You’ve spent months building the perfect app for your website or business. With the help of your team, you’ve developed a strong understanding of what your customers want from your app.

Also, you know exactly which features are going to help you to stand out from the crowd in a competitive environment.

But there’s still one thing you need before you can really start to leverage your app for success: a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy.

It’s easy for many business leaders in the digital environment to assume that SEO is something they only need to worry about for their website or eCommerce store.

However, your customers still use search engines to find your app, learn more about it, and even discover your business too.

Here are five crucial reasons why you should consider a comprehensive SEO strategy for your app.

Increasing Your Number of Downloads

There are various metrics that companies can measure to determine whether their app is successful or not.

One of the most common KPIs for many organizations is the number of unique downloads the product gets.

If you’re getting a lot of downloads, then you’re also getting a huge number of sales and conversion opportunities too.

SEO can improve the number of potential downloads you can attract by giving you a new way to find customers.

Not only do you improve your chances of customers finding you online when they search for specific terms, but you can increase your reach through backlinks too.

Other businesses and individuals that reference your app will direct people back to your app, helping you to attract customers that you may not have found on your own.

The more credibility you gain through backlinks and SEO rankings, the more likely it is that customers will trust your app as being something they want to have on their phone too.

Just having a solid position on Google could be enough to push your customer off the fence and convince them to hit the download button.

Appearing in App Packs

An app pack is a group of potential apps that Google will automatically suggest to customers when they search for specific phrases online.

These apps appear at the top of the search results, and the packs may include anywhere up to 6 suggestions relevant to the search term.

The great thing about appearing in an app pack is that it makes it seem as though you’re getting a recommendation from Google itself — for people in search of apps just like yours!

Every app in an app pack gets to showcase information like an icon, a rating, a download number, and the name of the app.

Of course, you need to rank well in SEO for a chance to appear in a pack.

Unless you have a great strategy for on-page SEO, and utilize app page optimization, Google won’t take your app seriously, and you’ll fall further down the search results.

With the right SEO solution, on the other hand, you can convince Google that your app is exactly what customers are looking for.

Improving Your Brand Reach on Google Search

Probably the most common reason to invest in an SEO strategy for your app, is that you want to build your presence on the Google search engines.

Despite there being a variety of ways to learn about apps in the current landscape, from social media to app store advertisements, Google is still one of the top options due to the sheer amount of searches it processes every day.

Ultimately, being featured at the top of the Google search results is one of the best things you can do to boost your credibility levels and attract new customers.

With an SEO strategy, you can ensure that you rank for a multitude of keywords that your customers might be searching for so that you can find clients that are most relevant to your brand.

Just because you have other ways to advertise your apps to your marketplace doesn’t mean you should forget to focus on Google.

Remember, a good SEO strategy could even help you to reach customers that are looking for apps with their smart assistants, like Google Home, or Siri.

The more ways your customers have to look for you in the digital world, the better your brand reach will become.

Generating More App Reviews

If customers have something to say about your apps, they’ll want to make sure that their voice is heard.

Usually, this means going online and leaving a review on a reputable site, or even rating your app on Google Search.

With a good SEO strategy implemented, your customers will be able to track down your app easily and leave their feedback.

Although leveraging feedback from your target customers will seem a little daunting at first, as you never know whether it’s going to be all positive, it’s also an important step in brand growth.

Remember, positive reviews will convince your customers that your company is trustworthy and professional.

Such testimonials mean a lot more to your customers than anything you can say about yourself.

Even your negative reviews can come in handy. They show you where you need to work on your app to make it more appealing.

Responding to negative feedback also shows your audience that you’re committed to giving them the best possible experience. This boosts your chances of brand loyalty.

Ranking Higher on App Store Search Results

App store optimization has its own range of processes and methodologies that teams can use to leverage a better position in the store listings.

However, most of the steps required for success are similar to standard SEO.

If you learn how to use things like keywords and customer ratings correctly, you raise your chances that your app will be the first thing your customer sees when looking for something in your category.

Today, the app store result pages are becoming increasingly competitive, as people spend more time on their phones, and apps become more appealing.

However, the right strategy will boost your chances of reaching the top.

Start with a keyword optimization effort that involves researching the kinds of terms your audience is likely to search for online or on the app store.

Knowing which keywords you want to rank for enables you to optimize your description, app name, and even the title you show on the app store.

Optimize those elements well, and you will rank higher in the search results.

Even choosing the right category for your listing can make a world of difference when it comes to helping customers find your app.

Don’t Underestimate App SEO

Optimization efforts aren’t just something you need to think about when trying to make your store or website rank higher.

Whenever you create a digital asset, whether it’s a product page, a blog, or an app, you should always be thinking about how you’re going to optimize it.

The right SEO strategy for your digital app will boost your chances of finding the customers you need to thrive online. You can even measure your results, gather information, and improve your outcomes over time.

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