16% of apps by Canadian publishers are paid. That is a higher value of paid apps compared to the overall apps, where 3% are paid. 24% of apps by Canadian publishers include ads.

Data from 42 Matters

Your app store product page is important because it’s the destination for all of your marketing efforts – ads, search, social media. It’s also the first thing users see when they come across your app within the app market place. But are you really leveraging the power of this page?

Discovery is one of the major challenges for any app developer, regardless of platform. Being able to be found and stand out in the sea of applications is critical to success for an application. This is getting more and more difficult as more and more apps go live each day. App stores were created to aid developers in discovery of their applications but as app inventory continues to grow at a rapid pace, they are unable to assist all of the applications in the same way they did when smartphone and tablet apps first launched back in 2008. Today, it’s more important than ever for developers and app publishers to take matters into their own hands and market their applications to increase visibility to improve downloads for their application.

The goal of app store optimization – improved search discovery

One of the ways that app developers can better the discovery of their app is through optimization of their product page within the app store. This is called ASO or App Store Optimization. The goal of ASO is to enhance the major product page elements to improve search discovery, increase chances of standing out in a list view and better the sale ability of the page to convert to download or purchase. App Store Optimization touches upon all elements of your app’s product page – your name, category, icon, screenshots and even the product description and keywords used to describe and sell your app.

Keys to product page optimization – clarity, credibility, creativity

The key concept behind ASO is to take a look at these elements from a user’s perspective to ensure that they are working hard to market and sell your app. In essence, ASO makes sure that your product page elements are clear and convincing, as well as creative. It strives to remove any ambiguity in what your product offers and attempts to cut through the noise around you to ensure that your app can rise above the rest, whether a user finds your app in search results or views it in a category list.

Pay attention to what your competitors and users are doing

In order to optimize your app store, you need to look to your competitors, as well as your users, and employ the use of some key app tools. In this five-part series, we will be breaking down the steps to perform App Store Optimization to improve the performance of your name, app icon, screenshots and your product description.

The benefits of ASO are great:

Improve search results and immediate app comprehension within app store lists with an optimized name.

Take advantage of app ranking opportunities through our category and sub-category recommendations.

Improve brand recall and rapid app comprehension and increase conversion with icon and screenshots suggestions.

Increase sale ability and improve search discovery with a SEO focused Product Description.

We hope this gets you thinking about your product page as not just a bunch of last-minute elements required to get your app live upon submission, but rather some key and free marketing opportunities at your disposal that can better your chances of app success. Stay tuned for more strategies and tips on App Store Optimization going forward!