App store optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the visibility of a mobile app (such as an iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone app) in an app store (such as iTunes for iOS, Google Play for Android, Windows Store for Windows Phone or BlackBerry World for BlackBerry).

1. Let Your Mobile App Rise to the Top with App
Store Optimization
In the words of Global non-profit Mobile Marketing Association –
“Mobile marketing is a set of practices that enables organization to
engage and communicate with their audience in a relevant and
interactive manner via network or mobile device.”
The Existence of Mobile Apps
There are roughly an equal numbers of apps on Google’s Play Store
and Apple’s App Store. Currently, the figure reached up to somewhere
close to billion apps for each store. For your newly launched app, the
chances are quite high that before getting recognition, your app will be
lost in the heap and never found. Marketing is just as important, or
even more crucial, than the development of your app. Most of the
users visit app stores, look through featured apps or type the name of
the app they want to discover.

2. The Rise of Mobile App Marketing
In the recent years, we have witnessed a surge in small and middle-sized
business that are developing apps and offering informative mobile content,
Geo-fencing and much more. The rate of mobile app marketing has grown
rapidly, with many small-scale businesses realizing that Smartphones are the
easiest way to reach or stay connected with potential and existing customers.
The Need for App Store Optimization
App Store Optimization is quite similar to the SEO. It is done to rank high in
app stores as well as increase the app’s visibility. It’s a similar idea on how
you would optimize a website to appear at the top of search results. The
purpose of App Store Optimization is simple; it is to gain a higher rank under
the search results on respective application stores. To influence your app
ranking, the first and foremost step is to mention the keywords. Rating,
reviews and total number of downloads are the other factors that influence
the rank of an app under the respective categories. For optimization of a
mobile app, you need to research the relevant keywords that can be regularly
modified for better visibility. The name of the app also plays a vital role in
the App Store Optimization. The name must consist of basic search keywords
associated with functionality of an app. When selecting App Store
Optimization, put yourself in the shoes of the user and ask yourself “If I was
looking for this type of app, what keywords would I try? What category
would I look in? What keywords find competitors?” Out of those keywords
and categories, you need to choose which will help raise your ranking to let
users find you easily and to help you pull in channel traffic that passed by
your competitors. A nicely developed app always runs the risk of being
unnoticed. Therefore, strategic planning and preparation will give you good
results.

3. Remember:
 63% of all the apps downloaded are found by users browsing for featured
apps
 Perform research in order to identify potential markets for your app
 Integrate the prime keywords in the name of the app
 Apps that use keywords in their titles rank higher in the app stores
 Your app icon needs to be unique enough to grab the attention of users
 Screenshots are crucial, as they will be the selling points for your app
 Positive reviews and ratings will allow your app to show high in search
results
Without App Store optimization, it’s going to be very hard for people to
discover your app and the last thing you want is for your app to go
unnoticed.