Given the ever-increasing competition, the task might seem challenging. Luckily, there are proven techniques and methods to help you carve out your niche and keep your audience interested. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what user engagement is in terms of mobile apps, which engagement strategies are most effective, and which metrics will help you track your work effectiveness. After reading, you will be able to identify weaknesses in your work and strengthen them for better performance.

What Is App Engagement?

The term “app user engagement” refers to user interaction with a mobile application. In other words, this indicator demonstrates the value of your product through the frequency, duration, and quality of its use. Don’t confuse it with regular quantitative usage, as engagement is more than that.

By being involved, clients realize the importance of the app in performing their home and work tasks over a long period. The higher the in-app engagement score, the more app download and revenue users can bring to you. That is why you need to regularly monitor and measure the level of engagement to identify problems and respond to them on time.

Features to Keep Users Engaged

There are many effective ways to increase mobile app engagement. Here are just a few of the steps you can take.

Think over your mission

With the help of a creative story about your mission, worldview, and values, you can get closer to your target audience. That is why it is extremely important to study potential clients carefully, for example, as part of ASO keyword research.

Today, many people try to pursue mindful consumption. Generation Z representatives are the most active in this direction. As they make up 40% of all users of mobile devices and spend more on apps than other generations, you should work with them properly. Let them know you are on the same page with them.

Gamify your product

Many classic app features can be made more “catching” by introducing game-like features. Give out rewards, accrue points, show progress, and offer badges. As the experience of Duolingo, a popular language learning service, shows, these mechanics not only enthrall every user, engage the audience, or motivate people to continue using the product further but also stimulate referrals, which is very important for the customer base growth.

Simplify onboarding

Confirmed fact: The most significant drop in the number of users occurs during the onboarding in app stage. Each additional step increases churn by an average of 20%. Use onboarding training when you really need it, for example, when you offer unique features or target inexperienced customers. Minimize guides and instructions and instead show the app’s importance and value. Also, make it easy to sign up, agree to policies, and make initial settings.

Don’t forget socialization

Offer your users the opportunity to share progress, connect with like-minded people, and follow the leaderboards. Forums, lists of winners, and quick access to social networks add a playful element to the standard app mechanics and contribute to a longer use. Competitions and other real-time features to keep users engaged set specific goals that motivate people to complete tasks regularly.

Use chatbots

Quick access to support and getting answers to questions faster are effective engagement strategies examples. Nowadays, time is a critical resource. Users’ problems and pains should be resolved as quickly as possible, and artificial intelligence is fully responsible for this task. Compared to human support, chatbots can increase engagement by 400%.

Mobile App Engagement Metrics

Before you dive into materials on how to increase mobile app engagement, it’s important to understand how and why to measure it. The point is that you need to be clear about whether your product performs well, whether your customer base grows, whether your app does what it was designed to do, and more.

Measuring the level of engagement since launch allows you to evaluate both positive and negative changes in the quality of the product use. Moreover, the engagement rate directly affects many other key metrics like user retention level and app conversion rate.

Metrics

Engagement is a rather complex and multi-level term, so the answer to the question “What are engagement metrics?” might be complicated. Understanding the notion and the desired engagement level might vary for each product and audience. You can evaluate user behavior and the quality of interaction with the app using the following metrics:

• User retention

Developers and marketers often compare engagement vs retention. We can say that these concepts are pretty interchangeable and show you how attractive your product is to customers in the long run.

• Active users

Typically, visitor data is analyzed per day (DAU) and month (MAU); less often, developers check users per week (WAU). Active users are those who regularly perform a key action within a certain period.

• User churn

This metric shows the number of users who abandon the app. They can do it because the product does not meet their expectations or there are some issues inside it.

• Session frequency and length

You can measure retention and engagement by how much time users spend on your app and how often they launch it. If the time spent and the number of launches decreases, it indicates problems. You can learn more about how to measure retention on our blog.

• Conversion rate

The concept of conversion can vary: from installing an advertised app to switching to a paid subscription. If your download rates aren’t high enough, check out our article “How to Increase App Downloads.” If users do not switch to new levels, you need to work on the product’s content.

• Lifetime value

This metric is necessary to evaluate how much costs particular user spends on your service. It shows the whole revenue an user generates. The higher it is, the better you work with this user.

App Engagement Strategy Tips

Looking for more ways to improve your mobile app engagement campaigns? Here are some more expert tips:

• Personalize the experience. You can address customers by name, make unique offers, send personalized push notifications, and more.
• Motivate to generate content (UGC). It builds trust in the brand, makes the audience more loyal, and promotes word-of-mouth marketing.
• Send out behavioral emails. Reinforce the app experience with emails with tips, tutorials, surveys, and more.
• Upsell and re-engage clients. Existing users are already interested in your product and its extra features. The cost of their re-engagement is much lower than the price of attracting new customers.
• Improve the app regularly. Test and optimize the product and implement new features to keep users interested. The app should change and evolve along with the client base and global trends.

Work on Engaging Users Non-Stop

The exact list of tactics and steps to engage users differs depending on the characteristics of a particular app and target audience. To really make your product sticky, you need to know what works for your users and what doesn’t. It’s important to be able to offer experiences that will help you create a viable product that has value for people in the long run.

Keeping users’ attention and constantly working on engagement is not easy. Nevertheless, it is one of the most essential aspects, given the daily growing competition in the mobile product market. It is crucial to work on multiple fronts and engage users inside and outside the app, for instance, through social media, email, forums, and so on.

You can track the effectiveness of your actions using the described metrics. Moreover, such work should not stop when the desired indicators are achieved. You need to constantly improve your strategy to keep people interested. Use the Asolytics experts’ recommendations to launch a new unique app or revive an old project that has begun to lose ground.

KPI stands for Key Performance Indicators, and by and large, the name speaks for itself. They represent certain parameters and specific values ​​that you already have and that you want to achieve. The complete set of such indicators can differ depending on the industry, your goals, and even a specific product. Inexperienced business owners might believe that KPIs are just a tool to motivate employees when it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of each individual’s actions. Yes, they do that part of the job. However, their capabilities are much wider, and the importance of choosing the right parameters for the entire production can hardly be overestimated.

In this article, we will explain in detail why KPIs are important for your business. We will also talk about the main metrics used in the gaming industry so that you can evaluate your work after reading the post.

Importance of KPIs

To generalize this concept a bit, we can say that KPIs are universal tools for assessing the effectiveness of the forces and resources spent and the outcome obtained as a result of these actions. They can be individual, depending on the approach for each company and business segment. Despite it, the introduction of the system of mobile game KPIs provides clear advantages for any company:

1. It is an opportunity to evaluate the work done by one employee, a particular department, and even the whole company.
2. With the help of metrics, you can identify weak points and streamline internal business processes.
3. Such parameters allow you to determine the growth points and plan the company’s development. It is unwise to add new levels to the game if the effort spent on development does not pay off.
4. Thanks to KPIs, all your actions have a basis. That is, you can decide to expand a business or, conversely, close it not intuitively but with clear arguments in hand.
5. The rating system motivates employees to achieve the best result.

