App Store SEO
how to make organic traffic
sell your iPhone apps


                                                             m p
                                                      ho
                                              or a . C e !
                                             f .k t
                                          e d a da
                                      v is 12 up
                                    re 0 ne
                                        2 ngi
                                    ne h e
                                 J u rc
by AppCod.es
                             4 th se a
sept. 2012                  2
AppCod.es

Two ways to promote your app



PR + Marketing                    App Store SEO

- expensive                       + easier to do

- very time consuming             + immediate results

+ the only way to get to Top#25   - won’t bring you to even the Top#1000, but

                                  + can bring in a decent income

                                  + good for indie devs & niche apps
AppCod.es

Example - what we did




          - better reviews
          - iPad version (+50%)
          - better name, keywords
AppCod.es

iTunesConnect - what matters for SEO



                                app name




                               keywords
                               (max 100 chars)
AppCod.es

Keyword appearance           search position
                     vs.

                Search results are ordered more
                or less by the popularity.


                app description doesn’t matter


                update dates seem to not matter


                reviews seem to not matter


                in-app purchase names matter very little
AppCod.es

Trick #1 - plural forms


                          After the recent update
                          Apple handles plural forms
                          very well.

                          So, if you’re short on characters
                          use singular forms, you’ll get
                          just a slight disadvantage
AppCod.es

 Trick #2 - articles & prepositions
 These words are ignored in search, no need
 to put them into the keywords:
 “a”, “the”, “and”


  Trick #3 - publisher name
  You can mix publisher name and a title.
  You cannot mix publisher name and the keywords
  E.g.
  Publisher name: “Motivapps”           search for:
                                                                 will work
  App name: “Love letters”              “Motivapps Love Letters”
  Keywords: “Romantic Poems”            “Motivapps Romantic Poems” won’t work

i.e. it makes sense to add your publisher name to your keywords if you’ve got a strong brand.
AppCod.es

By the way. What’s important for sales

1. nice icon


2. descriptive name
                                     Motivapps
                                     Love Letter Writing...
3. good reviews                                  29 Ratings




if your app is good on these three
things then people will check out
other details, like description,
screenshots etc.
AppCod.es

One of our apps
 1. before
             Motivapps
             Tête à Tête
             No Rankings




 2. after
             Motivapps
             Love Letter Writing...
                           9 Ratings




 exercise: compare the differences.
AppCod.es

How to build a good SEO position
 1. figure out the phrases people might be using in search

 for example in one of our apps:
 - goal setting
 - goal tracking
 - goals setting
 - goals tracking
 - habits
 - habit breaking
 - career
 ...
 Use thesaurus & Google adword keyword tool for
 inspiration. Also - check your competitors’ names for
 hints.

 Also, try out AppCod.es/AppSearch - a free tool for
 finding your competitors’ keywords
AppCod.es

How to build a good SEO position

 2. check out the competition for each phrase

                                           les s th an 25 re su lts       you will make it



                                         less than 100 results
                                                                           you may make it


                                                                      you probably won’t make it,
                                         over 180 results             but perhaps you can use the
                                                                           word in a phrase?
 use AppCod.es tool to get this chart done automatically



3. Decide the app name & app keywords based on this
AppCod.es

How to build a good SEO position
 4. Choose a name for your app




                 in AppCod.es you can use a special marker to find out
                 how much of the app name the user will actually see


5. Choose the keywords (up to 100 chars)




 (in AppCod.es the app automatically counts your char count)
AppCod.es

How to build a good SEO position
 6. If some keywords didn’t fit, note them
 down for future reference




 7. Remember that Apple will review your name/keywords.
 - use only relevant ones (no spamming!)
 - watch out for trademarked phrases
 - you are allowed to repeat the words from the title. it’s not a
 bad idea

 8. Upload to the App Store!
 9. Wait for a review
AppCod.es

In the store?
 10. Check your position for chosen phrases




 find queries that didn’t work,
 replace them with a new ones.

 11. Adjust the app name, and the app keywords
 with the next update (but don’t update just for
 keywords - Apple might not like that)

 12. Keep the users happy and watch the sales grow! :)
AppCod.es

Keep reviewers happy


  - Don’t spam the store


  - Don’t use somebody’s else trademarks


  - Have a relevant name


  - Don’t update just to change keywords
AppCod.es

Final Tips
  - Use AppiRater Plus to ask users to write reviews.
                            https://github.com/MattFoley/AppiraterPlus


  - Occasional free sale is a good way to get more
  users into the app & get more reviews

  - Work on your screenshots. Most people don’t
  read the app description.

  - Games are hard to promote via SEO.

