What Entrepreneurs Will Find New and Cool About the IOS 11 App Store You're already familiar with SEO, or search engine optimization. Now, meet ASO, or app store optimization.
By Nadav Olmert Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Apple recently announced the new iPhone 8 and X (pronounced "Ten"). There are some nifty new features to them, but one you may have overlooked in the burst of enthusiasm attending the phones' rollout is the new iOS 11 version of the App Store (referred to hereafter as the "iOS 11 App Store").
Related: How iOS 11 Brings Steve Jobs's Vision for the iPad to Life
It's easy for this product to have gone unnoticed, but entrepreneurs need to be aware of its most important new tweaks in order to leverage the latest iOS 11 App Store to their advantage.
The design has changed, but there have also been changes in the overall experience of buying and downloading apps. With the new update: You will find it easier to search for apps; each app page will look new; there will be a featured app of the day; and in-app purchases will be more convenient. It's important for entrepreneurs to keep these features in their mind.
According to Forrester, 63 percent of apps are discovered through app store searches. This makes searching the most commonly used method for downloading and discovering new apps. However, the best way to find apps is by improving your own app's ranking, which can be done through what's called app store optimization (ASO).
ASO is similar to search engine optimization (SEO) and it depends on the keywords you use to identify your app. Using the right keywords can boost your app's ranking, because people can then find your app more easily.
Related: Apple Says It's Cleaning Up the App Store After Its First Large-Scale Malware Attack
Tip: MobileDevHQ is an App Store analytics tool that helps you analyze your keywords, choose better keywords, track search rankings and get updates about your competitors.
Product page optimization
Be sure to check out the following features on this page:
Smarter search bar. The new search bar streamlines the experience, making the content that visitors are searching for easier to find. Making sure your own product page is optimized will lead to a higher conversion rate.
Titles. As part of the new update, Apple has decreased the keyword count on the new product page from 50 characters to 30. A recent study by TUNE revealed that apps with a relevant keyword in their title were ranked 10.3 percent higher than apps without a title keyword. Additionally, tools such as App Annie provide accurate traffic volumes and information on how competitive your chosen keyword is.
Subtitles (30 characters limit). Subtitles appear just below the title of the app. Since there is a limit, it is crucial that you summarize your app as precisely and persuasively as possible. Doing this correctly can boost visits and accelerate downloads. Steer clear of over-used descriptions, and emphasize the features that are of importance to your target audience.
In-app purchases. In previous versions of the App Store, in-app purchases (IAPs) could be made only after you had first downloaded the app. However, now users can make IAPs before downloading the app. You can list up to 20 IAPs, in total. In order to make IAPs available, apps need to support the new SKPaymentTransactionObserver method.
Best practice. In order to further boost exposure, use the keywords you used in your app store optimization tactics within your in-app purchase description, as well.
Promotional text. The promotional content is now limited to 170 characters. The text should focus on announcements of new features, and share the latest news about your app and time-based events.
Product description. Your app's description can only be edited or updated when you submit a new version of your app. What are the important, relevant and useful qualities to your users? If you want to update your users more frequently on the latest info about your app, it's better to use the promotional text instead.
Ratings and reviews. Another helpful new feature is that through iTunes Connect, you can respond to reviews and directly address feedback, concerns and questions. Once you've done that, the customer will be notified of your response and has the option to change his or her review. Reviews and responses can be updated at any point, but only the latest review and response for each customer will be displayed.
Related: How Dreamt It Got Approved for Apple's App Store in 2 Hours
Best practice. One-click reviews are easier: With Apple's new API, you can now embed the reviewing process within the app and control the number of stages your users will walk through in order to leave a review. Bear in mind the fact that, the less friction there is, the higher the conversion rate will be (guidelines). There are great online tools out there that allow you to see exactly what your users see with qualitative app analytics and to identify exact opportunities for improving and fully optimizing your mobile app with mobile attribution.
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