Among the many existing key performance indicators for developers, the most obvious index of success is money. If the profit grows, it means the project is in demand among users. However, with a competent approach, you should understand exactly how success was achieved, what needs to be done to maintain it, how to prevent resource depletion, and so on. For all this, you should use the KPIs system if you want to build one of the top mobile games.

Top 5 Mobile Game KPIs to Track

As we have already said, there is no single list of metrics to be used. Each business should determine for itself which KPIs will most fully reflect the state of its project.

When choosing a set of parameters, you should start from the features of your audience, the monetization model selected, stack complexity, stage of growth, the usefulness of specific indicators for your business, and so on. Below is a list of KPIs that work well together and are most commonly used in mobile game development.

1. Retention rate
   High retention rates are what all developers strive for. If customers continue using your game after a few days, weeks, or months, you have offered them an interesting project. The mobile games retention rate formula means dividing the number of active users by the number of installs.
   
   Calculations should be made on the first day of installation of your product, and then on the third, fifth, and seventh day, and also after 30 days. This long-term metric gives you the ability to measure audience engagement, as well as understand at which point in the product’s life people begin to lose interest in it.
2. Lifetime value
   This is one of the metrics that is used to evaluate the performance of your mobile game user acquisition strategy. LTV shows how much income you have from one client during the entire period of using your application. For example, if you spent $10 to attract a visitor and received only $6, this approach is considered unprofitable and requires a review of actions.
   
   That is why some developers encourage their customers to bring friends. In this case, the amounts spent can be divided by two (as you do nothing to engage the other person), significantly reducing costs.
3. Daily active users
   As the name implies, DAU shows you the number of unique customers who daily log into your game. The calculation for this metric might vary depending on which activities you use for your product as an estimate. It is used to understand how fun your game is and whether it makes customers come back to it again and again. A high and stable DAU is an indicator of a sustainable project.
4. Average revenue per user
   The average revenue per user of mobile games is another indicator of the effectiveness of your monetization model. You can evaluate it every day, week, or month to see how your earnings progress. This indicator is in many ways similar to LTV; however, it does not show you data for the entire period of use but a short term.
   
   This metric is also handy for assessing the performance of any changes to the product, including page assets in app stores. If page optimization isn’t producing the results you want, check out our pro tips like “Designing a Game App Icon.”
5. Effective cost per mille
   To attract users, you can use various advertising tools, the effectiveness of which also needs to be properly evaluated. For it, there is an eCPM metric. Depending on what exactly you want to measure, you can use it to get different mobile game monetization statistics.
   
   That is, you can evaluate both general advertising costs and spending on specific user acquisition channels. Variables might also depend on the region, the operating system of clients, and so on.

Key Performance Indicators

When selecting the optimal set of KPIs, it is vital that they are effective specifically for your case. While there is no one-size-fits-all package, Asolytics recommends that you choose metrics that allow you to cover the five main segments listed below. In addition to the indicators that we have already described in the previous paragraphs, you can also use extra ones:

• Mobile gaming growth rate: downloads, reinstalls, sign-ups, customer base growth rate, etc.;
• User experience quality: crashes, breakdowns, user action errors, replayability, progress, and so on;
• Customer engagement: MAU, churn rate, stickiness, session length, and their number per day;
• Monetization model: average transaction value, cost per install, and purchase time;
• Infrastructure: throughput, infrastructure cost, latency, uptime, and more.

The choice of specific metrics depends on the complexity of your project and the monetization model. Some are only applicable to free-to-play games; others are available for any kind. In addition to the indicators covering the segments described above, choosing those that will help you evaluate both short-term and long-term actions is essential as well.

When working on games, you need to try to avoid stagnation, which often happens to newcomers after a quick start and then a gradual decline. If it does happen, using suitable KPIs will help you identify weak points and work on them.

Pick Optimal Mobile Game KPIs for Your Business

In fact, the mobile game industry uses dozens of indicators that allow developers to evaluate various aspects of their work. The choice can really be overwhelming, especially for beginners. Determining which ones you need can be a daunting task. We recommend following these steps when choosing KPIs:

• Define your main goal. It should be real, specific, and doable. For example, you might need to lower the churn rate by half compared to the current rates.
• Determine intermediate stages. The global goal should be broken down into several small ones that will help you understand exactly how you can achieve the desired result. Understand at which stage customers leave you, what can make them return, how to get users to spend more time on your product, etc.
• Select appropriate KPIs that will help track the progress of the tasks and plans.
• Adjust your strategy as needed. Check if the metrics you choose provide the data you need, and remove or add those that give you a better understanding of the picture.

The KPIs are valuable tools for monitoring the effectiveness of your work on the game. Don’t be afraid to adjust it occasionally to get the best results.

In the words of Brian Balfour, Founder/CEO of Reforge, former VP Growth at Hubspot, ‘If your retention is poor then nothing else matters.’ Customer retention is your ability to foster interactions, build trust, and cultivate mutual growth with your audience long-term. This parameter can be measured with something called ‘retention rate’. App retention rate plays a vital role in your brand’s success. When approached smartly, this metric can contribute to amplifying your profit. The crucial thing here is to evaluate why you’re bleeding consumers and then adjust your approach to make them stay (and pay) as long (and as much) as possible.

In this piece, we will:

• cover user retention in general;
• define app retention rate;
• unveil core terminology and KPIs;
• dwell upon User Retention vs. User Acquisition;
• cover the importance of app retention;
• unveil how app retention saves your money;
• teach you how to calculate app retention rate;
• let you in on what a good app retention rate is;
• explain app retention stages;
• unveil mobile app retention specifics depending on a category;
• provide best strategies and tips for elevating app retention rate to the next level for your brand.

Furthermore, we’ll answer your most frequently asked questions about mobile user retention. Stay tuned.

What Is Average Mobile App Retention Rate?

Retention is the number of people who opened your app at least once during a certain day or week since they first got it. Or the number of people who started using your app for the very first time during a certain date range.

Simply put, retention is your app’s loyal fan base that sticks around even after some time passes. Retention rate is usually measured after Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30.

Looking to measure an app’s retention rate? Then just compare the number of users it had when you started measuring with the number of users it still has when you’re through. That way, you’ll easily identify the keepers and the leavers.

Defining  Retention Rate for Mobile Apps

Let’s delve deeper into user retention definition. In mobile marketing and product management, ‘app retention rate’ stands for the number of people who keep on purchasing your mobile brand services within a set timeframe (typically a month) after the installation. For mobile brands that strive to grow and scale, customer retention is a crucial metric. Because a brand can’t scale if it’s losing clients. As a matter of fact, investment-wise, retaining existing consumers is more beneficial than generating new leads.

