Following on from part one of the Optimising for the App Store, Part 2 focuses on adding actual content to the App Store description fields.
Having defined your App Store keywords it is vital to add the keywords into the various fields and consider conversion optimisation issues such as the way the icon looks etc.
- Keywords in title are most effective – High completion keywords should be added here
- Keywords in keyword list are second results – Low competition keywords should be added here (there is a limit of 100 characters)
- Keywords in description are ignored often, unless there is no competition for that keyword
- Amount of downloads determines overall rank if there is a tie break
Conversion Optimisation There are other elements to review to ensure that once people have found you for your search they are more likely to check out your description over the competition. This is known as ‘conversion optimisation’.
There are four things to ensure here:
- The Icon – A colourful and eye catching icon is a good idea. But something that is visually descriptive is preferred. Also if the game has any type of special function it is worth including this. Examples include ‘HD’ or ‘Multiplayer’.
- A Descriptive Title – A title that is descriptive of the game is far more likely to be clicked upon because the viewer sees there is a relevancy to their search. Sub-consciously we often expect search results to be incorrect and so will glance over results we believe to be non-relevant. The trick here is to try and do the thinking for the user. The less they have to engage their thought processes the better! Also it is important to work out how much of the title will be seen on the App Store and ensure the keyword appears at the front.
- Good Reviews – A strong indicator the game is worth playing is with independent reviews. We would strongly advise the creation of 10 or more reviews as soon as a new game goes live.
- Price – This is a more difficult one, however people will only review a more expensive game if they can see they are getting more for their money. This is where the three above elements come in. If the game price is far higher than seemingly similar games they are far less likely to click on them.
Other important points – It is also important not to stuff your fields with keywords. App Store will review the submissions looking for spam or non-relevant keywords and descriptions. Another important thing to remember is that App Store favours In-app purchases and these often take the top spots in search. If you can then include these in your game.
Review, Monitor and Adapt It is very likely that some of your keywords will not generate clicks and sales. For this reason there is a requirement to review, adapt and resubmit new keywords. Look at what has worked and build on this. Please note that you will have to wait until the next update because just updating the keyword data on its own may upset the Apple staff who are reviewing your re-submission.
