Beyond Visibility: Driving Engagement Through ASO

You finally have your app up on the store, even still 0 reviews, it at least visible on Apple Store and Google Play. Weeks or months passed, your app still sitting quietly there with some downloads but they not gonna open it anyway. Now, the App Store Optimization (ASO) isn’t just about the downloads anymore. Visibility for sure but to keep users engaged with apps more than just simply download based on those spam ads. It should makes users keep coming back for it and moreover, engage with your apps.

Why Visibility Alone Won’t Cut It

Once a time there used to be apps with most downloads where it could easily pop up all the time in search results. As it was based on most downloads more than spending time with the apps (which could easily replicated by making all burner accounts and download the apps to increase the downloads). Now is the day where ASO put into work on this. They care not much on downloads but more onto the real engagements where if users logging in on the apps regularly are much appreciated (that’s one of the reasons where games have those “login rewards”). Let’s think of this like a party where showing up is great, but if everyone leave after five minutes or after finished up drinking just one

An App That Could Make Users Keep Coming Back, But How?

• Speak The User’s Language: No longer a place where you able could stuff whatever keywords you could think of. Understand what the people needs and the audiences you’re targeting. Write the description precisely, and a clear visuals that could attract or even keep your audiences coming back. They also love the apps that be able to get their languages as options. Multi-lingual apps gain extra points here.

• Show, Don’t Just Tell: People in generally more preferred on what to see 1st before on what to read. Go all out on the visuals. Putting up the trailers like a blockbuster AAA console games!

• Always Fresh: Remember Pokemon Go where it goes on meteoric rise just for it to fall due to no actual endgames or any events after catch ’em all? In-app events with frequent updates are what keep users coming back for it and even attract new ones with newcomers events to join the fun.

• Updates, Just Updates: As mentioned above, updates could meant just to fix bugs or new patches too. Even it’s just minors, ASO just love the apps that regularly updates (means it’s active)

• Polished & Quality: Test the apps throughout, most users preferring bug free app. Other than eye-pleasing visuals, it should be well-polished too to show

Engagement Metrics That Actually Matter

With all the concern with download numbers, but the reality about ASO is what the users do after they install. Several things to keep eye on:

• How often users open the app

• How long they stick around in the app

• Whether they complete key actions (level up?)

• Whether they make any purchases

• How long they come back after they install (1 day after? 1 week? 1 month?)

All of this factor into getting a better visibility more than the number of downloads.

What’s Next For ASO?

As AI been the most recent and talk about technology, it’s only a matter of time before machine learning stepping into ASO as well. Expecting a more personalized app experiences where the app store changing based on user’s algorithm. More onto targeted audiences, but on niche market, it could be harder to standout. Staying ahead of the curve could meant such app need to:

• Embracing AI-powered tools to analyze user behavior and optimize metadata dynamically.

• Integrating ASO with even broader marketing efforts, including influencer partnerships and paid campaigns (go big or go home!)

• Continuous efforts on refining the app experience or even switching the whole layouts or functionality to maximize engagement.

In the end, make the app that meant to loved by users and not pump all budgets on advertising just to get downloads or microtransactions. Keep on the quality, fresh updates and regularly patches to turn your apps into the everlasting one.