Forest is among the productivity in app stores today. With over a million people downloading the app, Forest has enjoyed a high ranking in the App Store. In fact, Forest, by the time of this writing, is rated to be the #1 app in Productivity based in the United States.
While Forest has already accomplished things that other productivity apps haven’t achieved, there is still a way to maximize their app store visibility and increase their chance of getting noticed.
In this ASO audit, let’s take a look at how Forest can improve its keyword ranking in the most efficient way possible.
We did a quick keyword research for Forest based in the United States. We have shared the details at the end of this post.
Looking at the research result, we can see that we are already ranking for some important keywords. Nevertheless, we have identified some great opportunities for us to take advantage of.
In this situation, ASO intelligence tools come in handy. These tools are effective in identifying popular keywords with the lowest competition. For example, in ShyftUp, we use Mobile Action to perform reliable keyword research.
Among the results we get is the term Search Score. Here’s a quick overview:
The Search Score ranges from 5 to 100. The score represents the number of users who are searching for a specific keyword compared to other keyword options in the App Store and Google Play.
For example, one of the keywords with the highest ranking is the keyword “Facebook.” It has a search score of 100.
The lowest score is 5, which means no one is virtually searching for that keyword. Most keywords will never even see a score beyond 5.
Going back to the results that we got, here’s how Forest’s ranking looks like:
We also did research on competitor keywords. We got the following results:
The results show us that there is a lot of work to do. To ensure that we climb up the rankings, we should use these keywords in our metadata.
The title of Forest in the App Store is this:
Forest: Focus for Productivity
Forest already has a strong title. Take note that the App Store allows us to use up to 30 characters for the title. As of now, Forest is using 30 characters.
Looking at the search scores of the keywords included in the title, the search score of “focus” is 52, and “productivity” is 45. As you can see, all of the keywords have high search scores, and we can conclude that Forest has a quite strong title. However, there is a great opportunity for improvement.
To ensure we stay competitive, we must test the title and its keywords continuously. One way to improve the title is to go to the keyword pool. From there, we should continuously check how many keywords we are ranking for that are in the title. For instance, we could check the keyword “focus” in our keyword pool.
After starting to use the “focus” keyword, do we start ranking higher for these keywords? Do we start ranking for more keywords that include “focus”? If the keywords are not improving our ranking, then we should test other keywords and their variations.
In this case, we can try a new title like:
Forest: Stay Productive Timer
As you can see, we have added the words “stay”, “productive” & “timer” and removed the words “focus” & “productivity” . This is a great move in terms of keyword ranking for the following reasons:
All these changes to the title can potentially improve keyword ranking. However, please note that there are other combinations and possibilities when it comes to using keywords.
That’s the reason you need to constantly test these keywords. You should check your keyword ranking every week and see if the changes in your title bring better results.
The subtitle of Forest in the App Store is this:
Stay focused by Pomodoro timer
Like the title, Apple allows us to use up to 30 characters in the subtitle. As of now, Forest uses 30 characters.
Looking at the search scores of the keywords included in the subtitle, the search score of “stay” is 35, “focus” is 52, “pomodoro” is 44 and “timer” is 54. As you can see, all keywords have high search scores, and we can conclude that Forest has quite strong subtitles.
Even though, if we would like to test a new variation, the subtitle can be changed to:
Be Focused, Motivated & Plant
As you can see we have added the words “motivated” & “plant” and excluded the words “stay”, “Pomodoro” & “timer”. This is a great move in terms of keyword ranking for the following reasons:
To ensure we stay competitive, we must test the subtitle and its keywords continuously. One way to improve the subtitle is to go to the keyword pool. From there, we should continuously check how many keywords that are in the subtitle. For instance, we should check the keyword “focus” in our keyword pool.
After starting to use the “focus” keyword, do we start ranking higher for these keywords? Do we start ranking for more keywords that include “focus”? If the keywords are not improving our ranking, then we should test other keywords and their variations.
Looking at the ratings, we can see a lot of things to improve here. Take note that Forest, at the time of this writing, has an average rating of 4.7 stars from more than 42.8K users.
Let’s compare that to their competitors:
We do need to improve app features and overall user experience to raise the ratings up and get more positive reviews.
Screenshots can either make or break your app. If you use the wrong screenshots, you’ll surely chase away users. Use the right screenshots, and you’ll attract more users.
As we take a look at Forest’s screenshots, we can see that they have chosen great images. However, Forest can use more value-oriented headlines on the screenshots. It is super important to choose screenshots that show the value, features, and reasons why users should use your app. Here are some of our feedback for Forest:
The App Store allows us to use up to 10 screenshots. However, these screenshots don’t have equal exposure. As you may already know, potential users will initially see the first three screenshots. They need to open your page to see the rest of the screenshots.
With this in mind, you need to choose the best screenshots and place them on the first three screenshot slots.
To determine which screenshots give you the best result, A/B testing and Apple’s Product Page Optimization (PPO) are always the best way to go.
This data is pulled from Mobile Action.
Disclaimer: In this ASO Audit, we haven’t used any private data, we have purely used public data.