While most apps target a bigger and wider audience, there are those apps that are meant for specific cities. If you have an app that is built for a local city, how do you perform ASO? That’s exactly what you’re going to learn here.
What is ASO?
App Search Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the visibility of your app in app stores like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. ASO can be done by using the right keywords, categories, metadata, screenshots, app videos, and other elements of an app listing.
Why do you need ASO for local city apps?
ASO is vital to the success of your local city app. As you can imagine, there are millions of apps in the market today. Not only that, but it is more likely that you’re going to face fierce competition even in your specific niche.
No matter how good or beautiful your local city app is, if nobody or only a few know it exists, then your app won’t realize its full earning potential.
So, how can you put your local city app front and center? The answer is ASO. When done correctly, ASO can dramatically increase your app’s visibility and therefore, your downloads and installs.
How to perform ASO for local city apps?
Now that you already know the what and why it’s time for you to discover how to use ASO in the best way possible to ensure your local city app would reach your target audience.
Here are the best tips you should remember:
Use the right keywords
Whether your app is for the world or for a specific city, keywords should be your number 1 priority when it comes to ASO. Your potential users utilize keywords to look for an app like yours. If you don’t have the right keywords, then you might miss a golden opportunity to gain more users.
So, what keywords should you use? First off, use keywords that specifically describe your app. If you have a photo editing app, then you need to use keywords such as “photo editing,” “picture editing,” “selfie,” and other related terms.
Now, those are the general keywords that you need to use. Since you have a local city app, then you need to use keywords that are specific to your location.
For instance, you can use keywords that include the name of the city, a specific place in that city, or an alias of that city. Instead of simply using an app title that says, “Photo editing tool,” you can put there, “New York Photo editing tool” if your target city is New York.
You can then use keywords that could refer to New York. Some of these may be “NYC,” “Big Apple,” “Empire City,” Gotham,” or “Knickerbocker.” These are nicknames of New York City that your users might use when searching for your app.
Write a compelling description
Every app listing in any app store has a description section. It’s a great place for you to give your users more details about what your app is all about and how it can benefit them or why they should choose your app.
Aside from describing the core features of your app, you need to make sure that you put extra emphasis on your localization. You need to clearly specify in your description in which city or locality your app is made for.
For instance, you have an app that shares local news in California. You should then mention that your app is for people who are interested in receiving news related to California. You would surely have a higher crunch rate or uninstall rate if some users download your app and are surprised that they only get local California news when what they want is global news.
Appeal to culture and tradition
Every city has its distinct features, culture, tradition, and social norms. You surely want to take advantage of those and personalize the messaging of your app.
Example of localized keyword search (Image source: Play Store)
For example, you have a photo editing app targeted at people living in New York. The city is known for its towering skyscrapers. You can capitalize on that and tell them that your app is incredibly useful when shooting buildings and urban districts.
If your app targets a city in China, then you should consider how their culture and tradition affect their decision-making in choosing an app to use.
Thus, it’s important that you study who your target audience is. Learn their culture and tradition. That should give you an idea of how to connect with them.
Use the right language
If the city predominantly uses English, then use English. If it is French, then use French. If it is Spanish, then use Spanish. The point is that your app needs to speak the language of your audience.
Cities may use the same language, but they may have different expressions. You should also consider that.
Just to give you an example, London and New York use English as their language. However, there are British English and American English. They differ in how they call things, in their accents, and in other terms they use. The same can be true in other languages in various places in the world.
Localize your creatives
Creatives include app icons, screenshots, and app videos. Since you are going to have a local city app, then it is a must that you include images or footage that are unique to a particular city.
Example of local news app (Image source: Play Store)
You can use famous streets, buildings historical places, and landmarks. Since your target audience is familiar with these places, they can easily connect your app to their city.
Perform the right ASO for local city apps
These are just some of the important tips on how you can use ASO for local city apps. Of course, you need to realize that it can be easier said than done. If you’re new to ASO or you don’t have enough resources to do it on your own, you can always get the help of ShyftUp.
ShyftUp is among the best user acquisition agencies in the world today. They have the right expertise, skills, and tools to help you perform the best ASO possible for your local city app.
Give them a try today!
How to perform localization for your app?
You can do localization for your app by using keywords unique to your target locality. You can also watch out for local trends and events and capitalize on them to further promote your app. Consider as well the culture, tradition, and social norms of a particular area.
What apps need localization?
Most apps, if not all, need localization to a certain extent. By localizing your app, you get to penetrate new markets and increase your earning potential. However, just to be specific, some of the apps that need particular localization would be location-based apps, city- or country-specific apps, and language-specific apps.
How to properly localize your app?
To properly localize your app, you need to know who your target audience is. Know the language they speak, the culture they promote, and their needs and preferences.
