A common misconception of App Store Optimisation and Search Engine Optimisation is that they are the same thing, when in reality they are completely different and have very different audiences. This article will break down the difference between App Store Optimisation and Search Engine Optimisation, why they are different, and how they work together to create a great user experience.
SEO focusses on two main things
On-page SEO which is all about optimising your web page so that search engines can understand it properly and pass good information about it to its users; and off-page SEO which focuses on how you can encourage other high-authority sites (with lots of authority or trust in Google’s eyes) to link to your site. You can read more about these here .
SEO takes more time
Everyone wants their app to rank quickly, but it’s important to know that SEO takes more time than ASO. This doesn’t mean you should write off ASO if you want a quick boost in rankings, but understand that you’ll need to plan and set aside more time for ASO compared to SEO. When it comes down to it, speed just isn’t one of ASO’s strengths.
Keywords affect both SEO and ASO
Google will be crawling your app store listing to see what keywords you’re optimising for and Apple will use those keywords in their search algorithms. While all of them do have their own nuances, it’s important to remember that a keyword isn’t just a specific term you want to rank for on Google; it can be one word or a string of words and should be chosen with care.
The importance of metadata in ASO
In app store optimisation, metadata serves a very important role in driving organic downloads. Metadata can be thought of as data that describes other data (in our case, app content). The most common use of metadata in ASO is to describe your app content with things like title, description and keywords. This information will be used by Google Play/App Store to help users discover your app in search results and also figure out what kind of app it is based on your metadata tags.
Apple pays more attention to ASO than Google does to SEO
If you’re one of those mobile app developers who believe that Apple just doesn’t care about ASO, you might be interested to know that Apple launched a dedicated online resource for improving your app store performance a couple of years ago. And here’s some even better news: Apple has recently acquired Semetric – a company that does in-depth market analytics using data from their software and helps businesses make smarter decisions based on detailed information about their customers.
Reviews, ratings, downloads and installs play an important role in ASO
iPhone and iPad apps listed on Apple’s App Store or Mac apps listed on its Mac App Store must have at least one user review and a star rating. If there aren’t enough reviews, your app can be moved lower in search results, which will affect its downloads. However, we can hardly say that great ratings and reviews can give you more downloads or installs. What really matters is how good your app really is! How does Google rank a website?
ASO helps you find users who would be interested in your app
When users land on your app page, you want them to be hooked instantly. You can’t just hope for it; with ASO, you work towards it by getting specific keywords in front of these users. It’s not enough to make a great app – you have to tell everyone about it. With search engine optimisation (SEO), every site that mentions your brand or product is an opportunity for new business.
