Halloween App Optimization - App Store Spotlight

October 6th, 2023

Halloween App Optimization - App Store Spotlight
David Quinn

by David Quinn

VP of Strategy & Partnerships at Gummicube, Inc.

As the leaves turn to shades of orange, Halloween enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the spookiest time of the year. For app developers, this season offers a unique opportunity to infuse their app listings with a touch of eerie magic in an effort to attract a larger audience and boost app store performance.

In this App Store Spotlight, we will explore the enchanting realms of app store seasonality, and examples of apps leveraging the power of iterations this spooky season. Fire up your cauldrons, it’s time to brew up some app growth!

Embracing App Seasonality - A Ghostly Affair

There’s a wide range of apps that can be updated for Halloween seasonality. These updates can vary from cosmetic changes to entire events to seasonal features.

For instance, mobile games often feature Halloween events with limited-time characters, gear or costumes. These can be called out in the App Store’s promotional text (iOS) or short description (Google Play), as well as in updated creative sets that showcase the limited time offerings. They can even include videos showing what users can experience or obtain from the event.

The mobile game "Fate/Grand Order" runs a Halloween-themed event, featuring limited time characters and pumpkin-themed enemies.

Shopping apps will want to focus on Halloween sales and gear. This can include Halloween costumes, candy, party supplies, scary movies and so forth. Updating the screenshots to show these options can help improve conversions and attract users that are looking to buy seasonal items.

Selfie and photo editor apps can update with photo filters and effects for Fall or Halloween. This can include filters like Jack-O-Lanterns and witch hats, falling foliage, ominous effects and so forth. The changes can be called out in the description and showcased in the screenshots.

YouCam Makeup updated its screenshots last Halloween to show off spooky looks

Even personal and family safety apps can benefit from Halloween updates. For instance, family maps can update with use cases for keeping children safe while trick-or-treating.

ASO Seasonality

Keyword optimization can help an app index for those terms and appear in searches for them. Users looking for Halloween costumes, for instance, will be more likely to find a shopping app with costumes for sale if it targets related terms in its keywords.

Creative optimization of icons, screenshots and videos, can help improve conversions once users find the apps in search. Including information about the Halloween update in the description can also benefit the app, as curious users can check the promotional text, short description or long description and see what Halloween-focused updates are available.

Additionally, apps updated with a Halloween focus can appear in curated lists or featured on the stores. The App Store and Play Store will typically provide lists and articles focused on popular themes, so updating for Halloween can help an app increase its chances of being included. This can provide a big increase in visibility for an app.

The App Store's list of child-friendly Halloween games

Optimize Your Halloween App Listing

By embracing app seasonality and strategically implementing relevant ASO best practices, you can create a bewitching experience for your users. Brew up your concoction of app listing elements wisely, and may your Halloween season be filled with spooktacular success! Happy haunting!

Need help with your app seasonality? Contact Gummicube and we’ll help get your strategy started.

Similar Articles

App Store Connect Holiday Schedule 2021

App Store Connect Holiday Schedule 2021

Posted on November 8th, 2021

Developers on the iOS App Store should plan in advance of the upcoming Holiday Schedule to allow enough time for apps to get approved during the busy holidays.

App Store Optimization Best Practices - Iteration

App Store Optimization Best Practices - Iteration

Posted on November 1st, 2021

App Store Optimization is an involved process that should be regularly revisited based on recent changes in trends. Iteration is one of the key drivers for success in ASO.

Mobile Marketing Trends - Seasonality

Mobile Marketing Trends - Seasonality

Posted on October 29th, 2021

It’s the Holiday Season - App Store Optimization is key to getting your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals discovered on the app stores.