Retention suggests an already converted client, which differentiates the notion from mere client acquisition. The most powerful client-capturing strategies aid you in building long-term rapport with your core audience and forming loyalty to your mobile brand. In the long run, your loyal consumers may even transform into brand ambassadors. Ready to learn more about app retention rate formula? Keep reading for more details on the importance of retention metrics for apps.

Let’s Decipher Key Lingo & KPIs

Before we move forward, let’s clarify a few terms that are very important for understanding and mastering mobile app retention.

1. Active users and DAU/MAU ratio

Active users is how many of your unique user audience enjoys an app throughout a certain timeframe. If you want to elevate your application’s potential and user churn, this parameter is a must-measure.

You can measure active users either on a daily or monthly basis. That said, you’ll have two corresponding parameters: Daily Active Users (DAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU). The former calculates the number of unique users in a 24-hour period. The latter pinpoints the number of unique users within a 30-day timeframe.

You can benefit from any period of time when figuring out the number of your active users. The Weekly Active Users (WAU) parameter can even be taken into consideration in your calculations. But remember that DAU and MAU are the most common criteria to rely on as of today.

Your DAU/MAU ratio is closely linked to your product stickiness ratio. Upon calculating product stickiness, you will pinpoint the relative volume of active users who enjoy your app over a 24-hour period. This metric helps you predict your potential revenue. Also, it allows you to keep tabs on how often users come back to your product. This, in its turn, helps you skyrocket your product’s value.

The DAU/MAU formula is as follows: Number of DAU/ Number of MAU = DAU/MAU Ratio.

2. Churn rate

Churn rate is how many of your users have slipped away within a certain timeframe. Those are users who have deleted your application and those who still have your app installed on their mobiles but have left it untouched for months. To calculate your churn rate, divide the number of users who left during a certain timeframe by the number of users you had when that timeframe began.

3. Session length and time spent in-app

Session length is how much time users spend in an app whenever they launch it. For this definition not to mislead you, remember that all applications are different. For example, streaming music apps may count the time you’re listening in the background. While there are also always-on applications with in-built time limits.

Below, our experts have provided some helpful metrics to carve into your memory when it comes to session length and time spent in-app:

• Time per session;
• Time spent per session over time;
• Average number of sessions per user in a prearranged period;
• Time spent per N number of sessions;
• Session interval.

These metrics are self-explanatory, therefore, they don’t need any further detailing. Generally speaking, they accurately reflect your app’s engagement and long-term retention potential.

Theoretically, when people use an app often and spend more time in it, it suggests they’re getting value. However, theory and practice are contrasting notions. In practice, if they’re only sticking around because they’re struggling with a confusing app, it won’t lead to long-term value. Quite the contrary, this can only lead to losing the user. With that said, session length and time spent in-app are useful metrics. However, they don’t necessarily guarantee a happy user relationship or long-term retention.

4. Screen views

Screen views is the content that users are checking out within your mobile application. Upon pinpointing this parameter, you will get the full picture about what content performs best and what users are looking at the most.This insight can help you fine-tune both the content and your entire app.

5. User Lifetime Value (LTV)

LTV is among the leading app retention metrics. It represents the financial worth of each attracted customer. Mastering LTV helps you work up a successful loyalty program and even prevent ASO cannibalization. The additional plus side is that it helps you make informed decisions about retaining an array of user segments, from high-value customers to those with lower revenue contributions.

User Retention vs. User Acquisition

Let’s clarify something. Just like ASO vs. SEO, retention and user acquisition are not the same. Nevertheless, they are similar, pretty much like cousins.

To retain users, you need to bring them onboard in the first place. But here’s the interesting part. The techniques for acquiring users and the ones for keeping them are like apples and oranges, despite all being slices of the same app success pie.

Acquisition gives you quick wins. Even if in your case this number grows rapidly, it will mean nothing if you fail to make those users stay. As for retention, it comes with lasting profits and sheds light on the app’s general worth, as well as its prospects for success.

That said, a solid mobile growth strategy should work like this.

1. Begin by attracting new users and showering them with a great first impression. Organize a positive onboarding experience, setting them up for success. This first step will empower your users and get them started on the right foot.
2. Now, your task is to retain the newly acquired users. Go the extra mile to prevent them from abandoning your app after just a few uses. This stage can be challenging but offers long-term rewards. A strong retention strategy will transform new users into loyal, long-term customers. This, in its turn, will increase your app’s value and provide a stable source of revenue.

Jeff Bezos once said, ‘We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.’ And that’s where app retention is all about.

We say forget about obsessively chasing fresh faces. These days, retention is the new acquisition. Smart app creators have sipped the wisdom tea and realized that retaining the users they already have is where the party’s at. Not only is it wallet-friendly (chasing newcomers can cost a pretty penny), but it’s also like investing in a timeless classic — your loyal users. They’re like your trusty friends who make your product the talk of the town.

Why Exactly App Retention Must Be Your Top Priority

Did you know that on average, an app loses a whopping 77% of its daily active users within the first 3 days after installation? The lesson here is obvious: master retention if you want to secure your app’s sustained presence, profitability, and LVT.

Retention assists you in evaluating your application’s performance per consumer. In general, a higher retention rate should be your highest priority because your loyal, long-term customers create positive dynamics and monetization opportunities within your product.

This vital parameter is also helpful for figuring out why a certain percentage of your consumers ditch your application, as well as getting the bigger picture of your application’s worldwide performance. Eventually, this information enables you to comprehend the stuff you need to tweak to make your core consumers stay with your brand longer.

Ultimately, the app retention rate gives you an insight into the lifespan of your product. Don’t forget that this parameter alters depending on the niche your product caters to. For instance, users may install a video collage app only when they need it, then take advantage of it, and uninstall it once their collage is ready. This scenario shouldn’t worry you because this pattern is typical for certain industries.

Here’s a brief outline of other perks of a high app retention rate for your business:

• loyal clients will bring their friends;
• happy customers leave positive reviews;
• more returning customers means more money;
• more money equals stable company growth.

With all that said, As Balfour wisely notes, failing to retain your customers is like watching money drain away from your business. Putting all your efforts into acquiring new customers is like putting a band-aid on a broken arm. You should maintain a laser-like focus on customer loyalty. It is your golden ticket to increased monetization opportunities. Customers who are deeply engaged buy 90% more frequently and splurge 60% more with each purchase.

App Retention Saves Your Money

Having thousands of daily installs is fantastic. But what gives you a steady revenue stream and truly helps you grow is focusing on making your app users stay. Considering that throughout the last five years, customer acquisition costs have risen by 60%, acquiring new users is now up to five times more expensive compared to retaining existing customers. We hope these numbers will help you draw data-backed conclusions and make all the right decisions.

How to Calculate App Retention Rate

Calculating a mobile app’s retention rate is paramount for getting to grips with how well your product performs, user engagement- and long-term success-wise. You already know that retention rate measures the number of users who continue to enjoy your app over a given period. It’s, indeed, a powerful indicator of your app’s appeal and stickiness. Here’s a straightforward guide on how to calculate mobile app retention rate.