  - Sign up in http://appcod.es/ to track your position
About AppCod.es                                                         AppCod.es

The toolbox for App Store Optimization.
It allows you to easily:
- find good phrases
- fix your keywords & search position
- track your competitors, their press releases etc.
- dispense app promo codes




                                               You may register at http://appcod.es/register
                                                            14-day money back guarantee

App Store SEO tutorial

  • 1.
    App Store SEO howto make organic traffic sell your iPhone apps m p ho or a . C e ! f .k t e d a da v is 12 up re 0 ne 2 ngi ne h e J u rc by AppCod.es 4 th se a sept. 2012 2
  • 2.
    AppCod.es Two ways topromote your app PR + Marketing App Store SEO - expensive + easier to do - very time consuming + immediate results + the only way to get to Top#25 - won’t bring you to even the Top#1000, but + can bring in a decent income + good for indie devs & niche apps
  • 3.
    AppCod.es Example - whatwe did - better reviews - iPad version (+50%) - better name, keywords
  • 4.
    AppCod.es iTunesConnect - whatmatters for SEO app name keywords (max 100 chars)
  • 5.
    AppCod.es Keyword appearance search position vs. Search results are ordered more or less by the popularity. app description doesn’t matter update dates seem to not matter reviews seem to not matter in-app purchase names matter very little
  • 6.
    AppCod.es Trick #1 -plural forms After the recent update Apple handles plural forms very well. So, if you’re short on characters use singular forms, you’ll get just a slight disadvantage
  • 7.
    AppCod.es Trick #2- articles & prepositions These words are ignored in search, no need to put them into the keywords: “a”, “the”, “and” Trick #3 - publisher name You can mix publisher name and a title. You cannot mix publisher name and the keywords E.g. Publisher name: “Motivapps” search for: will work App name: “Love letters” “Motivapps Love Letters” Keywords: “Romantic Poems” “Motivapps Romantic Poems” won’t work i.e. it makes sense to add your publisher name to your keywords if you’ve got a strong brand.
  • 8.
    AppCod.es By the way.What’s important for sales 1. nice icon 2. descriptive name Motivapps Love Letter Writing... 3. good reviews 29 Ratings if your app is good on these three things then people will check out other details, like description, screenshots etc.
  • 9.
    AppCod.es One of ourapps 1. before Motivapps Tête à Tête No Rankings 2. after Motivapps Love Letter Writing... 9 Ratings exercise: compare the differences.
  • 10.
    AppCod.es How to builda good SEO position 1. figure out the phrases people might be using in search for example in one of our apps: - goal setting - goal tracking - goals setting - goals tracking - habits - habit breaking - career ... Use thesaurus & Google adword keyword tool for inspiration. Also - check your competitors’ names for hints. Also, try out AppCod.es/AppSearch - a free tool for finding your competitors’ keywords
  • 11.
    AppCod.es How to builda good SEO position 2. check out the competition for each phrase les s th an 25 re su lts you will make it less than 100 results you may make it you probably won’t make it, over 180 results but perhaps you can use the word in a phrase? use AppCod.es tool to get this chart done automatically 3. Decide the app name & app keywords based on this
  • 12.
    AppCod.es How to builda good SEO position 4. Choose a name for your app in AppCod.es you can use a special marker to find out how much of the app name the user will actually see 5. Choose the keywords (up to 100 chars) (in AppCod.es the app automatically counts your char count)
  • 13.
    AppCod.es How to builda good SEO position 6. If some keywords didn’t fit, note them down for future reference 7. Remember that Apple will review your name/keywords. - use only relevant ones (no spamming!) - watch out for trademarked phrases - you are allowed to repeat the words from the title. it’s not a bad idea 8. Upload to the App Store! 9. Wait for a review
  • 14.
    AppCod.es In the store? 10. Check your position for chosen phrases find queries that didn’t work, replace them with a new ones. 11. Adjust the app name, and the app keywords with the next update (but don’t update just for keywords - Apple might not like that) 12. Keep the users happy and watch the sales grow! :)
  • 15.
    AppCod.es Keep reviewers happy - Don’t spam the store - Don’t use somebody’s else trademarks - Have a relevant name - Don’t update just to change keywords
  • 16.
    AppCod.es Final Tips - Use AppiRater Plus to ask users to write reviews. https://github.com/MattFoley/AppiraterPlus - Occasional free sale is a good way to get more users into the app & get more reviews - Work on your screenshots. Most people don’t read the app description. - Games are hard to promote via SEO. - Sign up in http://appcod.es/ to track your position
  • 17.
    About AppCod.es AppCod.es The toolbox for App Store Optimization. It allows you to easily: - find good phrases - fix your keywords & search position - track your competitors, their press releases etc. - dispense app promo codes You may register at http://appcod.es/register 14-day money back guarantee