of Marmiton, who launched an application with the following title: “Marmiton, the bible of cooking recipes”.

Thus, in addition to being referenced on keywords related to cooking, Marmiton is also ranked on the word “bible”, which is highly sought after on the App Store. This strategy has allowed Marmiton to generate thousands of downloads because, among users looking for spirituality, there are also lovers of gastronomy.

9) Offer an application of irreproachable quality

This advice applies especially to Android applications: among the variables that make up the Google algorithm, many are related to the quality of the application. Number of crashes, application opening rate and uninstallation rate are all indicators that allow Google to determine if your application should be pushed to users and therefore, if it deserves to be ranked well or not.

10) Know the grammar of blinds

A few simple tips allow you to be better referenced:

• Separate words with commas or spaces in the keywords section of iTunesConnect
• Liaison words are useless
• Do not repeat the keywords from the title in the keywords section or in the description of the app for Google Play as this will have no impact on SEO
• Include plurals/feminine in the targeted keywords if they are relevant
• Do not put suitcase words or compound words. For example, say “info, news” rather than “infonews”, because if this last word is used as a keyword, you will not be given either “info” or “news”

By applying these 10 tips, you can improve keyword rankings, category rankings within stores, and therefore the overall ranking of your application. The secret to successful referencing lies in regular test & learn practice, to determine the keywords that bring you the most downloads. This implies having time to iterate, analyze, reposition the application, and therefore, start an iteration loop again.