Idle clickers, makeovers, PvP action – whatever kind of gamer you are, there’s a mobile game out there for just about everyone. Gaming is by far the largest category in the app stores with one of six apps in the marketplace being a mobile game. With this level competition, how can a developer stand out from the rest? With gaming app ASO
In this App Store Spotlight, we'll go over some App Store Optimization tips for mobile game marketing.
It’s not enough to just be a mobile game app to compete in the marketplace. You can have notoriety, cutting-edge graphics, impeccable gameplay mechanics, and everything that makes an in-app experience great. However, the gaming experience itself is just one part of your digital loadout. The rest of your arsenal should contain a range of strategies that contribute to success both inside your app and outside of it.
The first weapon in your inventory is the deep understanding of who your direct competitors and target audience.
While antithetical, the user is the one that creates the competitive landscape. Their search queries populate results with apps that appear relevant to the terms they are searching for. This means your positioning will depend greatly on a variety of user-driven actions - in this case, the terms they decide to associate to potential features of your app.
This understanding of how users shape the competitive landscape and the players within your niche will ultimately help you form your keyword optimization strategy and overall mobile game ASO. And while some phrases are more difficult to rank for than others, leveraging ASO tools can help understand pick the right terms and adapt them over time.
Mobile games are dynamic and exciting by nature, and you want your creative sets to convey that as well. App creatives are directly responsible for converting your users, so immersing them with a visually captivating screenshot set is paramount.
Many game developers often think that the story of the game will tell itself, but many users need visual cues in the form of effective screenshot design. How can you do this? Through creative optimization that showcases the different standout features of your app. Associate each of those features to keywords found in the image itself. Although not indexed, these keywords can act as a connector between the feature being illustrated and the term the user might have searched for.
Your game can’t speak for itself, so help the users understand what it’s about with effective app screenshot design.
Feature videos are a powerful app marketing tool at your disposal. If you can’t seem to convey your mobile game’s true essence in a few app screenshots, a feature video might be the solution. Just like screenshots, the feature video is directly responsible for driving users toward a conversion.
Presenting gameplay in a more dynamic manner, videos give an even more accurate depiction of how the game performs. They provide a window of opportunity to display different features in a format that users have grown accustomed to over the years and has been proven to drive engagement.
Dynamic and action-packed games often use feature videos to highlight in-app gameplay. Videos also serve as a great place to bring forth accolades or acclaim your app may have received.
For mobile apps in their infancy, there may still be some lingering bugs and kinks to smooth out before the app runs smoothly. During this time, users might voice their concerns or praise in the review section of your mobile game.
A crucial part of gaming app ASO is reputation management, where developers actively engage with app reviews. Engaging with both positive and negative reviews is a great way to show users that you’re proactive and engaging with their needs.
Reviewing feedback also helps to identify those game-breaking elements that demand priority in the list of fixes.
For some mobile game genres like MOBA, implementing app seasonality elements is a great way to retain users and acquire new ones. Seasonal updates that include new skins, features, and other additional or limited-time events are all axioms of seasonality that keep your users interested.
This continuous evolution of your in-game content promotes engagement among existing users and helps attract new and even lapsed players.
Want to learn more about App Store Optimization? Contact Gummicube and we’ll help get your strategy started.
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