A Different ASO Approach - by Daniel Peris.
My ASO workshop at Applause 2019 Conference @ Barcelona:
- About me
- ASO & Machines
- Similar Apps & SVRank
- New TheTool features
- Questions
Thank you everyone who attended my workshop =)
Sharing is caring!
A Different ASO (App Store Optimization) Approach - Applause 2019 Workshop
1. A Different ASO Approach
(and a bit of SEO)
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
2. Index.html
1. About me
2. ASO & Machines
3. Link Building (SEO / ASO)
4. Similar Apps & SVRank
5. Questions
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
3. 1. About me
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
4. 1. About me
1. Self / Fast Learner + Attitude
2. App + Web businesses
3. SEO since 2007 - ASO since 2012
4. 1 Exit (2.5M MAU website)
5. Services + SaaS + side projects (50+)
6. “Sure there’s a hack for that 😜”
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
5. A side project
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
• Website born in January 2019
• Very competitive niche / industry
• 1.5M sessions / month (1M MAU) in 5 months
• The key? Advanced SEO
6. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
7. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
ASO:
✓ASO ≠ SEO, but sometimes it is.
✓ASO, as the app stores, evolve.
✓App Store Optimization is about Visibility + CONVERSION (traffic >
download) + “User Happiness” (Retention / Crashes / Bugs)
✓IMO: Google Play ASO is much more complex than App Store ASO
(Nobody’s teaching Google about Search or fighting SPAM)
✓“More data-driven” > ASA data, App Store / Gplay UA reports
data, Installs per keyword (Gplay)
✓Goals of ASO: get more downloads, lower UA costs
8. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
App Stores:
✓App Stores continuously evolving > Fight SPAM +
Improve results? (+ Ads / make money) > Technology
✓Google Play: Machine Learning / Natural Language +
Image Processing + Scam / Spam apps
✓App Store: Subtitle bug, Pre-order, special characters in
the App Name…
9. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Visibility on the app stores:
SEARCH BROWSE
TOP CHARTS
FEATURED
RELATED
SIMILAR
TOPIC
QUALITY
QUANTITY DWNLDS
RELATEDNESS / USE OF APPS
TOPIC (only Google Play)
10. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Google Play uses Machine Learning to:
✓“Gain a deeper understanding of the topics associated
with an app, in order to provide a better search and
discovery experience”
✓“Provide personalized recommendations to users
based on their previous app downloads and the context
in which they are used”
✓“Fight spam and abuse on apps section of the Google
Play Store”
Source: Google
11. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
App Stores:
12. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
ASO - Ideas:
✓Take care of QUALITY: Crashlytics, App Store crash
reports, Android Vitals, etc.
✓Gplay listing: use synonyms, antonyms, related words…
TOPIC / Relevance
✓Do UA the right way (downloads)
✓Keyword density is not as relevant as it was years ago…
13. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
ASO - Ideas (2):
✓Good (unique) product = Fuel for ASO
✓Downloads = Fuel for ASO
✓Never stop tracking the app stores
✓Never stop researching / testing
✓Be the first in trying new app stores stuff (App Store Pre-
orders, GPlay Pre-registers, etc.)
✓Black Hat ASO still works… Negative ASO.
14. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
ASO REAL EXAMPLE
✓2 months Google Play simple app - competitive niche
✓1,235 char description (4,000 max) with bold, color and
HTML (H2, H3)
✓NO focus on kw density, FOCUS on TOPIC
✓NO paid UA
✓App growing organically 100%
15. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
ASO REAL EXAMPLE
16. 2. ASO & Machines
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
17. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
18. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
What is Link Building?
“Link building is the process of getting other websites to link
back to your website. All marketers and business owners should
be interested in building links to drive referral traffic and increase
their site's authority.
Backlinks are a signal to Google that your site is a quality
resource worthy of citation. Therefore, sites with more (and
better) backlinks tend to earn higher rankings.”
19. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Backlinks & ASO?
20. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Almost 2 years ago…
LINK
21. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
✓Links (external) have a direct impact on Google Play
ASO > Links are a strong SEO signal (Google Play Index
/ Google Index). Anchor text matters.
✓Will internal linking within Google Play Store improve
visibility in Search? Why not? Googlebot crawls ALL the
Internet… and https://play.google.com is a subdomain
of https://www.google.com
✓Build backlinks to your store listing (direct URL) to
improve Authority and visibility in Search
23. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Google Play Internal Linking - My hypothesis…
✓Links coming from Top Charts (Overall, Apps, Games,
Category) - EACH TOP CHART + COUNTRY HAS ITS OWN
URL
✓Links coming from other apps (Similar App Cards) - EACH
APP + COUNTRY HAS ITS OWN URL
✓The more availability (countries), the higher Top Charts
Ranks and the most and best Referring Apps (with good
ranks) = The more Google Play Internal Linking… More
visibility?
24. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Google Play Internal Linking (simplified)
YOUR APP
APP 1 APP 3APP 2 APP 4
TOP CHARTS
Referring apps (Similar App Cards)
HOMEPAGE DEVELOPER
25. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Google Play Internal Linking
Website internal link graph example with GEPHI (photo via @AndresKloster)
26. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
So… Backlinks have a direct impact on Google Play ASO,
but… How do I build links to my app / game?
27. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
App Link Building - 3 Strategies
Strategy 1 - Boost your app URL link profile
Build links directly TO your app
Strategy 2 - Boost your domain (web) link profile
Build links to your website (SEO), then link to your app URL
from all the pages of your site.
Strategy 3 - MIX
Follow strategy 1 + 2
28. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
MEDIUM (post)
✓ Normal links = NOFOLLOW | Embebed links = EPIC WIN
29. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
ZENDESK (helpdesk)
✓ Do you have a helpdesk on Zendesk? Build backlinks!
30. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Chrome Extensions
✓ Create a useful Chrome Extension and get a backlink
31. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Meetup
✓ Add links to your site / app in your Meetup profile (Social Networks
buttons - BUG)
32. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Slack App Directory
✓ Create a Slack app and get a powerful backlink
33. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Webinars
✓ Participate in webinars (from others) and get a backlink
34. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Guest posts
✓ Write guest posts and get backlinks
35. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Product Hunt (& company)
✓ Launch your product (app / game) and get a backlink
36. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Bonus: POWER (followed) backlink from Google Play
37. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
How to track backlinks
NOT SPONSORED
38. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
How to track backlinks
39. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
40. 3. Link Building
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Link Building - Ideas:
✓Links are the base of Internet. Google uses backlinks as a
signal for SEO. Google Play uses backlinks as a signal for
ASO
✓Do not start building links like crazy. Link building is good if
properly done
✓BE CAREFUL with Anchor Text ⚠
✓Do not buy links on black hat forums
✓Always ask your SEO team!
41. 4. Similar Apps &
SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
42. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Similar Apps - Google Play Console
43. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Similar Apps - Google Play Store
44. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Similar Apps - How they work
✓Google Play uses ML to understand the topics (text)
associated to an app > LISTING (Title, Short
Description, Description, User Reviews)
✓Google Play uses ML (Google Brain) to understand the
topics (image) associated to an app > LISTING (Icon,
Screenshots, Feature Graphic)
✓Similarity is about TOPICS & RELEVANCE
45. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Source: https://ai.googleblog.com/2017/01/app-discovery-with-google-play-part-3.html
Similar Apps - How they work
46. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Similar Apps - ASO Factors
✓TOPIC - On-metadata: Title, short description,
description, category, ICON, screenshots
✓AUTHORITY - Off-metadata: Downloads, user ratings,
average rating
✓QUALITY: Vitals, Engagement
47. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Similar Apps - Ideas:
✓Can be a powerful source of traffic, when appearing as
TOP 5 similar app in N apps / games. The more and more
powerful referring apps, the more traffic to your listing.
✓Appearing in Similar Apps = 1 Internal link per Referring
App
✓Similar Apps are THE SAME for all users (unlike “You
might also like”)
✓Similar Apps change per day (even per hour), per country
48. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
SVRank (Similar Visibility Rank) by TheTool:
✓Proprietary rank that sort ALL the apps / games on Google
Play Score by its visibility in Similar Apps per day, per
country (93). Referring Apps: apps that refers to any given
app in the Similar App Cards. SVRank #1 U.S. is the app
with more visibility in Similar Apps in the U.S.
✓Tracking SVRank and Referring Apps Helps understand how
Similar Apps work and how to improve visibility
✓Helps detecting Similar Apps penalties and algorithm
updates > movements on Explore traffic
49. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
TOP 10 SVRank U.S (June 6, 2019):
50. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
SVRank Evolution (multi-country) example:
51. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
Spying Referring Apps:
52. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
SVRank - Similar Apps visibility penalty:
App update rejection on March 23 > Similar Apps Visibility dropped to 0
53. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
SVRank - Similar Apps visibility penalty:
Explore visibility + traffic dropped to 0
54. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
SVRank - Similar Apps algorithm update:
App update rejection on March 23 > Similar Apps Visibility drops to 0
55. 4. Similar Apps & SVRank
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
With TheTool you can:
✓Track any app’s SVRank daily in 93 countries
✓Track any app’s referring apps daily in 93 countries
✓Get the TOP 250 SVRank per day, per country (market
research)
✓Get ALL data via API
57. A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
58. Resources
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
✓ TheTool blog
✓ App Discovery with Google Play, Part 1 (Google)
✓ App Discovery with Google Play, Part 2 (Google)
✓ App Discovery with Google Play, Part 3 (Google)
✓ Link Building guide (spanish) by Cráneo Previlegiado
✓ Link Building 2019 guide by Backlinko
✓ The Noob Friendly Guide To Link Building by Ahrefs
✓ The Effect of Backlinks Anchor Text (SEO) on Google Play ASO (App Store
Optimization)
✓ ASO: The game has changed by @ThomasBCN
59. Do you want to see
our new data?
Visit our booth!
A Different ASO Approach - Daniel Peris - June 7, 2019 - #ApplauseBCN
iOS 12 Real Time search with Rich Results…
Similar App Cards data…
Pre-order & Pre-register
Download estimates…
Removed Apps Intelligence…