1. Pinpoint the Period. First and foremost, determine the time period for measuring. Common benchmarks are: Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30, but you can choose any time frame that suits your analysis.
2. Count Your Users. Count the number of users you had at the beginning of your chosen period. These are the users who installed and used your app for the first time during that period.
3. Count Returning Users. After that, count the number of people who continue to use your app during the same period. These are users who opened your app at least once during the particular day, week, or month you’re focused on.
4. Get the Calculation Going. Start by dividing the number of returning users by the number of people who first started using the application. Proceed by multiplying the resulting number by 100 to turn it into a percentage. The formula is as follows: (Returning Users / Initial Users) * 100.

Global research on app retention rates reveals that, on the first day, the average app retention rate across 31 mobile app categories stands at 25.3%, but by the 30th day, it drops to just 5.7%.

In simple terms, that’s pretty much everything you need to know about app retention rate formula. It’s not too hard, but it’s very potent, just like your mobile app rankings. With the right tools, getting to grips with sorting it out will be a cakewalk. Learning how to measure retention is vital, for it will aid you in building meaningful relationships with your existing clients and securing their regular comebacks and further purchases. Read on for some major mobile app retention benchmarks and specificities.

What Is a Good App Retention Rate?

Let’s start with a simple truth. No app can retain every single person who installs it.

As a marketer, you should not aim at retaining your every app downloader. Alas, users will come and go, which is absolutely natural. Your mission here is to provide an onboarding and overall user experience that secures a positive impression to retain a certain percentage of each month’s new users. This will allow your app to grow steadily and consistently.

So what is a good retention rate for an app? Let’s crunch some numbers. According to an Adjust study that explored an array of sectors, on Day 1, Android and iOS users showed a solid 26% retention rate. As the days unfolded, Android dropped to 11%, while iOS gracefully settled at 12% on Day 7. By Day 30, both were dancing to the same tune at 6%. Statista supports these findings, by the way. Their extensive global research indicates that on Day 1, users were embracing the performance at 25.3%, yet by Day 30, the audience dwindled gracefully to 5.7%.

So, what’s the underlying wisdom from these numbers? What’s a good retention rate for app usage? In short, if you can retain about a quarter of your users on Day 1, you’re in a favorable position. But the complete answer is a bit more complex and subject to variables. Remember that app categories vary. Take news apps, for instance. They often shine with an impressive Day 1 retention rate of about 33.1%, well above the norm. In addition to this, there are differences in user retention between Android and iOS, where iOS has a slight upper hand.

Long story short, you need to analyze a multitude of factors before concluding whether your app is performing good or bad, retention-wise. That additionally involves analyzing your competition with Asolytics’ Competitors tool. It will help you figure out what they are doing that you aren’t. All of this is going to take time and patience, that’s a given. But the results will be immensely rewarding. Now, let’s take a look at the best practices for improving your app’s retention rate.

Use the Competitors tool in Asolytics to find all the similar apps in your niche

Mobile App Retention Specifics Across Categories

Mobile app retention rates vary significantly depending on a category. This reflects the unique dynamics and user behaviors associated with each type of app. Understanding these nuances is very important for app developers and marketers on the prowl for increased user engagement and retention. Below, we explore retention specifics across three popular categories: game apps, dating apps, and fitness apps.

1. Game app retention rate
   Due to their entertaining nature, game apps often initially come with a relatively high user engagement. But keeping users interested can be challenging over time. The game app retention rate usually sharply decreases within the first week of gaming. Many users experiment with new games but lose interest speedily. That results in early drop-offs.
   
   Naturally, game app devs want to tackle this tendency. To keep their users engaged no matter what, they release regular updates, organize in-app events, and introduce rewards. Building strong online communities around the game can also improve retention rates. It takes competition and social interactions to a brand new level.
2. Dating app retention rate
   Dating apps boast a nothing-like-anything retention pattern. In contrast to mobile gaming apps, the audience of dating apps is slowly looking around at first. They are not so active throughout the initial stages of app usage. But they do get into the habit of using a dating app when they start meeting interesting people via it. Similar to the acquisition, the loss of users is not rapid when it comes to mobile dating apps. The reason is simple: people want to keep looking for love.
   
   Our experts have provided some useful tips for bolstering your dating app’s retention rate. Start with providing your audience with top-level profile adjustment features. When your users fill out their profiles, they feel invested and connected to your brand. This is guaranteed to contribute to their satisfaction — and stimulate them to communicate even more. Remember that the higher the quality of communication your dating app offers, the higher its retention rate.
3. Fitness app retention rate
   Fitness apps attract people because of their promise to improve health and get you in shape. These apps are popular and usually boast high retention rates. Just like with mobile dating apps, at first, fitness apps users may show slow engagement. But when they develop a habit of using workout routines from these apps and when they start seeing the result, they begin using fitness apps more actively.
   
   To boost user retention, our experts recommend the following approach. Make sure your app sends your users regular reminders and workout plans. The app should come with state-of-the-art tracking features. All of this is guaranteed to create a sense of community and generally take your user retention to a brand new level.

3 Main Stages of App Retention

The first stage of user retention is onboarding and value discovering. That’s when a user learns to use your app and gets the feel of its value. We don’t want to stress you out, but losing users during onboarding may lead to a potentially bumpy road ahead. To succeed in user retention during onboarding, follow these steps:

1. Prepare a really good user interface.
2. Grant users a solid reason to give your product a try.
3. Pack the app with top-notch features that make it truly shine
4. Make the resulting product reflect your initial purpose.

Habit formation is the second stage of user retention. Let’s imagine you’ve successfully won users over during onboarding. Now is the best time to stimulate them to integrate your app into their everyday lives. Here’s what will help you on your way to effective user habit formation:

• in-app messages;
• push notifications;
• resultative engagement strategies.

Now that you’ve successfully gone through the first two stages of user retention, you’ve automatically switched to the third one — you’ve transformed users into current users.They’re devoted to your app and use it on a regular basis. However, remember that loyalty alone won’t make users yours forever. For a maximized effect, focus on regular app updates and interface polishing. Last but not least, don’t forget to reap perks from user feedback to provide exceptional value 24/7.

How to Boost App Retention Rate: 10 Best Practices

Now that you’ve explored the stages of app retention, let’s switch to the best practices for bolstering your app retention rate. Enjoy.

