App Search Optimization is not exactly the same as App store Optimization in 2022 as almost everything has been changed in App Store Optimization. If you someone asked me “difference between app search optimization and App store Optimization” in 2017 or earlier than surely I will comfortably say that both are same.

Difference between App Search Optimization and App Store Optimization

Now in App Store optimization 2022 we can say that “App Search optimization” is a part of App store optimization (ASO). How to increase the search downloads for an app or game. There are two kind of downloads; 1. Search 2. Explore

Now as our topic is all about App Search Optimization (ASO), where I will share the tactics to increase search downloads although mostly we get very low search downloads as compare to explore downloads.

Google Play App Search Optimization ASO

How to increase search downloads in Google play? This question can be answered from the factors where we can target any keyword like;

1. Title according to  App Search Optimization
2. Short Description App Store Optimization
3. Long Description ASO
4. Google ads search based campaigns
5. Replies of user reviews
6. Search campaigns
7. Contextual backlinks
8. What’s new update text
9. User search queries
10. Graphics

Title According to App Search Optimization

I have written a complete blog post about Android App Title  which you can study there. here we can discuss that search for the best keywords and target less competitive keywords with higher search volume as primary keyword. Remove your keyword, if it’s not working even after 4 weeks. A keyword indexes completely in four weeks, so wait for two or three weeks and then apply new keyword with less difficulty and most searches. Continue this cycle until you get a best traffic keyword that will rank easily.

You can check the sample title of Gamexis they have used keywords very wisely and we can see the keyword phrases.

1. FPS Gun
2. Gun Shooting
3. Shooting Games
4. Games offline

So they are getting enough search downloads because they have targeted all keywords that are possible in a perfect title.

Short Description App Store Optimization (ASO)

Short description is the important factor for keywords targeting and Google changes its search Algorithm multiple times, some times they rank keywords from title, sometimes from short description. Now a days, we can see many games that are ranked on keywords that are in short description.

Google allows 80 character in short description, which is enough to target 3 to 5 keywords very comfortably. I can share a sample of short description.

Folks might be saying that are spamming but believe me that are ranked for all these keywords. We can’t ignore short description for app search optimization. Short description is as much important in App Store Optimization ASO for better conversion rate and keyword downloads in app search optimization.

Google Ads Search based Campaigns for App Search Optimization

Google ads is the backbone to support keywords, but it has different ways. Create a new campaign, write just simple keywords without higher CTR text ideas and run campaign without images and videos. When you would monitor your campaign networks, then most of downloads from search ads, if not then make new ad group with same strategy. Continue this keywords targeting campaign unless you get keywords paid downloads. CPI will be bit high to get base paid downloads but it’s just amazing for app search optimization.

Let me share keywords base paid downloads in Google ads

Google ads Search campaigns

Google ads search campaigns are the next targeting to keywords base clicks to product page on Google play. Create new campaign of without any goal, place ad group with link of your app and put keywords that you want to target. It might be more expensive than UAC campaigns but will help a lot. Put broad match keywords instead of exact match, because we need keywords. In app store optimization 2022 the keywords can’t be ranked without Google ads or massive download from any other source like cross promotions, third party installs and so on.

Replies of user reviews

If you don’t want to change your store listing, then go to reviews and place any keyword in the reply to that user. You can also target localized keywords to other languages reviews. If you have any review in Russian Language then reply in the same language with a translated keyword.

Reviews make a cluster of keywords that indexes till now, so we have the chance of more search downloads with disturbing our main app store optimization.

Contextual backlinks for App Store Optimization 2022

Contextual backlink is the most old method as keyword research, but with the passage of time, ASO folks left it because it impact decreased a lot after Google ads. They have focused on paid downloads more than free downloads and that was the reason everyone moved to Google ads instead of backlinks.

Now in 2022, ASO people again moving to backlinks because it gives some strength to app downloads. Reddit and Qoura are the major platforms for 3rd party traffic.

What’s new update text

What’s new is listed on Google Play app landing screen. We need to write these content very carefully while targeting keywords. What’s new is mostly for conversion rate optimization, but we can also our primary keywords there to get ranked our app store optimization keywords.

Write with some exciting text and let the user to know that what you have brought new with a natural way of keywords targeting to increase search downloads.

User search queries

This is also an old method, where we ask people with keyword and it helps for fastest keyword rank increase. If you can bring 100 downloads for any keyword daily for a 3 weeks, then this keyword will be yours, but this is old story. Now Google crawlers are very mature and then de rank your app/game if couldn’t get downloads continuously. so you need a amazing conversion rate to continuously search downloads after ranking your keyword and enjoy free downloads from search.

Graphics

Google machine learning is enough trained now to understand any object in icon, feature graphics and screenshots. If you can’t target a banned keyword like spiderman, then create graphics that are most like spiderman and check in Google image processing tool that it’s working or not.

you can check all your icons, and screenshots that Google Algorithm is understanding your graphics or not.

Let me summarize the story!