In 2020, there are over 4.41 million apps listed on app marketplaces. At the same time, an average mobile device user downloads 11-20 apps. Thus, the niche of mobile apps very competitive, and around 70% of apps got less than 5,000 downloads. For that reason, more and more mobile app owners are wondering how to get more app downloads. The secret of raising download lies in user acquisition strategy and app store optimization.
We have gathered essential tips suitable for any stage of the app’s life cycle so that you can receive more downloads of your app.
Top 3 strategies for more downloads
Before users download an app, they need to discover it at an app marketplace and find it relevant to their needs. At first glance, user acquisition is not rocket science. But, several factors impact users’ decision to download an app. These factors are the app’s ranking, social proof, and compatibility with the current OS release. To make these factors work in your term, you need to leverage tips we describe below.
ASO analytics tracking
App Store Optimization or ASO in short influences your app’s visibility in app marketplaces. If done right, the app’s ASO leads to a higher user acquisition rate, more downloads, and higher income. At the same time, poor ASO results in 30% fewer app downloads because that comes from the store searches.
Successful ASO consists of two essential components – keyword optimization and conversion rate optimization strategies. Keyword optimization impacts the app’s visibility in search, and conversion rate optimization influences downloads. These tactics are co-dependent, i.e., you can’t achieve more app downloads without increased visibility in search. Thus, the first step toward more app downloads is a keyword optimization for app marketplaces. But, keyword optimization is a dynamic process because keywords change their ranks. In other words, the more people are searching for a particular keyword, the higher the keyword’s ranking. Thus, you need to use the appropriate keyword analytics and tracking tool for your app.
Using an ASO Intelligence tool, you receive insights into your ranking performance, keywords strategy of your competitors, and ranking history.
User reviews and app ranking
High rating and many positive reviews from users can boost the number of downloads. Personal recommendations and feedback are decision-making factors for 79% of app users. Moreover, both iOS and Android app stores ranking algorithms use user reviews and ratings to boost your app’s position.
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To improve your app’s position in the search, you should be able to get regular positive reviews from users, which might be challenging because most users are too busy for that. Besides this, now all users are happy about your app, and if you irritate them with pop-ups asking for reviews, they will leave negative ones or even delete your app. To nail user review strategy, consider the following tips:
Identify the most engaged users and ask feedback from them. In this way, you will receive users’ opinions concerning your app’s features and avoid negative reviews on your product page.
Give your app users time to try an app. Asking users to write a review is a common mistake of many mobile developers. To receive five stars in the app store, you need to wait for a special moment when users are the happiest and excited about your app.
Use gamification or offer something, like game currency or discount, in exchange for a review. However, before setting this strategy up, you need to check the App Store and Google Play policy concerning rewards and contests.
Regular app updating
The more you release your app’s update, the often it will appear in the updates section of app stores, where your potential users can find and download it. Thus, to get more downloads of your app, you need to release the new version of your app, at least when iOS or Android releases new versions. The image below shows how the release of iOS 13 decreased the number of impressions.
Apart from compelling with the new OS, the update of your app might include fixes of bugs, new functionality considered by users, or improved design elements. The most successful applications, such as social media or messaging apps, release new updates from 1 to 4 times a month. However, for young app startups, it is now necessary to update their app so often. Instead, plan from two to four updates each six months to keep up with the market demand. In this way, you will improve your app’s visibility, provide users with more convenient experience while driving app downloads.
In a nutshell
While there are millions of apps available on app stores, it is not easy to increase downloads, especially organic ones. Thus, to boost apps download and ranking, you need to follow your tips from this article – create a solid ASO strategy for keywords, ask users to leave feedback, and release updates as often as possible.
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About the Author
Anzhela Scyhyk is a Market Researcher and Technical Writer at TheAppSolutions. She likes to learn new things about modern technologies and share knowledge through value-added content, helping entrepreneurs build businesses in a more effective way.
