HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR OPTIMAL APP
STORE KEYWORDS
We may all be used to the intelligent sophistication of search engines like Google. But a new
search engine is fast evolving, and in terms of sophistication it’s still in its infancy.
Those who understand and optimise for this new search engine well can take advantage of it
just like the first SEO experts were able to dominate Google ten years ago.
This new search engine is of course The App Store
More than half of apps are still discovered by people browsing the App Store, according to
this TechCrunch analysis. To do so people put keywords into the search function. The App
Store’s simple search functionality digs into the 1.3 million apps it now has and shows them
results based on keywords it finds in the Keyword Field, the App Name, the Publisher Name
and the In-App Purchases.
So keyword optimisation (KWO) should be considered a pretty important part of any app
developer’s marketing push – knowing exactly what to put into these fields so you get
discovered. If you don’t take it seriously, you’re leaving money on the table.
Here are some solid steps for choosing effective keywords;
1. Study the Competition (the Successful Ones)
We always recommend studying what works, and backtracking from there. Begin searching
through the store, and write lists of your competitors. Of course, pay attention to those that
appear at the top and in the popular category. Read through their fields and make notes of
the keywords they use. Also, read their reviews for keywords phrases too.
2. Use an App Store Optimisation (ASO) tool
These will really help help you dig into your competitor’s keyword fields, and understand
which keyword phrases will get your app found. Just like with regular SEO, the aim of the
game is to find keyword phrases which get a heap of monthly searches, but which don’t
have too many big players competing for them. But without a trusty ASO tool to help you, it’s
going to be pretty darn hard to get this right.
Here’s a list of options:
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SearchMan
Appstatics
Appnique
Straply
Sensor Tower
AppCod.es
MobiledevHQ
Mopapp
MetricsCat
Google’s Adword Keyword Planner (not as advanced, but free!)
And if you want to understand the differences between each of them, this post sums them all
up nicely.
3. Use single words or multi-word phrases
Don’t make the rookie mistake of thinking a keyword has to be just a single word. With
multi-word keyword phrases (called ‘long-tail keywords’ in SEO speak), you’ll stand a
greater chance of showing up in a search. With most single-word keywords, you’ll have a
million other apps battling it out for a top spot.
4. Don’t repeat keywords
Unlike with blog posts and website pages, you don’t have much space to work with. The
keywords field in iTunes Connect is only 100 characters. So don’t repeat keywords. Your
company name and app name are already searchable in the App Store, so no need to include
them in your keywords field. Use the space wisely, my friend.
5. Keep ‘em relevant. Not elaborate
Now’s not the time to start thinking out of the box. You can save that for the app itself. When
it comes to choosing keywords they need to be super-relevant to what your app is and does.
And definitely don’t use anything that is offensive or references other brands or trademarks.
6. Use your brain and broaden your mind!
You’ll be surprised how much you can come up with yourself. Get out a pad and sit down
with no interruption and start writing down every single idea you have, every single word
that comes to mind when you think of your app.
The best way to loosen up is to have ‘blue sky thinking’. This means no idea gets any
judgement at all, every single thing you think or say is worth noting down – this often
unblocks things and gets the neural juices flowing.
Also, broaden your mind. Try putting yourself into the shoes of anyone who might benefit
from your app. What problems do they have day to day in that area, what might they be
searching for that isn’t immediately obvious?
Rinse and Repeat
When you have a good long list of ideas, go back to steps one to five with your fresh
thinking. Keep doing this cycle a few times and you’ll find some real gems. When you have
them, start putting them into the App Store, and see the results you get.
Do you have any more questions about keywords or ASO in general?
Ask away, we’re here to help!