1. Master the art of User Acquisition and User Experience
   Learning how to retain users begins with learning how to attract them, as well as how to deliver stellar user experience. Don’t expect too much from your users after they install your app. Yet remember to focus on their convenience and always keep your promises. The connection is obvious: when users love your app, they become your loyal customers and enjoy your product’s LTV.
2. Offer a buttery-smooth onboarding experience
   Before you even start looking into long-term retention strategies, you need to go the extra mile to win the Day 1 retention game. Because if everyone drops out on Day 1 because of a daunting onboarding experience, you won’t have anyone left to retain. That said, offer intuitive onboarding experiences that instantly demonstrate your product’s value. It will help you retain as many of your newly acquired users as possible.
3. Use in-app messages
   Your users receive your in-app messages when they are inside your app. Make the most of this fine tool to aid your app users in moving through the onboarding. If properly implemented, in-app messages boost retention by 30%.
4. Benefit from push notifications
   When your users are outside your app, you can engage them via push notifications. This won’t be easy, because you’re not the only one who’s competing for your users’ attention with this smart move. To succeed in this aspect, personalize your notifications and make them convey a compelling message.
5. Utilize deep links
   Turn to deep linking throughout your user acquisition campaigns. Organize a seamless onboarding process for the purpose of taking users directly to their most preferred content. Your major goal here is to improve the customer experience, taking the user from the ad to installation and conversion with maximum ease and convenience.
6. Enhance your app’s value
   Why do people download your app? Because they find it valuable. Because your app offers a solid solution to their problem. That said, to boost your retention rate, you need to communicate your application’s value at every stage. And that’s where in-app messages and push notifications will be of great help. Every new feature you launch should emphasize your app’s overall value and usefulness.
7. Make users form a habit around your product
   To do it, analyze what your app users are used to doing on a regular basis. After that, transfer a similar experience via engagement hooks. If you manage to form a habit of using your app in your audience, they will no longer think about whether or not they should start it. They’ll just do it. Strong user habits will help you stand out from the competition and survive occasional market turbulence.
8. Learn to use engagement hooks
   Build every action you want your audience to take with the engagement hook’s lifecycle in mind. Start with a trigger. It’s what’s going to stimulate users to complete the needed action. Then the action itself will take place in expectation of a reward. As a matter of fact, it’s the reward that attracts your app users in the first place. The hook loop then closes with investment which then initiates the next trigger and kickstarts the cycle anew.
9. Practice customization
   Your app audience loves an individual approach. They want their interactions adjusted to their needs, location, and in-app behavior patterns. According to a recent study, personalized in-app and push notifications perform a lot better than nameless messages.
10. Master the art of predictive analytics
    If you manage to understand which of your users run the risk of churning, you can opt for the right strategies to save them. Make the most of Predictive App Marketing in order to develop potent messaging campaigns to bring those unstable users back.
11. Let data be your guiding light
    With a solid app marketing platform at your fingertips, you get the insights you need to understand how well you are retaining users, as well as how effective your marketing campaigns are. Data-backed decisions will improve your communication with users and ultimately skyrocket your retention rate to stardom.

8 More Tips on Improving Your App Retention Rate

Are you striving to get the gist of how to increase app retention in your case? Below, you’ll find some useful recommendations on the topic.

1. Adapt your product functionality to suit your core consumers. A uniform approach is no longer sufficient. There’s a slew of methods to grab your audience’s attention and maintain it long-term. Start with segmenting users if you want to succeed in this aspect.
2. Determine annoying issues or glitches. Improve the situation and offer your consumers smoother functionality in comparison with your competition. For instance, if your mobile game has graphics bugs, eliminate them and work up more exciting gameplay than your competition.
3. Make use of split testing. This is an excellent technique of pinpointing your consumers’ preferences in terms of both your app design and functionality. As a result, your power to retain customers gets a significant boost. Test and analyze your app nonstop with Asolytics’ fantastic features.
4. Practice attention to every detail. Is your app confusing from the very start? Then chances are its users will ditch it right after the installation. Enhance your product’s usability, streamline its navigation, polish the layout, and perfect its content.
5. Practice re-engagement: utilize alternative channels to draw your consumers’ attention to your app. This can be achieved via email, social media accounts, and paid ads.
6. Seek customer feedback via user interviews, surveys, usability testing. That way, you will know exactly what to do to enhance your application functionality and thus boost customer satisfaction.
7. Share excellent content with your consumers. Many people make purchases from businesses that are willing to enlighten their clients. So, if you generate high-quality educational content on a regular basis, chances are you’ll retain your loyal users long-term. As a matter of fact, you can easily notice that some of the best mobile brands out there utilize this particular recommendation for making their clients come back for more of the perks they offer.
8. Show your audience how much you appreciate them. Reward them generously for their continuous devotion. Offer temporary discounts or prizes to people who’ve been staying with your brand long-term.

To track and analyze your mobile game, use Analyze App Asolytics tools

To cut a long story short, there are some potentially very effective mobile app retention strategies to make use of. Approach this issue wisely if you’re on a mission to put your consumers first, improve your app KPI, gradually readjust your marketing strategy, and ultimately skyrocket your business aspirations to stardom.

To Sum Up: Work on Your App Nonstop

You can’t increase the number of your loyal consumers overnight. But if you are ready to work on it daily, constantly educate yourself on the topic, learn from the best, experiment a lot, as well as implement the aforementioned strategies in the smartest way possible, then you are bound to succeed.

To gently stimulate your audience to stick with your brand longer, you should know their needs inside out. Determine what they want and need, as well as where their pain points lie. Figure out how to exceed their expectations and sweep them off their feed. Build trust. Establish trust-based contact. Ask for feedback and reviews. Convince them that you appreciate their loyalty greatly.

Utilize the best tools to keep up with the market’s newest trends. Turn to Asolytics if you’re on the prowl for an all-in-one app assessment and analysis platform. Use our Guide on In-App Purchases and Subscriptions. We are here to aid you in keeping each and every paying client you acquire and thus increasing your revenue.

FAQ

1. You need an ASO strategy to follow. Before you set off on your exciting journey of exploration around the world of app store optimization (ASO), it is wise to equip yourself with a well-planned strategy, which will be your roadmap to increasing app visibility and driving more downloads. It will show you clear direction, help you set priorities right, and keep you accountable and motivated. It will also clearly outline the key focus points and desired milestones, as well as consider factors like target audience, competition analysis, keyword research, and branding. In simple words, a good ASO strategy will tell you where you need to go, how to get there, and what to do along the way.
2. You need to optimize the app for an app store (this is what our checklist is for).
   At the core of any ASO effort, there is always optimization of your product for app stores. This step involves a few critical tasks aimed at enhancing your app’s visibility within the platforms it is promoted on. These tasks range from simple keyword optimization in the title and description to creating eye-catching app icons and screenshots. It is done to help your app rank higher in search results, thus appearing and appealing to more potential users. Skipping or not prioritizing ASO is a path to failure. More about this essential step will be covered later in this article.
3. You need to understand your app KPIs and be ready to revise your strategy (ASO audit). Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) play a vital role in determining the success or underperformance of your app within app stores. Optimizing your app once and then sitting idly by waiting for a miracle to happen is naive – you need to continually monitor and analyze your app’s performance, tracking various metrics such as app downloads, user retention, engagement, conversion rates, and revenue generation and tweaking as needed to keep your app on the right path. Compiling a comprehensive aso checklist and performing a thorough ASO audit is crucial, as, if done correctly, it will help you identify areas for improvement and fine-tune your ASO strategy accordingly.

In this article, we will focus on the second step, the one about optimizing your app for an app store. Thus, we’ll share a brief and comprehensive checklist for app store optimization from the mobile app marketing best practices.

