1. SEO for Apps
+
UpdatedApril 1, 2013
by SearchMan.com 1
Copyright 2011-2012 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.

2. First…Do you know what Apple did last
summer?
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3. In iOS6, “categories” hidden & harder to
access
ios 5: “Categories” in menu “categories” hidd
ios 6:
3
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4. “Categories” also harder to use in iOS 6.
3rd
2nd
1st
In ios-5, only 3 taps needed to access 4
an
Copyright 2011-2012 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.

5. Compare “Categories” in iOS5with iOS6
2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st
In ios-6, five taps needed, Almost 2x as
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6. Genius debuts, “search” stays on main
menu.
X
Old: ios 5 – “Search” New: ios 6 – “Search
6
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7. Search is biggest driver of app
discovery…
Search vs. In-App Ads
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8. Wait. Have we seen this movie before?
Old: ios 5 “categories” New: ios 6 “search”
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9. iOS6 Search: 25 apps/page 1
app/page.
AppStore Search: ios5  ios6
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10. Opportunity: Rank higher…and beat
zynga
 Users likely to search longer kw phrases to get best results
 Competing with zynga on “poker” may get you nowhere
 but competing for less competitive longer kw phrases works
Category
Search Ranking
Ranking
App Games –
"poker
Casino "poker"
casino"
(Top Grossing)
21-in-1 Casino
and Sportsbook #212 #50 #1
as of SepPoker by iphone, US appStore.
23, 2012. Zynga #2 #1
Copyright 2011-2012 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.
#4
10

11. Why are 70% of search queries long tail?
 Users get better search results with descriptive queries
 Marketers see better conversion & face less competition
70% of search traffic
11

12. comparing
google play store
with
Apple App Store
V
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13. Google play: More apps per Search
results page
1 app per page 7-8 apps per page
iphone Google play 13
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14. Google play: Easier to access Deeper
search results
25 flicks to access app 1 flick to access App #25
#25
Flick
Flick
iphone Google play 14
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15. Google play accessibility: more results
for less effort
15

16. Google play: returning many more search
results
Google Might be using synonyms to expand
queries and recall iPhone
Query Google Play
restaurants 8,853 apps 17,321 apps
hotels 6,751 13,888
fashion 4,372 11,515
poker 2,254 6,155
camera 11,263 19,897
shopping 7,956 14,003
news 14,612 20,018
US store search results for March 17, 2013
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17. Google Play: spell checker might be
working better
Example: 100x more results when you
misspell “calendar”
iphone Google play 17
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18. Spell checker: Number of search results
returned
Misspelled Query iPhone Google Play
resteraunt 1 app 10,523 apps
hotwls 0 15,630
fasion 4,537 11,127
pocker 2,648 16,890
camara 862 20,574
shoping 8,231 14,411
newz 9 19,316
US store search results for March 17, 2013
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19. Google Play: less competition than ios
app store?
Similar # of new apps launched per day
Far fewer developers updating their apps…it’s
less competitive
New apps / day
p updates/day
#apps0 500 1K 1.5K 2K 2.5K 3K
*US store daily average for the period Feb 18 to March 10, 2013
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20. But What about Google Play
Monetization?
Apple has credit card info. Google has tried
carrier billing
In japan, Carrier billing accelerated
Monetization
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21. Summary: google play store seo is a
good investment
1. User sees more results per page
2. easier for users to access lower ranked
results
3. synonyms & spelling correction  more
apps get found
4. Fewer developers updating apps- it’s less
competitive
5. carrier billing may improve google play
monetization
6. Search engine optimization for google play is
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22. How to
Get Started
+
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23. What SearchMan helps you do…
✔
✔
✔
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24. SEO for Google Play vs. Apple App store
 No Review Process forGoogle play – can update keywords
often
 No need for tags or “secret” iTunes keywords in Google Play
 Descriptions count and are important in Google Play
Elements iOS App Store Google Play
Keyword App Name Keywords High High
Relevancy (Apple suggests<35
length)
to Search
Engine Tags High Not needed
Algorithm (Secret iTunes Keywords) (100 characters,
including commas)
Description Keywords Unclear Yes
Keywords in in-store
reviews & 3rd partyapp Black Box
review sites
Quantitativ Downloads (total, velocity)
e factors Ratings (ave, total, velocity)
that may Black box
affect Revenue (total, velocity)
search Social Signal (FB, TW, SearchMan&AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.
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25. How SearchMan can help you grow
1. Track your performance daily
A. Visibility score – see how discoverable you are
B. Search rank tracking
C. Competitor tracking
2. Improve your keywords regularly
A. Research and store keywords in “notepad”
B. Borrow keywords from competing apps
C. Get re-prioritized keywords in < 30 seconds
3. Update often. SEO is not “fire and forget”
weapon
4. Rinse. Repeat.
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26. To make it painless for new users…
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27. Thanks
more in-depth guides at
searchman.com/how-it-works/
email: team@searchman.com
Search the App Store on SearchMan
it’s more productive than hanging out on Facebook
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