What is ASO? 7 Steps of ASO for NFT Apps

ASO has long been a familiar concept to app developers and businesses interested in developing mobile channels (online platforms used on mobile devices). Many people, however, are still confused about the differences between ASO and SEO.

In this article, I will discuss the concept of ASO as well as the 7 steps of ASO that are appropriate for NFT (Non-fungible Token) applications.

What is ASO?

App store optimization (ASO), according to Adjust, is the process of increasing the visibility of your app in app stores so that it ranks in the top search results; it's the mobile app version of search engine optimization (SEO).

It's important to note that ASO is a continuous process, constantly testing, and measuring mid- and long-term updates to your app store marketing content with the goal of increasing app visibility and installs, rather than a one-time event.

Why does ASO play such an important role?

With approximately 2 million iOS App Store apps and 2.5 million Google Play Store apps, the app market is one of the most competitive markets. With a myriad of applications and rapidly rising advertising costs, attracting and retaining users is a serious hurdle.

App Store Optimization (ASO), on the other hand, is a method of increasing an application's visibility on the App Store and Google Play Store, which is critical in the user journey. Since, even if the app had a successful advertising campaign that drove a large number of potential users to the App Store, the app store listing had to be compelling enough to persuade the user to install the app. In other words, ASO helps to increase the number of organic users without incurring any advertising costs.

ASO, like SEO, requires marketers to identify and select keywords in order to improve the app's ranking on the App Store. Screenshots and videos of the application in use are also required. Marketers can create additional sub-categories to give users more options for finding the app. Even translating the app description and introduction into the local language can be considered during the ASO process.

What is the goal of ASO?

The ultimate aim of ASO is to increase the app's visibility in app stores. The greater the chances of seeing the app, the greater the likelihood of getting installations. Furthermore, when ASO is done well enough, the cost of attracting a new user is reduced, allowing the profit margin to increase significantly.

What KPIs are included in the ASO evaluation?

To assess the effectiveness of ASO implementation, two criteria must be considered: Impression and Conversion Rate. Impression can be increased through four main channels, which are: App Featured (app recommended by the app store); App Ranking (apps that appear on the charts every day, week, and month); Keyword Ranking (app's keyword rank when a user searches on app store); Ads (awareness or app install campaigns on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google UAC channel).

Then, marketers need to focus on Conversion Rate (CR). CR here is specifically the click-to-install rate when the user has visited the application page on the app store.

According to AppsFlyer, successful ASO allows new users to easily find your app in search results without having to pay. These users are typically more engaged and loyal than users who find your app through a paid campaign.

Second, conversion rate optimization benefits paid campaigns, social media marketing, and other user conversion efforts. Higher conversion rates result in more downloads from all traffic channels, allowing you to earn more money for every marketing penny invested.

What is the difference between ASO and SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, according to Google. Website SEO is a set of techniques for improving a website's ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) (usually Google). ASO refers to application optimization, whereas SEO refers to website optimization.

ASO has two goals: to increase the application's impression and conversion rate, whereas SEO aims to improve the website's ranking and display density when searched using tools such as Google Search, Yahoo Search, Bing...

7 Steps of ASO for NFT Apps

Unlike traditional mobile applications, developers expect NFT applications to add more value. As a result, when investors choose mobile apps as a channel to develop products for end-users instead of websites and mobile-sites, ASO for NFT applications is also one of the priority requirements. So, how should the NFT application developers and team approach ASO?

Step 1: Publish the app on the app store

To have an app publicly available on the app stores and ready for users to find, a developer must ensure that his/her app was successfully published on the app stores.

Most application developers in general, and NFT developers in particular, are familiar with two popular app stores: the iTunes Store and Google Play. However, in order to maximize global findability and coverage for an NFT app, I would recommend another potential app store, Huawei AppGallery.

According to official Huawei corporation information, Huawei AppGallery, Huawei's official application distribution platform, is an app marketplace with a developer identity verification system. It also has a 4-layer detection system to ensure the application's security and makes useful content recommendations using proprietary algorithms that ensure users to be secured when downloading apps.

The instructions for publishing NFT apps on app stores will be covered in another article in the same NFT & Mobile App Series.

Step 2: Optimizing the application product page & Metadata elements

Of course, market research and product development must be completed as an obvious part of the business development ecosystem before embarking on the development of an NFT app.

The enterprise has the authority as the owner of the NFT application to directly change and adjust the application's Metadata elements. On-page Metadata elements include the app title, subtitle (iOS) or short description (Android), keyword field (iOS only), app description, app icon, screenshots, and videos.

There is also Off-page Metadata, which includes user reviews, app ratings, the number of app downloads, and the data volume of apps in the same category (app industry). There might appear to be no category (industry) of NFT apps on Google Play or the iTunes Store. The majority of Blockchain-related apps currently available on these two app stores fall under the category of Games.

Choosing a suitable category for an NFT application is thus a more difficult decision for developers if the NFT application is not a game. For example, in the future, you will collaborate with Coin to create an NFT fashion shopping app. So, where will this app be found on Google Play? Finance, fashion, or shopping? Or a new category – NFT – emerges?

In addition, users will be hesitant to download NFT applications if they see a lot of low ratings, negative feedback, and comments from other users. This is especially important for NFT products that prioritize user experience and community development. It is the key to assisting the application in achieving a significantly higher download success rate.