After getting acquainted with the checklist, you can move further in our Asolytics ASO Academy. We have prepared detailed guides on how to provide app optimization for every checklist step.

It’s Not Just Optimization: ASO Strategy and App KPIs

App optimization is just one of the things you’ll have to deal with. Before we share the checklist with you, we want to be sure that you understand the importance of ASO strategy and app KPIs analysis.

Implementing an ASO strategy means that you gather and analyze data about the category your app fits, data about your competitors, establish deadlines, etc. Strategy is not only about text and visuals optimization, but also a business plan for your app. You choose how to manage app promotion according to the result you want to achieve and your possibilities. Building an ASO strategy is the first step before launching an app. It combines a research stage plus planning, which is common for any project and pretty much any business.

10 Compelling Reasons Why Your App Needs ASO And a Good Strategy to Go With It

If you are still not sure about the importance of ASO or do not think your app or game needs it, just take a look at these top 10 benefits of a well-executed ASO strategy:

1. More visibility perfectly optimized and meticulously conducted ASO can boost your app’s visibility sky-high in app stores, making it much more likely to be discovered and downloaded by potential users.
2. Improved search rankings by doing as little as optimizing your keywords in the app’s title and description, you can set your product for huge app store success, helping it rank higher in search results and increasing its chances of being noticed.
3. Better user acquisition ASO helps attract more organic and high-quality users, i.e., those who are genuinely interested in what you are offering and have every intention to download and possibly even pay for it. This often reduces the need for expensive marketing campaigns.
4. Enhanced user retention when users can find real value in your product and have their expectations met without any deception, they are more likely to stay and actively use your app, which, in turn, boosts user retention. ASO helps this by increasing your app’s visibility and setting it up to connect with the right target audience.
5. Competitive edge part of effective ASO is following and analyzing your competitors’ strategies and tactics. Understanding their successes and learning from their mistakes will give you the necessary knowledge and insights to position your product more competitively.
6. Higher conversion rates a well-optimized app page containing compelling visuals and skillfully crafted descriptions leads to higher download and conversion rates. For example, using screenshots and videos that demonstrate the app’s features can convince users to install your product.
7. Greater revenue for the developer a successful ASO strategy can boost downloads, resulting in higher revenue for developers. For mobile game makers, optimizing their in-app purchase ASO is an especially valuable tactic that can lead to more in-game sales and greater user satisfaction.
8. More cost-effective marketing while marketing methods such as paid advertising, email campaigns, press releases, professional reviews, and referral programs are effective for attracting users to your product, they can also be very expensive. ASO can reduce your ad spend by improving your app’s visibility and inviting organic traffic.
9. Truthful and valuable user feedback ASO can help app developers collect valuable insights from user reviews and ratings, which allows them to make informed and well-reasoned improvements to their products.
10. Quick adaptation to trends monitoring the changes in the trends and algorithms of the app store where your product is offered will help your app stay relevant and continue to attract new users. For example, adjusting your app to be compatible with OS updates will allow it to remain accessible to users.

With a well-planned ASO strategy, these benefits work together to boost your app’s popularity, user satisfaction, and overall success. They can be effectively measured through KPIs, like higher ratings, increased downloads and conversions, and more positive user reviews.

And what are the indicators of your ASO strategy working?

Your app appears higher in the app store’s search rankings.

• The app is being installed due to its popularity.
• The bounce and churn rates for your app decrease.
• You get more good reviews and better ratings.
• You notice an increase in how long user sessions last.
• You gain as much income as you had planned.

Still, app success can be measured by its KPIs in the app store. To understand if the app is visible enough, you need to estimate its popularity indicators. We described them extensively in the Academy’s guide. However, we will gladly give you a short recap below. Remember that monitoring app KPIs helps you to correct your strategy.

To make your app successful, always mind the following seven KPIs that affect how it performs in the app store and how many users see it. By closely tracking these metrics, you will be poised to make informed decisions and improve your product’s performance:

• Keyword rankings: indicates where your app appears in search results for the keywords you are targeting. The more keywords your product ranks for, the greater its visibility.

Get data out how an app is ranked with particular keywords using the Ranking keyword tool

• Category rankings: provides insights into your app’s position in specific category rankings.
• Similar or related apps: lets you compare the effectiveness of your ASO efforts to your closest competitors.

Use the Competitors tool in Asolytics to find all the similar apps in your niche

• Top chart positions: allows you to see how your keyword metrics, conversion rates, and user reviews change when your product makes it into the top charts.
• “Featured”: getting featured on the app store’s home page drives much traffic to the product page, so it is one of the most important KPIs to measure.
• Visibility score: shows how your app’s visibility compares to similar apps by considering the number and volume of keywords it ranks for.

Track your app’s visibility score using the Dashboard

• Keyword impact: reveals the impact of keyword updates on your app’s organic downloads. It provides information that helps you target the most valuable keywords, thus increasing installations of your product.

To learn more about the significance of each of these KPIs and understand how they benefit developers, please visit our dedicated Asolytics Academy page, where we provide comprehensive insights and expert guidance on app store visibility improvement and ASO in general.

If you are managing an app, your number one goal is to make it more visible. Your business area is not a physical market, it’s an online store: App Store vs. Google Play. These two platforms have differences, rules, and limitations. That’s why following their rules is the best way to increase your app visibility. And the more precise you are, the bigger audience you get. At our Academy, we prepared guides both for App Store and Google Play. You can immediately start by learning the difference between Google Play and App Store app ranking.

Nobody knows all the algorithm features of App Store and Google Store. Still, app developers have enough official information or insights from their experience to manage app promotion in the app stores. This is what ASO specialists do.

Do you need ASO specialists to manage your app in 2022?
ASO has been developing fast for the last few years. Now you can delegate your app management to services or make it by yourself with the ASO tools that some platforms provide. Both options are good.

You should know that the app can be managed by a small team or only by yourself using tools for that. There is no critical need to delegate this — Asolytics Team

Just remember that every step should be considered:

• ASO strategy
• App optimization
• App KPIs audit

Now you are ready to learn what things make up an app optimization. Follow these checklist points to see what work you should do to boost your app.

App Optimization Checklist:

The world of app stores is super crowded, the competition is cutthroat, and your product is just one of the 3.5M apps in Google Play and nearly 2M apps in the Apple App Store. So, how do you get your app noticed and downloaded? That is the question aspiring app developers keep asking themselves when they launch their products on one of these two digital marketplaces. Luckily, the answer is right there, and it is called App Store Optimization (ASO).

A thoroughly planned and well-executed ASO campaign is something that can give your app a competitive edge within busy Google Play and Apple App Store markets and set it up for incredible success. When armed with the right strategies, you can make sure your app gets the attention it deserves.

