Search Ads: Localize in International Markets

As of April 25th, Apple expanded their Search Ads to the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The expansion of Search Ads makes sense for Apple, especially since developers in the US immediately took to Search Ads. Apple claims that user searches on the App Store contributes to 65 percent of downloads, making Search Ads a crucial marketing tool. Apple encourages developers to use Search Ads to put their app at the top of relevant search queries in territories such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand. However, while utilizing Search Ads may get an app to the front of the line, without integrating an App Store Optimization strategy it is difficult to stand out from the crowd. App developers need an ASO strategy to make sure their App Store listing is localized to target its intended audience across territories. An app that is successful in its native territory might not be as successful in a foreign territory for the simple reason that user trends and behavior are different. By following ASO best practices, developers can create visibility with their Search Ads. How App Developers Can Use ASO The expansion of Search Ads gives developers the opportunity to create visibility in foreign markets. Regardless of the territory, Apple creates an app’s Search Ads using its App Store listing’s metadata and imagery. Apps that are looking to take advantage of Search Ads in a new territory will need to optimize and localize their app’s metadata using ASO so their Search Ads will have the most relevant high-volume keywords based on user’s search trends and behaviors in those markets. Prior to jumping in and localizing for these new territories, developers should always do their research using an App Store Intelligence software like DATACUBE to research their competitor’s app’s metadata for relevant real-time mobile trends to better target specific app markets. The localization process means monitoring specific user trends and behavior in other territories to make improvements to an app’s metadata. Some of those improvements include changing the app name, keyword bank and description. With DATACUBE, developers can quickly view competitors in foreign markets and adjust their app’s metadata to appeal to their intended audience. DATACUBE is a valuable App Store Intelligence platform that will help developers looking to improve their app’s metadata with ranking reports of the app and current keywords to help developers compete against competitors. It also makes suggestions for different keywords that might help to better target the intended audience and create more visibility. Developers need to stay ahead of their competitors and make sure that their localization efforts don’t go to waste, especially if they are considering expanding their Search Ads to foreign markets. For all developers, App Store intelligence is an essential part of optimizing apps by giving insight on user’s trends and behaviors to streamline choosing targeted keywords. Apple’s expansion of Search Ads to other countries may not seem like a big deal, but it serves as another opportunity for developers that are struggling in foreign markets to become visible. Developers looking to improve their app’s visibility need to take advantage of Search Ads expanding to new territories with localization. Any developer that wants to become more discoverable in their current market needs to use the essential App Store Intelligence platform DATACUBE to monitor the most current mobile data and ensure that their optimization and localization decisions are relevant for Search Ads to display to the right audience.