ASO Audit

Zelle ASO Audit Report

Buse Kanal

14 November 2023

Zelle iOS App

Zelle is among the digital payments networks in app stores today. With over a million people downloading the app, Zelle has enjoyed a relatively high ranking in the App Store. In fact, Zelle, by the time of this writing, is rated to be the #4 app in the Finance category.

While Zelle has already accomplished things that other digital payments network apps haven’t achieved, there is still a way to maximize their app store visibility and, therefore, increase their chance of getting noticed.

After all, the biggest room is the room for improvement. No matter how great Zelle might already be, they can still do something to reach the number 1 spot and not be overtaken by competitors.

In this ASO audit, let’s take a look at how Zelle can improve its keyword ranking in the most efficient way possible.

Zelle Keyword Research

We did a quick keyword research for Zelle. 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.

To give you an 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 Zelle’s ranking looks like:

“Money” keyword has a search score of 54, which we rank at no. 43.
“Finance” keyword has a search score of 47, which we rank at no. 18.
“Money app” keyword has a search score of 43, which we rank at no. 20.
“Transfer” keyword has a search score of 39, which we don’t rank.
“Mobile banking app” keyword has a search score of 36, which we don’t rank.
“Send money international” keyword has a search score of 28, which we rank at no. 16.
“E-money” keyword has a search score of 28, which we don’t rank.
“Mobile pay” keyword has a search score of 26, which we rank at no. 17.
“Payments” keyword has a search score of 24, which we rank at no. 16.
“Send money to Mexico” keyword has a search score of 24, which we rank at no. 22.
“Pay send” keyword has a search score of 18, which we rank at no. 16.

We also did research on competitor keywords. We got the following results:

“Western Union” keyword has a search score of 62, which we don’t rank.
“Remitly” keyword has a search score of 61, which we don’t rank.
“Moneygram” keyword has a search score of 57, which we don’t rank.
“Wise” keyword has a search score of 57, which we don’t rank.
“MoneyGram” keyword has a search score of 57, which we don’t rank.
“Sendwave” keyword has a search score of 52, which we don’t rank.
“Paysend” keyword has a search score of 44, which we don’t rank.
“Skrill” keyword has a search score of 43, which we don’t rank.
“Xoom money transfer” keyword has a search score of 39, which we don’t rank.
“WorldRemit” keyword has a search score of 39, which we don’t rank.

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.

Title

The title of Zelle in the App Store is this:

Zelle

Take note that the App Store allows us to use up to 30 characters for the title. As of now, Zelle is using 5 characters. In the app store, every character counts, and it should be maximized as much as possible

Looking at the search scores of the keywords included in the title, the search score of “Zelle” is 74. This keyword has a high search score. However, there is an excellent 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 “money transfer” in our keyword pool.

After starting to use the “money transfer” keyword, do we start ranking higher for these keywords? Do we start ranking for more keywords that include “money transfer”? 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:

Zelle: Mobile Payments App

As you can see, we have added the words “mobile”, “payments” and “app”. This is a great move in terms of keyword ranking for the following reasons:

The term “mobile” has a high search score of 44.
The term “payments” has a high search score of 24.
The term “app” has a high search score of 53.

By adding the term “mobile” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “Chime mobile banking” & “mobile pay”. Both have good ranking scores, which are 56 & 26, respectively.
By adding the term “payments” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “payment app” & “split payments”. Both have good ranking scores, which are 36 & 21, respectively.
By adding the term “app” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “money app”, “money sending app” & “banking app”. All have good ranking scores, which are 38, 25 & 21, respectively.

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.

Subtitle

The subtitle of Zelle in the App Store is this:

This is How Money Moves

Like the title, Apple allows us to use up to 30 characters in the subtitle. As of now, Zelle uses 23 characters.

Looking at the search scores of the keywords included in the subtitle, the search score of “this” is 18, “how” is 33, “money” is 54, and “moves” is 32. As you can see, all keywords have high search scores, and we can conclude that Zelle has a quite strong subtitle.

Even though, if we would like to test a new variation, the subtitle can be changed to:

Send & Transfer Digital Money

As you can see, we have added the words “send”, “transfer” and “digital”, and excluded the words “this”, “how”, “money” and “moves”. This is a great move in terms of keyword ranking for the following reasons:

The term “send” has a high search score of 37.
The term “transfer” has a high search score of 39.
The term “digital” has a high search score of 28.
By adding the term “send” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “send money”, “send money international” & “pay send”. All have good ranking scores, which are 38, 28 & 18 respectively.
By adding the term “transfer” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “money transfer”, “transfer money” & “international money transfer”. All have good ranking scores, which are 36, 22 & 18 respectively.
By adding the term “digital” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “digital wallet” with a good ranking score of 33.

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 “money sending app” in our keyword pool.

After starting to use the “money sending app” keyword, do we start ranking higher for these keywords? Do we start ranking for more keywords that include “money sending app”? If the keywords are not improving our ranking, then we should test other keywords and their variations.

Ratings

Zelle Ratings

Looking at the ratings, we can see a lot of things to improve here. Take note that Zelle, at the time of this writing, has an average rating of 4.8 stars from more than 500K users.

Let’s compare that to their competitors:

Venmo – 4.9 stars from 15.4M users
Xoom Money Transfer– 4.8 stars from 1.1M users

We do need to improve app features and overall user experience to raise the ratings up and get more positive reviews.

Screenshots

Screenshots can either make or break your app. Use the wrong screenshots and you’ll surely chase away users. Use the right screenshots and you’ll attract more users.

As we take a look at Zelle’s screenshots, we can see that they have chosen great images. However, Zelle 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 Zelle:

Readability: The font size is too small. Headlines make grammatical sense. Using different font sizes & colors in images might feel confusing.
Headline strength: The current messaging is quite strong. However, different messaging can be A/B tested.
Social proof: Testimonials, media coverage, # of downloads, etc. could be showcased.
Cover Screen & Money Transfer Image: A new cover screen can be created, including Zelle’s logo along with money transfer images.
Video (App Preview): A preview video that shows sending and receiving money through the app’s functions could be added to the first slot.

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.

Zelle Screenshots

Here are a few more things to consider:

Apple indexes the title, subtitle, and keyword list to determine app rankings in the App Store.
The app title, which can be composed of up to 30 characters, is considered to be the most important ranking factor. Thus, you should add the most crucial keyword to your title. When you do that, you’ll most likely get a higher ranking for that keyword.
Next to the app title is the subtitle in terms of importance for indexing. Thus, other more vital keywords should be added to your subtitle. Add as many relevant and high-ranking keywords as possible to ensure you increase your ranking. Moreover, if possible, maximize the 30 character-limit for the subtitle.
The keyword list is considered to be the number 3 most important ranking factor in the App Store. You are allowed to use a maximum of 100 characters. You need to add all the keywords that you believe are relevant to your app. You can even include brand names and competitors’ keywords. You have more flexibility to include whatever you see fit based on your keyword research. After all, users won’t be able to see this list. Only you, as the admin, can see them via the App Store Connect. But it affects your visibility significantly.

Zelle Keywords