As mentioned earlier, the first step in your ASO journey should be creating a comprehensive and actionable ASO checklist that will show you the direction to move in and the priorities to focus on.
Never done that before and are clueless as to where to start? That is OK – we have got you covered! Follow these simple yet powerful ASO checklist creation tips to boost your app’s visibility, engage more users, and achieve fantastic success:

1. Optimize texts for your app

1.1. Look for the keywords for your app.
1.2. Use these keywords for the title and subtitle, short and long descriptions.

Why? It can increase your app visibility due to the metadata indexation which Google Play and App Store use. This is similar to SEO actions, though we deal with the app stores but not with the browser search engine.

When? It is best to implement this step during the initial launch and then repeat it regularly whenever you update your app’s information.

How? Conduct in-depth keyword research and strategically place them in your app’s title, subtitle, and descriptions. Asolytics keyword research and analysis tools, as well as the platform’s own data-driven insights, will help you pinpoint the most relevant and best-converting keywords with which you can target the right audience.

What not to do? Avoid the temptation to stuff as many keywords as you can think of or use irrelevant terms that sound nice but do not fully reflect your app’s functionalities. Misleading your potential users with keywords that do not apply to your product is a sure way to lose them forever.

Note: Google Play doesn’t have a subtitle block while App Store does. Moreover, App Store has a separate field for the keywords. Thus, here is the first thing to consider when making ASO: Google Play and App Store differ. Read these guides to learn how to ASO keyword research and use them for apps in Google Play or App Store.

2. Optimize visuals for your app

2.1. Create app preview videos, appealing icons, and screenshots.
2.2. Test them to know if they work.

Why? First, app stores have requirements for the visual elements, so you better follow them. Second, effective visuals attract users and make them install the app.

When? Prioritize this during the app development phase and implement simultaneously with keyword optimization. Make sure you periodically refresh your visual content to keep your users engaged.

How? Create engaging app preview videos, appealing icons, and screenshots that comply with the specific guidelines of each app store. Never include misleading or false information about your product in your visual creatives to avoid harming your app’s credibility and driving away users.

What not to do? Also, avoid using low-resolution images or visuals that misrepresent your app’s features or functionalities. The crisp quality of your creatives is essential to leave a positive impression on potential users and persuade them to give your product a try.

Note: This is where Google Play and App Store have a little bit different requirements too. To learn how to work with visuals, read guides for the Google Store and App Store. Also, we recommend you implement a simple A/B test icon for the app’s visuals.

3. Use different localizations for your app

Do you know that you can localize your app in more than one country? In turn, it means that you can use more specific keywords in different languages. Different localizations can broaden your audience, and, thus, more people all over the world will see your app.

To find out how to localize an app in the app store, read the guide for Google Play or App Store.

Why? Implementing different localizations helps expand your app’s reach. By using region-specific keywords in multiple languages, you will be able to attract a diverse global audience.

When? Make localization a vital part of your expansion strategy. It is wise to consider localizing your app for different regions when entering new markets.

How? Explore ASO localization options available within the app store and strictly follow the specific guidelines provided for Google Play and the Apple App Store. A thorough keyword research and analysis is once again at the heart of it all.

What not to do? The worst mistakes a developer can make when localizing their app store content for other markets include forgetting that the same text can take up a different amount of space in different languages, not maintaining consistency in terms, neglecting the importance of cultural imagery, not converting time, date, and currency formats.

Note: Pay attention to the specific guidelines and language nuances provided by both Google Play and the App Store to create a well-adapted and culturally sensitive localization experience for your users.

4. Analyze your app KPIs

We have already mentioned that analyzing app KPIs is one of the ASO tasks besides app optimization and ASO strategy. There are several indexes that can tell how well is your app adapted for the app store, including texts, visuals, conversion rate, etc.

If you want to learn what app KPIs matter and what they say about your app store optimization, check out How to Measure ASO: App KPI In-Depth Guide.

Why? Monitoring your app’s key performance indicators (KPIs) provides valuable insights into how your product is doing in the app store and highlights the areas that need improvement.

When? KPI tracking should be performed at every stage of the app’s lifecycle within the app store. From the initial launch to subsequent updates – every tiny change made to your app needs to be tracked. The more mature your product gets and the more weight it gains within the chosen marketplace, the more metrics are to be followed and assessed.

How? Use analytics tools to measure KPIs accurately and employ data-driven strategies for effective optimization.

What not to do? Do not concentrate solely on one performance indicator, even if you think it is the most important of them all. There are dozens of metrics that can be very effective in helping you understand your app’s performance and how it impacts the overall user experience.

Note: Leverage only data analytics tools that align with Google Play and App Store guidelines for accurate assessment.

5. Manage reviews and ratings of your app

Read this guide to start managing app store ratings and reviews properly. To see what apps make top in your category, go to app ranking stats.

Why? Taking due care of your app’s app store ratings and reviews helps build a good image for your product and your brand and keeps users more engaged.

When? Always. Make it your constant, never-changing priority to deal with user feedback quickly and efficiently to keep your app’s reputation positive.

How? Create a well-thought-out plan that details your approach to handling reviews, addressing user concerns, and encouraging positive feedback. Allocate sufficient resources toward the effective realization of that plan and remain flexible and adaptable to evolving user needs and preferences.

What not to do? It is simple: do not ignore user feedback, do not respond in a defensive manner to negative comments, and never criticize your users for not liking your product. Instead, consider it a valuable opportunity to tap into meaningful insights and improve your app’s overall user experience.

Note: Analyze Google Play and Apple App Store’s top-ranking apps in your category to see how they manage user feedback and reviews.

FAQ

Let us now quickly sum up what we have already learned about App Store Optimization (ASO) and the importance of creating an effective and comprehensive aso audit checklist before launching your app within one of the major mobile app marketplaces like Google Play or Apple App Store.

5 Steps to Get What You Want From Your App

Launching a mobile app is a startup that needs your regular attention. It would be a pity if your app idea is great and might be selling, but you are not prepared technically to manage this app. That’s why we created an Academy with up-to-dare mobile app optimization techniques to help you learn how to do it. And if you are working out an app idea, then the article about how to sell an app idea may be useful for you.

An efficient ASO growth strategy includes a selection of tactics and routines that, if implemented wisely, will lead you to comprehensive marketing possibilities and ultimately help boost your app installs. Here’s a brief outline of what successful ASO strategies actually entail:

• exploring your target audience;
• thorough keyword refinement;
• in-depth competitor analysis;
• implementing a hypothesis-backed ASO approach;
• your app store creatives adjustment;
• extensive split testing with lots of insights and conclusions in the long run.

So, are you ready to delve into how to get your application recognized? Looking for in-depth answers to your ‘How does App Store Optimization work?’ question? Then, without further ado, let’s cover the basics of each of the aforementioned ASO elements — that easily transform into a straightforward manual for you to follow.

Create a Winning ASO Growth Strategy

If you strive to stand out among millions of apps already present on the scene, as well as grow your app user base in a scalable manner, mastering App Store Optimization is paramount. In this section, we’ll cover some of the major app strategies and tactics to implement for enhancing your app’s visibility within the major app selling platforms, as well as converting your app store traffic into precious installations. To effectively measure ASO performance, it’s crucial to track metrics such as conversion rates and keyword rankings to understand how well your strategy is working.

