Boosting Global Discoverability: App Store Optimization Through Localization

App store optimization (ASO) and localization are essential if you want your app to be seen by a bigger global audience. Current data suggests that ASO efforts alone are responsible for increasing an app’s visibility by 74%, which translates to a 38% higher download rate on average. 

That’s a pretty big difference! 

This data shows us that the effort is worth the investment. Now, we have to break through the roadblocks and choose our starting point. This will look different for everyone—however, it often starts with a quality translation management system (TMS) and a localization team that can help. 

Read on to learn more about what ASO is at its core, the difference between localization and translation, why you need both, and how to make your app store localization strategy as strong as possible.

Understanding App Store Optimization (ASO)

ASO, or app store localization, is an app marketing strategy that strives to make your content as approachable and desirable as possible to a new demographic. It goes above and beyond in-context translation into a demographic’s native language, expanding into the more diverse and nuanced territory of optimization wherever possible. 

This process of tailoring and optimizing content helps make your app the best possible choice for people in your demographic of choice, helping you to beat out even the most established native competition. 

Factors that determine the success of your strategy include: 

• Keywords: Use of relevant keywords in the store’s keyword field (such as the incorporation of both local and non-local keywords) 
• Monitoring: You can’t know how your product is performing unless you check routinely and in a standardized way. Create a reporting framework that you can stick with early on to track your growth easily. 

• Comprehension: Ideally, you should have a comprehensive ASO approach that addresses elements beyond app translation. Take a holistic approach where you can for the best possible results. 

Looking for more support? Check out our comprehensive guide that shows you how to launch your app and find global success. 

Localization: Not Just Translation

We’ve said that ASO is more than just translating your app for your target audience—but what is it really? 

Simply put, localization is the process of product optimization for a specific locale. It’s all-encompassing, covering every element of your user experience. For many, this looks like repositioning your app’s graphics, user experience, and text display to align with the cultural context and preferences of a given audience in every area of your app.

Localized Keywords: The Key to Global Visibility

Keywords are only as powerful as they are popular. Understanding how your key demographic searches and the words they use during the search is key to raising your position in the app store algorithm. This concept applies to apps in both the Android and Apple app store(s). 

Not sure where to start? There are plenty of tools that can help you with keyword research tasks. The key here is to pick a tool that allows you to search keyword popularity by region or area. For example, LSIGraph is a keyword research tool that allows you to search keyword popularity across regions and languages, including German, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese. 

Graphics and Screenshots: Catering to a Global Audience

What works to pull customers in in Australia may not work for customers in China. That’s why A/B testing and optimization of your visual content is so important. Different regions may have different preferences around modesty, content presentation, and flow—so catering to these via preemptive and strategic localization can instantly boost customer retention in your target region. 

Leave no stone unturned as you undergo this process. Consider reviewing and optimizing app elements such as: 

• Screenshots 
• Video previews 
• Visual marketing content 
• Tutorials 
• Screenshots (all use cases) 

A localization expert can help you to identify other areas of improvement. 

Localizing App Reviews and Responses

Testimonials are one of the most powerful forms of marketing that you have. The problem? They often aren’t well-localized or translated—which can possibly limit their ability to boost your user acquisition rate. 

Recent data from the Search Engine Journal shows that 99.9% of users read reviews before purchasing anything online. Even if your app is free, it’s clear that user reviews can make or break an app download. Taking the time to translate reviews cited in your marketing assets is worth the investment—and so is responding to actual reviews in the market’s target language. 

You may be wondering: It makes sense to translate and localize marketing materials. But why would a tailored and translated response matter for user acquisition and retention? 

We get why you’d ask that; the answer is simpler than you might think. Beyond the obvious marketing benefit, responding to reviews shows connection and live-time updates to your app. This signals that you’re an engaged and adaptable developer who is putting out an app focused on user preferences, functionality, and constant evolution. That’s a pretty powerful message to send to new market members. 

Tracking and Tweaking: Ongoing ASO Localization Efforts

Optimizing your app store listing, app description, metadata, and other elements isn’t a one-and-done task. Instead, you’ll want to create an ongoing monitoring strategy, assessing your app performance compared to top local competitors. 

You can use this information to inform your ASO strategy, positively impacting your results in the target region and across different countries and different locales. Ongoing tracking and tweaking is essential to the awareness of your brand and app growth over time and is a powerful way to listen and determine what resonates with your user base socially. 

Some tools to help you with this can include: 

• MobileMoxie’s App Rankalyzer 
• App Annie 
• Rank Ranger 

As you search for a tool that can help, be sure that it’s compatible with both Apple and Google Play stores. This simple check can save you money and time later on. 

Elevate Your App’s Global Presence with OneSky

If you’re looking to boost your conversion rate, you’ll need to do more than translate your subtitles. You’ll need a holistic localization strategy that’s designed to grow with you, connecting you to target markets in more competitive and sustainable ways. 

Ready to learn how to increase your app downloads and installs? We’re here to help transform your product into a localized app that’s both profitable and sustainable in the international market. OneSky is the leading TMS and localization support tool for app developers, leading the industry with proven localization strategies that deliver. 

Our TMS offers you the ability to translate seamlessly into different languages, as well as the comprehensive level of support needed to localize across target markets adequately. Whether you’re looking to expand your client base in Spain, Canada, France, Germany, China, or other places, turn to OneSky for tailored expert support. Connect with us online today and start for free!