You finally have your app up on the store, even still 0 reviews, it at least visible on Apple Store and Google Play. Weeks or months passed, your app still sitting quietly there with some downloads but they not gonna open it anyway. Now, the App Store Optimization (ASO) isn’t just about the downloads anymore. Visibility for sure but to keep users engaged with apps more than just simply download based on those spam ads. It should makes users keep coming back for it and moreover, engage with your apps.
Once a time there used to be apps with most downloads where it could easily pop up all the time in search results. As it was based on most downloads more than spending time with the apps (which could easily replicated by making all burner accounts and download the apps to increase the downloads). Now is the day where ASO put into work on this. They care not much on downloads but more onto the real engagements where if users logging in on the apps regularly are much appreciated (that’s one of the reasons where games have those “login rewards”). Let’s think of this like a party where showing up is great, but if everyone leave after five minutes or after finished up drinking just one
With all the concern with download numbers, but the reality about ASO is what the users do after they install. Several things to keep eye on:
All of this factor into getting a better visibility more than the number of downloads.
As AI been the most recent and talk about technology, it’s only a matter of time before machine learning stepping into ASO as well. Expecting a more personalized app experiences where the app store changing based on user’s algorithm. More onto targeted audiences, but on niche market, it could be harder to standout. Staying ahead of the curve could meant such app need to:
In the end, make the app that meant to loved by users and not pump all budgets on advertising just to get downloads or microtransactions. Keep on the quality, fresh updates and regularly patches to turn your apps into the everlasting one.