Step 3: Design a set of keywords suitable for NFT apps

Not every word qualifies as a keyword; only terms that narrow down user intent qualify. In other words, they should provide more information about the user's problems or needs, as well as the desired solution. As a result, articles, prepositions, and conjunctions will not be considered keywords.

So, how do you create a set of keywords to go with the NFT application? We need a clear "map" of keywords and diversity. Normally, I would encourage application development partners to create a set of keywords for ASO that included the following five sets: Problem – Feature – Action – User – Location.

With:

• Problem Keyword has the role of narrowing the user's needs and concerns.
• The Feature Keyword explains how the app solves these problems. They describe the mechanics and features, especially those that are the application's unique product or service proposition (USP).
• The User Keyword describes the people who use your app by age, gender, or occupation, and the roles they play in using the app. For example, piano app users are musicians or music lovers, but they are also office workers.
• The Action Keyword describes what people do when and after using your app. For example, a restaurant finder app user searches and finds a restaurant, and then makes or reserves a table.
• Location specifies the location or context in which people use your app. These can be names of countries or cities as well as generic terms like “office”, “beach” or “rural area”.

To put it another way, developers should consider five factors when creating a complete set of keywords for NFT applications: the right people, the right jobs, the right time, the right places, and the right products.

Step 4: Deploy a set of keywords and optimize conversion rate (CRO)

Search engine results pages (SERPs) on iOS for NFT apps on Apple's iTunes Store show only one or two organic search results on the first page. Users must scroll down to see more results. However, few users do so.

Because of keyword search results, the top three apps receive up to 50% of all downloads, while apps ranked lower than the top ten receive almost no downloads. Apple app developers are the most knowledgeable about this issue.

The algorithm on Google Play is not the same as the one on iOS. SERPs can display up to five apps per page. This means that even apps ranked lower than the Top 3 will be visible to users at first glance, without the need for users to scroll down the SERP.

The NFT application developer will need a tool to measure the factors that influence ASO results in order to optimize the CRO conversion rate. It can be found in the Analytics section of iTunes Connect for developers. Make sure to set the Source filter as "Search", as there is a trick that compares numbers on a weekly basis.

However, impressions for Android apps will not be visible in the Google Play Console. As a result, we must employ a store listing visitor metric that indicates how many people clicked on your app in the search results. This metric does not provide an exact value for visibility, but it is the best data Google provides.

As a result, more effective measures and tools will be required. That is why I frequently refer current and prospective NFT app developers to a dedicated mobile app measurement platform such as AppsFlyer. It will take more than a week for the full data to be collected on both app stores until the app's search algorithms, changes, and corrections are made. AppsFlyer, on the other hand, provides real time data to the developer on a daily basis. (Note: AppsFlyer has a 7-day Windows Look-back mechanism by default)

Step 5: Invest in a comprehensive advertising and communication strategy

As you have known, once the NFT application developer is ready to launch the app, he will be serious in preparation and strategy for this event. The overall advertising and communication strategy is one of the first steps in bringing NFT application products to a large number of users and investors. In some cases, NFT application (game) developers are willing to invest 18 to 24 percent of the total share of product tokens in advertising.

There will be numerous strategies and tactics that we can discuss, but in ASO for NFT applications, I would like to focus on only one type of advertising - Search Ads (advertising on search engines).

An app advertiser will want to expose an app to more users who are willing to pay, according to Google Ads Support. So, how does the NFT app reach out to those users? App campaigns make it simple for NFT app developers to promote their apps on Google's channels and platforms (including Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, Discover on Google Search and the Google Display Network).

What about the Apple Store? Apple search ads help people find your app when they search the App Store, matching customers to your app as they search. Search is used by 70% of App Store visitors to find their next app. After a search, 65 percent of all downloads occur. Over 50% conversion rate for search results ads.

Step 6: Effective ASO A/B Testing for NFT Apps

What exactly is A/B Testing for ASO? It is a method of comparing two or more options to see which one will produce better results. When using the A/B Testing form for ASO, it is testing different values of the components on the Product Page to increase the application's impressions and conversion rates at the same time.

Google Play Store Listing Experiment is a free testing method provided by Google Play Store. Here, you can easily customize testing by checking variants such as app name, icon, screenshot, and description. You should test one criterion at a time to determine which value influences the Conversion Rate.

A/B Testing is not currently available for free on iOS. Splitmetrics A/B Testing service is available to iOS app developers. This service generates Product Pages that are identical to those available on the Apple Store and employs the Conversion Rate as the criterion for determining the best results.

The second approach is to use Apple Search Ads Creative Set Test, which requires you to upload both versions to the store. When the creatives for testing are ready, go to Apple Search Ads Platform to create a new campaign and select the options you want in Asset Selection. The ad will then be run alternately between the default option and the option to be tested. We can examine the report to determine which option has the highest Impression and Conversion Rate.

Finally: Listen from the customers/users of the NFT apps

Listening to and polling NFT application users will provide the best answer for the developer. NFT application developers gain not only their own customer insights, but also an objective perspective and clean data as a result of social listening. At the same time, it is a way to show respect for the users. In my previous article on user retention strategies to maximize CLV (Customer Lifetime Value), I mentioned that listening to customers and users of the application itself would be a subtle step that would create good sympathy for the user community.

Thank you for reading,

Ngo Thai Hoang Tuan