The evolving digital landscape is welcoming new apps at a rapid speed for several smartphones out there. A Statista report says that there are over 2.59 million mobile apps on the Google Play Store as of June 2023. Then there are other app stores like the Apple App Store, Amazon App Store, Huawei App Gallery, Xiaomi GetApps, and more delivering over 6 million apps for several different operating systems.
The app market, as it is growing, is trying a diverse range of marketing activities to promote apps better. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of these marketing activities.
What is SEO?
Do you know What does SEO do for your website? SEO uses a range of techniques such as content optimization, graphic optimization, interlinking, and external linking. SEO is traditionally applied to promoting websites. More and more SEO jobs are being created to handle the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of SEO and online visibility. However, the world of mobile apps has also adopted SEO to boost the visibility of apps in the massively thriving competition.
Moving forward, this blog covers a list of strategies that can help developers and app marketers leverage SEO for app promotions.
Let’s have a look!
1. Website development
To promote an app using SEO, you will need a website that represents its brand and identity. The website will serve the purpose of increasing awareness of potential users about the app. Developers use websites to publish app data such as features, background of the app, screenshots, usage guides, pricing information, contact information, and more.
2. Keyword research
Keywords are critical for SEO strategies. There are plenty of tools out there that can help developers find the right keywords for an app’s perfect promotion. For instance- Google’s Keyword Planner, AHREF, SEM Rush, etc.
These SEO tools can help developers find keywords that should go in titles, descriptions, and URLs of apps for better search engine visibility.
3. App reviews and ratings
Another critical factor that impacts the overall ranking of apps is good app reviews and ratings. Good reviews and ratings multiply the reliability of apps making search engines consider them among the top options out there. This effectively works well for the promotion of apps for their visibility on search engines and app stores as well.
4. App titles and subtitles
Optimizing titles and subtitles of apps to make them more SEO-friendly is another critical phase of your SEO strategy for mobile apps. Using keywords in titles and subtitles provides users with a clear context of the app’s features.
Search engines also judge app categories better using these keywords which ultimately increases the probability of these apps becoming visible among top results.
Let’s take an example. Suppose you own a learning app for Flutter app developers. You will have to frame the title and the subtitle of the app around it. “Learn Flutter with Dart by Programming Hub” is the perfect example of the same.
5. Engagement sessions
Search engines consider how long users are engaging with apps. Apps with better engagement sessions are more likely to get better SEO advantages on search engines. You can increase engagement sessions by optimizing your UI to be more interactive, encouraging users to engage through notifications, and delivering personalized content and in-app rewards.
6. Collaborating with experts
If you are new in the market, collaborations with experts might help in improving the marketing strategies of your apps. However, you should find experts based on the kind of app you own and plan to promote. If you own a Flutter app then collaborating with a Flutter app development company or marketing company can be beneficial as they will understand your app’s functionality better. It can also help improve your app’s overall quality for more SEO effectiveness.
7. Social media marketing
A well-planned social media marketing strategy can benefit apps effectively. Most developers are onboarding platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and even WhatsApp to promote their apps. Social media promotions offer paid and organic promotional opportunities. You can create regular content and infuse some creativity to organically grow your outreach. Or, you can sign up for paid advertising to boost the visibility of your social media advertisements.
8. Stay up to date with algorithms
SEO algorithms are often updated by search engine giants like Google. These algorithms impact factors that search engines consider to boost the visibility of content published on the internet. Keeping up with these algorithms can give you an upper hand if you optimize your app’s content accordingly on time. By leveraging Artificial Intelligence services, one can achieve a more dynamic and responsive approach to these frequent SEO updates, ensuring that content remains relevant and visible.
9. Loading speed of the app
The loading speed of the app affects its quality and reputation on search engines. An app that loads faster has a better chance of becoming visible among top results compared to apps with more features but slower loading times. A fast app also keeps users engaged without making them bored.
10. Deep linking
Deep links are used to direct users to different pages in an app. SEO considers the quality of contextual deep links as one of the factors to promote apps. Deep links can also boost the user experience by making it easier to find relevant content. Apps with better deep linking strategies are often more visible on search engines.
11. Analytics
There are several analytics tools available to measure the quality of engagement apps are receiving. These analytics answer questions like what keywords drive better engagements, what in-app pages have better user sessions, how the bounce rate is, which features are used more, etc.
Analytics help you find out whether your current SEO strategy is working or if you need to optimize it to attract more downloads.
12. Regular app updates
Updating apps regularly rewards well. This helps search engines understand that your app is compatible with the latest market trends. Regular app updates can also help in solving glitches or compatibility issues faster.
13. App localization
If you are targeting a global market, app localization can be very helpful in your app’s SEO strategy. App localization refers to the process of optimizing an app’s user interface and services depending on the market it is targeting. Take Amazon as an example. Amazon offers several languages and relevant deals for specific markets where it runs its businesses. That is one of the reasons why Amazon remains among the top results in the segment.
14. Observing competitors
Keeping track of competitors’ progress and strategy to inspire your app’s promotion can be vital in securing efficient growth. Analyzing competitors helps you find out what is working and what is not working for them. So, picking competitors that have better-performing apps can be beneficial for your app’s future.
There are several tools available in the market that can help you observe your competitors’ growth. AHREFS, Social Sprout, and Social Blade are among the options that let you observe your competitors.
Summing up
The race to dominate the mobile app industry is getting intense as smartphones are evolving. Modern smartphones can load even heavier apps faster. This gives app developers the freedom to build apps with better visuals and more features without sacrificing the overall loading time.
So, to summarize, the modern app market does not leave any scope for sacrificing quality. Apps that have more relevant features, an easy-to-use interface, and a visually appealing experience are growing faster compared to apps that were suitable for old markets. That makes it critical for modern app developers and marketers to follow the above tips as we discussed in this article. A well-planned app SEO strategy can help secure better returns on investments.
