Mobile games have become a common commodity; both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store are flooded with millions of games all competing for eyeballs and downloads… Cue App Store Optimization – also known as ASO. 

Just like content creators race and wrestle to land on the first page of internet search engines, mobile game publishers face quite a similar battle with boosting their game visibility on app stores. This blog post will give you a brief overview of App Store Optimization, why it’s important, and how it can be approached and applied.

There’s no denying that developing and publishing a mobile game is a complex process on its own, but landing on the first page of app store searches is a battle in and of itself. With that said, App Store Optimization is a key point to consider in the publishing process.

Simply put, App Store Optimization is the process of boosting the visibility of your app or mobile game, with the goal of increasing downloads and conversions. App Store Optimization focuses on specific steps that can be implemented in order to not only increase visibility and ranking in app store search results but also the click-through rate. 

Click-through rate, also known as CTR, refers to the rate at which people click through your mobile game or app on the app store. Some elements that need to be optimized in order to boost your mobile game’s CTR, as well as CTI (Click to Install Rate), include the name, title, icon, description, rating and screenshots.

When working on App Store Optimization for your mobile game, make sure that the visual assets of your listing are high quality. Spend extra time on creating high-quality screenshots and icons that will speak for themselves. Most mobile gamers tend to be very visually driven, so ensuring that all your visual components are top-notch is a great way to start. If you can go the extra mile and create a proper, high fidelity, short yet engaging trailer, then all the better.

A good way to start with optimizing the textual components of your mobile game is to carry out a thorough keyword search. Your keyword search will revolve around the audience you’re targeting; their location, demographic, overall interests, and so on. A general keyword search will give you an idea of what words to use but then you can build combinations of competitive keywords (eg. “free games” or “free to play”).

One aspect of App Store Optimization that you should focus your attention on is getting good ratings. Positive ratings will boost your game’s visibility and ranking, while also boosting gamers’ confidence in your product – the more ratings, the stronger your ASO. 

It goes without saying that a huge part of optimizing your mobile game on app stores actually lies within creating a good, high-quality game. In this case, high quality can refer to not only resolution, but the gameplay, storylines, and so on. While there’s lots you can do to boost your ASO, ultimately there is no way around it – a good game will perform better than a bad one. 

Another step that makes for a good ASO strategy is localization. Localizing your mobile game automatically widens your reach on app stores, allowing you to tap into different countries and rank in their search engines as well. If you’re looking to localize your mobile game with a strong ASO strategy, partnering with a leading mobile game publisher like Tamatem Games is key.