How can creatives change and improve your App Store?

One of the mistakes that several Advertisers make is to focus a lot on the user acquisition and not pay the same amount of attention to the App Store Optimization (ASO), which is the turning point for the user to see if they will download the app or not.

Not having a good ASO strategy and investing in UA without thinking about it is a waste of money.

On ASO, there are two main different areas. The search optimization and the conversion one. The first one refers to all the optimization regarding app title, short title, keyword field in the App Store, or the Description in Google Play. The great majority of the search traffic comes from branded searches, a very small part from targeting competitors, and a minor part from generic terms. Unless your app fits a very significant and specific niche, where the users have a strong desire to solve their needs using your app, you should focus on improving your conversion rate (CR). A high CR is normally related to clear communication of the app's purpose and values, making it very easy for users to understand what your app is about with just a glance. That is why building effective visual elements on the store page is so relevant. The possibilities of visual elements are mainly three in the store: the app icon, the preview video, and also the screenshots.

The behavior of users in the stores might vary according to the vertical of your app or even how your store is built, but there are some interesting insights from the industry that you can use to create an even more effective store. First of all, do not focus on Android’s description to convince the user to download, use it to rank for keywords, less than 1% of the users read an app description, so it’s very unlikely that they read the whole text you put there.

Normally users do not spend time in the store, the average time spent on the store page is less than 7 seconds. Seven seconds is also the attention span of users watching the app’s preview video, and only 8% of them will watch the video until the end. Screenshots do not have a better attraction to users’ attention or engagement, only 1 in every 10 users will scroll through all the screenshots. Data Sources: Geeklab

All this data means one thing: Be as clear as you can in your visual communication. Users will only dedicate a few seconds to understanding what your app is about or even to decide if they should download it or not once they arrive on the landing page.

To start improving the visual aspect of your app store, focus on your audience and what they seek when downloading your app. Next, analyze your competitors' strategies; if you find something interesting, use it as inspiration. Lastly, always keep your product’s unique selling points (USPs) in mind throughout the process. With these steps in place, collaborate with your design team to communicate your vision effectively.

Begin by designing new visual elements such as screenshots, app icons, and selecting the background color. Sketch an app preview video. Integrate all communication elements, including screenshot copy, headlines, and the video script. Consider the layout, including the order of screenshots, orientation, and the positioning of headlines.

You don’t need to follow these steps exactly, but it's crucial to understand their importance in creating effective communication. Before applying the new visuals, create hypotheses and document everything. After a few weeks, you’ll have enough data to compare the results of the new visuals with the old ones or those used in A/B tests. Initially, test visuals in English with static assets before producing videos, as videos are more expensive and time-consuming.

Following these tips will likely provide users with a clearer idea of your app, improving your conversion rates. This approach makes your user acquisition efforts less expensive, smarter, and more effective.

For more guidance on optimizing your app’s visual strategy, contact Rocket Lab today.