Learn ASO 101: Mobile App A/B Testing Best Practices in 2022
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Learn ASO 101: Mobile A/B Testing Best Practices for iOS and Android Developers & Marketers
Did you know that you can test your app listing assets even before you deploy them on the App Stores? What about in-app A/B testing? A/B testing should be an integral element in your app marketing strategy, but in many cases, it remains untouched - and in some cases - taboo to many mobile marketers when their best conversion potential still awaits them.
With the lucrative opportunities A/B testing provides, A/B testing shouldn't be ignored.
A/B testing enables marketers and developers to further optimize their conversion potential on the app stores. Whether it be through running Google Play Experiments or using Apple’s new testing capabilities, developers can now test directly through app store consoles on both app store platforms.?
Despite the native A/B testing platforms' ease of access, native A/B testing capabilities still pose hurdles in testing app store assets in full. Google Play Experiments, Apple’s Product Page Optimization, and Custom Product Pages can only give us part of the full picture. In the process of?App Store Optimization ?(ASO), developers need the full picture to make more informed and data-backed growth strategies for long-term success in the app stores.?
It's vital to ask questions like:
"Will changing my screenshot copy increase or decrease user conversion?"
"Would a different value proposition help drive up downloads?"
"Are the results of my Apple or Google A/B tests effective?"
Our ASO company often finds clients asking questions like those above, and although they're in the right direction, it's vital to have a data-driven thesis to back up your hypothesis, not a 'feeling'.
Oftentimes, one of the biggest mistakes mobile marketers make in the process of A/B testing or the steps coming up to running tests is going off by a hunch. Some even test for the sake of design curiosity and subjectivity. However, the key to successful A/B testing both on and off the app stores should come from the data you collect to see what works and what doesn't.
Before you kickstart your A/B testing plans, make sure your App Store Optimization strategy is also fully within the range of the most effective app marketing best practices for 2022. Check out our guest collaboration article with Adjust to see if you're on the right track.
Apple's Product Page Optimization (PPO) & Custom Product Pages (CPP) - A/B Testing for iOS Developers
Apple’s rollout of iOS 15 introduced a lot of exciting features for users and developers alike. For years, iOS app developers had to rely on ASA campaigns, Google Play Experiments, and other methods of A/B testing to test their app listing assets. These methods often yielded unreliable results or costly expenditures.
With?Product Page Optimization ?(PPO), developers can test the following variations of their app listing
App developers can run tests for up to 90 days on PPO while monitoring valuable metrics like impressions, installs, and conversion rates. Developers can also select traffic proportions for each specific treatment and localizations for single international territories.
Limitations of Product Page Optimization
The list of testing capabilities seems a bit short, right? When PPO was first rolled out, many iOS developers thought so too. Successful conversion optimization relies on a multitude of factors and a synergy of all app elements.
PPO only gives developers a snapshot of their full conversion potential. Screenshots, app icons, and preview videos are important, but virtually no metadata elements can be tested with PPO.
The entire user experience on the App Store involves more than just creatives, so in the absence of metadata testing, developers face pitfalls in further conversion potential. PPO also only deploys treatments to users who currently have iOS 15 running on their phones – leaving out the 20% of the total mobile user base.
What are Apple's Custom Product Pages (CPP)?
The App Store is making audience targeting easier with?Custom Product Pages ?(CPP). CPP allows developers to create up to 35 unique app listings, all of which can be used to target specific segments with unique messages and creative assets.
Custom Product pages also simplify external marketing efforts by providing URLs for each custom page. This allows developers and mobile marketers to funnel users directly to any single CPP.
With CPPs, developers can test the following app store assets for each page:
Limitations of Custom Product Pages
It’s important to note that CPPs are still not 100% customizable – metadata elements like the title, subtitle, and description cannot be altered with CPP. While not directly responsible for the conversion, app titles and subtitles still need to be relevant to the user regardless of the features they’re most drawn to.
Mobile A/B Testing - Google Experiments for Android Developers
Google Play Experiments
Google Play app developers can run?Google Play Experiments?on the Play Store to test variants. This A/B testing runs variants against the existing version to see which gains a higher percentage of conversions so that developers can run the best possible versions.
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This can be used to test:
Developers can run default graphic tests for creative elements, or localized experiments for any element in up to five languages. Short and long descriptions can only be tested in localized experiments.
What Are the Limitations of Google's Experiment Platform?
Being able to differentiate between paid and organic sources of traffic is the cornerstone to understanding the effectiveness of either of their impact on your app. Google Play Experiments provide developers with metrics that do not distinguish between paid and organic traffic flows and conversion rates. External variables like user behavior, competitive landscape, and external traffic distribution channels could affect either of these metrics.
"Being able to differentiate between the two allows developers to further refine their?ASO ?strategy and lets them better gauge the impact of their campaign without conflating variables."
How to A/B Test Your Mobile App To Maximize Conversion
So, what can you do to improve your conversion potential regardless of platform? Here are some tips to make sure you're within ASO best practices:
Here are more helpful resources for A/B testing on your product page:
External Mobile A/B Testing with ASO Tools and Technology
Given the limitations of native A/B testing platforms on both iOS and Google Play, developers need to look to other ways to supplement their known limitations and pitfalls.
Regardless of the platform, there are gaps in what metrics and insights these platforms provide. As stated before, there is a multitude of factors that contribute to full conversion optimization like metadata and creative synergy, reviews, and more. However, we see now that native A/B testing platforms can’t account for the complexities and needs of the current app store marketplace.
More developers are expanding into multiple territories, releasing more frequent updates, and other expansionary activities to grow their apps. But the limitations on native A/B testing platforms offer less than ideal conditions to fully engage a sufficient conversion optimization strategy that suits their unique needs.
Our ASO company saw the discrepancies between the needs of developers and native A/B testing platform capabilities.
Gummicube’s external A/B testing platform, Splitcube, allows developers to surpass these limitations with data backed by true mobile insights derived directly from both app stores. With Splitcube, developers can test every single one of their app store assets from titles, creatives, and even app ratings and reviews.
Want to learn more about what external A/B testing can do for you? Check it out below:
In-App A/B testing - How to Drive Engagement & Retention outside of the App Store
Are you curious about what in-app A/B testing can do? Well, Gummicube has something BIG in the works.
If you want to be the first to hear about it, come join the Business of Apps & Gummicube Inc. | App Store Optimization | Big Data Analytics for Mobile App Marketing webinar taking place this Wednesday, August 17th at 10 AM PST.
The app stores are largely democratized - both indie and enterprise apps share a level playing field. So how can you grow your app over time to keep your competitive edge? Watch CEO and Co-founder of?Gummicube, Dave Bell discuss what you can do to optimize your app performance at every point in your app lifecycle from pre-launch to maturity starting today.
Register by tapping on the banner above or click the link?here .
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Be sure to check out these other helpful links to learn more about ASO best practices: