App Store Optimisation

Key Mobile Trends

● OVER 60% of the US population are smartphone users. Additionally, tablet usage grew 11.3% over the last year to become 45% of the total US population.

● 194 MINUTES A DAY, on average, people spend on their Mobile device(s) (smartphone and tablet), compared to only 103 minutes a day on their PCs.

● 77% OF TABLET OWNERS use them as a so-called “second screen” while watching TV.

● ONLY 7% of total digital ad spending in the US is on Mobile, despite the fact that Americans spend the majority of their digital time on their Mobile devices

Mobile > Desktop

1,408 apps submitted per day on iTunes (feb 2015)

Source: Appfigures

Mobile and tablet app stores

Business?

● In its 2014 Mobility Predictions, research firm Gartner estimated that less than .01 percent of mobile apps will be considered a financial success by their developers through 2018 (http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2648515)

● The “App Economy” (bubble?)● App sales are a $25 billion industry, as reported by WSJ.● Facebook's mobile app install ads are more than than three times as

expensive as the average Facebook ad, bought on a CPM (cost per mille/1,000) basis. Demand is likely so high due to Facebook's ability to let marketers target highly specific audiences, based on the wealth of data it has on its users.

Standard metrics for Apps

• App store data

• Downloads• Revenue (by country)• Reviews• Keywords• In-app purchases• Active installs: monthly or weekly• Reviews/Featured

• In-App data (behaviour)

• Users• Sessions / Frequency (whatsapp) / Length

(games)• Engagement (whisper)• Install-to-registration rate• Crashes & Exceptions• App versions/device models• Demographics• Screen & Acquisition (requires

configuration) • Transactions

Non-standard Metrics for Apps● Lifetime Value (LTV)● Cost per Loyal User (CLU, opens app 3 or more times) + Cost per

Install (CPI) + Cost per Launch + Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)● DAU (1 day), WAU (7 days), MAW (28 days)● ARPU (Average Revenue per User) – iPhone wins● Profitability: ROI / CPI● In the early days of mobile marketing, marketers focused mostly on

clicks and post-click interactions. These days, mobile has reached its measurement adolescence, with marketers looking at behavioral metrics beyond mere engagement.

Real KPIs● Number of times the mobile app was accessed during the first 24

hours / first week (after installation): Predictor● Session time (time spent in-app): Engagement● Permission granted to the app: Trust● Number of screens/pages accessed during in-app visit: Captivation● Number of subscriptions / registrations● Purchases (bookings / in-app purchases within a given time period)● Number of items placed in a shopping cart

Real KPIs● Number of articles read● Number of pages visited● Social shares● Retention rate● Brand Awareness

Questions to make yourself before● What need does the app satisfy? Social, entertainment, information,

transaction...● What do we want the app for? Make money, communication,

marketing, ecommerce, information? People inform on apps and buy on PC

● Is there something similar for Web?● Will people install the app? Will people pay for it?● How much money to develop and update?● In which countries? http://blog.appannie.com/50-new-countries-rankings-google-play/

● Do we need any rights? Markets retire apps in 4 days if they violate IP.

Process of developing an app

1. Define a strategy: target, goals, tablet/phone, value, app store

2. Describe the concept + Segment users (paying, viral contributor, engaged, non paying users...)

3. UX + workflow

4. Budget

5. Design

6. Development

7. Testing

8. Launch

9. Marketing: Acquisition + Activation + Retention

10. Mesure + A/B Testing + Update + Refine campaigns & channels

1. Acquisition• 63% of apps are discovered on the store. Also media, web, friends... 50% of active users

do search for new apps weekly.• Advertising. Better on weekend (https://blog.sensortower.com/blog/2015/04/02/best-

days-launch-promote-ios-app-2015). Networks (AdMob: 60%, Facebook Ads targeted: 15%, Twitter needs to be refreshed frequently and tied to current events, AdsYahoo). In-App ads. Whatsapp?

• Optimisation: icon design (ad), title (with keywords), screenshots (banners), category (only one!!). Youtube video on Google Play.

