With the increased number of mobile users and app downloads on mobile platforms these days, it’s become more important than ever to focus on ranking your websites with mobile search engines. It’s not enough to rank with standard web searches anymore. Since so many people are searching for content on mobile devices, SEO for mobile apps is paramount.
ASO stands for “app store optimization.” Like SEO was to desktop searches and basic web search engines, ASO is an optimization that helps your app get found using specific keywords and links to get the attention of your mobile users.
If you hope to rank for mobile apps, you are going to need to focus on app store optimization. If putting your mobile application in the first positions of the results in a mobile user’s search is important to you, it is important to use ASO to get the results you want.
ASO and Deep Linking
Understanding how deep linking works is another important technique that should be used when trying to optimize your mobile application for the searches. ASO was invented with the idea of allowing mobile publishers and app developers a way to test and improve the level of visibility of the applications and downloads on the mobile platform.
Remember that ASO (like SEO), is a method that has as its goal to acquire “natural results” so it should be done in such a way that visitors will find your content and connect with the content in much the same way that SEO does for normal websites.
Increasing Downloads
In addition to getting the attention of mobile users, ASO should also serve to increase the number of downloads you receive on the mobile app platform. While the trend is to make money on the referrals from the app or ads that you run on the apps rather than sales of downloads, the key to success and increased visibility is to get more downloads. The more downloads you get, the more push notifications you can send to them. They will be more involved with your brand for as long as they keep your app on their mobile device.
If you own a restaurant or other type of business that allows you to be interactive with clients, you can offer menus that are built into the app and encourage users to interact and engage with your brand and options. This has also been a proven talking point amongst businesses, and why Android devices often provide better in-app experience and user engagement.
Ranking Through App Optimization
For the eCommerce store, it is more important than ever that your store is ranked in much the same way SEO is done. The proper use of important keywords is part of this process, as well as other techniques.
Ranking Criteria Across the Platforms
One challenge when creating ASO for eCommerce stores is that you have to know which ranking criteria are important for the mobile marketplace that you have your app in. These factors can change over time, as well so it’s important to keep up with the changes.
One of the reasons for the great amount of diversity between App Store and Google Play is that the two platforms are in strong competition with each other. The platforms, though similar at first glance, are so different that it seems that they intentionally leave out or add features based on what the other one chooses not to do.
This difference in the platforms between the Google and Apple formats is even more complex because Google, which owns the Google Play Store, also runs the most used search engine. The advanced algorithms and modern technology that is used in the Google format outdoes the Apple platform in many ways.
The Importance of Deep Linking
Deep linking is another important technique that can be used to put yourself in front of more of your potential customers who will download and engage with your app. Deep linking is not a term that is unique to the mobile world. Deep linking has been used in normal SEO as well. The process involves linking out to an internet page of a website or eCommerce site, such as a product page, rather than linking to the main or homepage.
How Deep Linking Helps the Searcher
It’s always important to know how a technique helps the searcher to make things easier for them so that the customer experience is improved and they will want to return to your sites. Deep linking allows users to find specific content that they are looking for easier by using the relevance of results to hyperlinks that are keyword rich. It is also important that they link out to an internal page.
So, as you can see, deep linking is not used in isolation. Rather, it is a combination of old-fashioned “SEO for mobile” along with a dose of internal linking. By combining both techniques, the results will be more effective.
Deep linking techniques also connect a specific and unique URL to a specific action within the website. This can allow you to decide what behavior you want to encourage by linking to a specific action on a product or other page so that you lead the customer through the customer journey.
It is the wise eCommerce owner who uses this technique appropriately because it should always be relevant to the search that the user is after and not completely removed from what the customer wants to see. For example, you could link to an internal page that is tied to the keywords, “travel videos” that takes the searcher to a travel advisor site to inquire for more information. If you are an affiliate marketer for this company, you can increase your results this way.
Just be careful not to focus on the links alone or to create something similar to keyword stuffing to get the result you want.
Making the Right Assumptions
The bottom line of deep linking, when used with mobile app optimization, is to correctly predict what the user is most likely interested in doing. For example, targeting people who are searching “bank statements” assumes that they are wanting to see their bank statement on the bank’s website, so you may include a deep link to an internal URL that will allow you to view your statement online.
If you make the wrong assumption, you may lead the searcher to where they don’t want to go, so think carefully about the keywords and the links you choose.
Sometimes, you need an effective marketing solution that takes deep linking into consideration. AppsFlyer is an eCommerce app solution that you may want to check out.
With a little thought and planning, you can master ASO and deep linking just as you did SEO (search engine optimization) for normal website traffic. Focus on your target audience and remember to include only the most relevant links that take the customer where they are likely wanting to go. Also, make the result what you want, also by considering what behaviors you are trying to increase through targeted SEO and ASO techniques.
The mobile world is different than the traditional website SEO, but it is still very similar in terms of learning to utilize your resources and tools to improve your results. With a lot of practice and application, you can start seeing the results you want on a consistent basis.