1. Explore Your Target Audience Non-Stop

A slew of mobile business owners fail to create a successful app marketing strategy because they haven’t analyzed their target audience. Make sure you start by singling out your target category prior to working on your app boosting plan, let alone putting your ASO tactics through their paces.

Identify a particular category of users that your application caters to. To form a target profile with maximum accuracy, find answers to questions like:

• How old are your users?
• Are they mostly men or women — or both?
• What is their education and cultural background?
• What’s their country of residence?

Once you are through with this task, you will see through your potential users’ needs on a deeper level and thus, be able to create a winning ASO growth strategy with your app users in mind. With that said, having analyzed your target customer group, you will most likely succeed in selecting a killer app name, writing app description and keywords, as well as picking the icon, making preview vids, etc.

Bear in mind that identifying your target client group is not exactly a one-off task. Your app user base is an ever-changing digital substance, which means people that fancy your product today may differ from people who will enjoy using it in a year. Similar to conventional optimization efforts, your ASO practices will alter with the flow of the market. So, just continue testing and evolving along with your niche.

2. Optimize Keywords Without Overrating the Process

If the only thing that pops up in your mind when someone mentions ASO is keyword optimization, then you should definitely do your homework in terms of this concept. Absolutely, refining the keywords you utilize in your product’s metadata is of the highest importance. It aids you in achieving higher positions in the app store search results and, therefore, drives organic traffic to your product. However, this tactic is just one component out of many on your ASO agenda.

Remember that keywords and creatives (the latter suggests your application’s preview vids, icon, and screenshots) are best friends. So, explore and put to use the most vital words and phrases that drive potential users to your application. Appealing creatives that show up on the search results page are sure to additionally boost your tap-through rate (TTR) and enhance your conversion, too. With all that in mind (and in use), you will get a higher ranking for particular key terms in Android or iOS app store search results. As you can see, it’s all interconnected.

Additionally, it’s your app downloads, not the number of page hoppers, that matter. Therefore, we recommend that you focus on app marketing strategies that lead to quality installs. To achieve that, testing your app store creatives is a must-do.

3. Practice Hypothesis-Backed ASO

Hypothesizing on the mixture of creatives and messaging will bring the highest number of installs. Without practicing smart hypothesis testing, you run the risk of investing your money in the wrong strategies or facing some unpredictable difficulties.

A smart hypothesis is a certain affirmation that can be verified or contradicted and should be utilized as the foundation for all your future analysis. Always remember that solid hypotheses are forthright and created with the purpose of learning as much about your product users as possible. There are specific ways to measure whether your strategy is effective. To estimate the strategy, you can rely on ASO KPIs.

Focus on thinking outside the box, research extensively, and make the most of all the details you can lay your fingertips on in order to pinpoint the ideas that may resonate with your potential users’ way of thinking. Start forming categories of ideas for testing only after you’re through with this analysis.

Here are some vital steps to take if you’re aimed at mastering hypothesis-based optimization:

• conduct an ASO audit of your competition: analyze the creative assets utilized within your niche category in the leading app stores, let the process become your source of inspiration and the possibility to discover some valuable insights;
• pay attention to what your application users say in their reviews and overall feedback: that way, you will determine what attracts people to your product and what drives them away;
• figure out which functions of your application its users enjoy the most;
• determine the type of ads that were a success in your case, think over the ‘whys’ and let it help you choose the best direction for further endeavors;
• if you were given up to five seconds to stimulate a certain user emotion or let them in on your app’s best perk, how would your message sound?

4. Polish Your App Store Creatives

Did you know that app store creatives are paramount for boosting your app usage statistics? As a matter of fact, you can significantly increase your revenue just by improving these seemingly minor details! Not sure how to sort the whole thing out? Here are some points for you to take into account:

• you have up to 7 seconds to win the fight against your visitors’ very short attention span: they will not watch your video until the end, study the screenshots, or make a logic-based decision. As a matter of fact, over 50% of people install apps without even taking a closer look at the info pages. With that said, focus mainly on the creatives in your First Impression Frame and make them as powerful and engaging as you can;
• avoid confusing or annoying your potential app users: do not overstuff your app page with too much information, for that will drive people away;
• ask people’s opinions: the fact that you know your application very well may prevent you from explaining its main value the best way possible.

We recommend discussing your creatives and messaging with people who are unaware of your application. If they succeed in understanding why your product is excellent based on the data you provide, then you’ve chosen the right path.

5. Understand the Significance of Split Testing

ASO A/B testing, which is also commonly referred to as split/bucket testing, is when two or more versions of a web page get compared against one another for the purpose of identifying the highest-performing one. In other words, it’s an experiment.

During that experiment, several versions of a page are displayed randomly to people who have no idea that they are participating in some sort of testing. Because the users act naturally when browsing through the pages, you get to identify their genuine interest and i.e., make some really important ASO-bolstering conclusions.

Although split testing is mostly aimed at enhancing conversion rates, its advantages in terms of helping you master your ASO are enormous. The whole experiment aids you in evaluating your audience groups and measuring the degree of user engagement, as well as in analyzing the efficiency of new traffic channels. Wondering if you should make a positive change in how you position your product? By eliminating the guesswork from your ASO approach, A/B testing will give you all the needed answers.

6. Accept the Cyclic Nature of ASO

You’ve run all the tests and have all the required data on hand, so what’s next? Now’s the time to focus on the key component i.e., how you will translate the data into a vision that will further lead your way. In this respect, it’s crucial to always remember that your niche, your competitor companies, and consumers are in the constant process of evolution. Therefore, to arrive at correct post-experiment guiding conclusions, never stop creating new hypotheses and using them to your advantage. After all, it’s the ASO Cycle of Life.

The Bottom Line: Experiment. Implement. Monitor. Repeat

ASO app store search optimization is a long-term process. Once the changes you’ve made are available, go the extra mile to keep track of the results. Has your app performance improved? Has the number of installs increased? What about the freshest user reviews? Are they mostly positive or the other way round? Monitor like a pro and make conclusions (as well as further adjustments) accordingly. Once you gain enough experience in this, you will excel in maintaining a broad bird’s-eye perspective on what tactics to implement next for maximizing your product’s growth.

At the end of the day, a worthy app optimization strategy is more than just a one-off CRV-boosting attempt. Instead, it implies developing a solid plan structure that will work to your benefit for years. With a better understanding of ASO in general and app store ranking algorithm in particular, your product will be positioned in front of the right target customer, while your chances to succeed in the app stores will significantly increase.

Feel free to contact us in case you need any assistance in your ASO efforts. We’re always delighted to lend you a helping hand and more ASO guiding tips. ASO does come with a steep learning curve. But with our expert tips and cutting edge mobile marketing tools at your fingertips, you are bound to succeed in maximizing your app expansion endeavors.