• Own properties: promote your app on your site (Linkedin) • App loading time: 6 seconds desirable• Referrals: incentive!• Chart boosting - App markets algorithms: reviews + downloads + optimization

1. Acquisition• Growth hacking: PR (launch fast for new mobile versions, Apple watch, travel to

Cupertino...), use all the markets, promoting services, require download, Kickstarter campaign, preinstalls on smartphone, buy downloads, MGM, ads or Charbooster, pay the user…

• Ranking manipulating: buy ads + analyze + buy more ads + analyze

Mobile Advertising Options

Mobile Advertising Options

Mobile Advertising

Pinterest:app pins

2. Activation

• Sign up: remove friction + indicate advancement. Is it necessary to register?• Simple is better: Stay focused on what is the most valuable por the user + get instant

gratification• Show, don't tell: create a better understanding of how the app works• Install to registration rate: Social appps (88.4%), E-Commerce (70.6%), Finance (52.1%)

3. Retention

• 80% of installed apps only get used once, says Google. Media apps have it hard• Push notifications are very important: Opt-in on iOS and opt-out on Android. Ask for it

on a clever way (beyond first session)• Use gamification techniques• Get users to add their social connections to the app• Use email. People open 44% of emails on their mobile (https://webdocs.splio.com/blog/2015-02-

5o-barometro-splio-de-aperturas-de-email-mkt-en-movil.pdf)

• 84% of apps with 1,000 or more users who complete three or more in-app purchases within the first 83 days eventually reached $1 million in revenue. Apps that had 4,000 or more users completing three or more in-app purchases reached $1 million 100 percent of the time. http://go.tapjoy.com/mobile-signals-report

4. Transaction

• Mobile accounts for more than 50% of all ecommerce traffic. Yet, mobile converts at only 1/3 the rate of desktop; that is, 3% on desktop vs. 1% on phones.

• Tricks: reduce product choice + make bigger Call To Action + Reduce steps (products on home) to checkout + Reduce fields to field + Use words "Quick" (ex "Quick Purchase") + Avoid sign up

• Simplify navigation and place a big search field• Subscription systems: Spotify (25% subscribers in app user base), WhatsApp (21%),

Pandora (5%), Match Group (5%), The New York Times (3%), and LinkedIn (2%). •

App Analytics tools• App stores data (Sales) • In-App data (behaviour)

Mobile Action

SimilarWeb

SimilarWeb

AppsFlyer

Kochava

Kochava

App campaign measurement

http://support.mobileapptracking.com/entries/25539969-How-to-Deeplink-to-Your-Mobile-App-from-Your-Website

App Installs: GA campaign measurement Google Play Store

Implement Google Play Store Campaign Measurement

Add referrer parameter to any URLs that will be linking directly to Google Play Store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example.app &referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle (Referrer) **%26utm_medium%3Dcpc (Campaign Medium) %26utm_term%3Dpodcast%252Bapps (Campaign Term)%26utm_content%3DdisplayAd1 (Campaign Content)%26utm_campaign%3Dpodcast%252Bgeneralkeywords (Campaign Name)

iOS store Enable iOS campaign tracking in GA. Implement Google analytics

SDK and enable IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) collection

Add referrer parameter to any URLs that will be linking directly to Google Play Store

https://click.google-analytics.com/redirect

?tid=UA-12345-22 (GA Code) **

&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fmy- app%2Fid123456789 (App Store URL) **

&aid=com.company.app (Your App ID, use GA to retrieve) **

&idfa=%{idfa}) (Marco for IDFA) **

&cs=newsletter (Campaign Source) **

&cm=email& (Campaign Medium)

cn=NewAppCampaign& (Campaign Name)

cc=latestapp& (Campaign Content)

ck=newapp (Campaign Term)

App Launches: Campaigns and traffic source

• Google Play• Ensure setCampaignParamsFromUrl method is set within your app• http://examplepetstore.com/index.html?

utm_source=email&utm_medium=email_marketing&utm_campaign=summer&utm_content=email_variation_1

• iOS • In-build “tracker” tracks URL containing Google Analytics campaign

parameters [GAIDictionaryBuilder setCampaignParametersFromUrl:urlString]

• Use standard google analytics campaign tracking parameters• Ensure “referrer” is set on every URL

Google guide

Track different apps in separate properties.

Track different platforms of an app in different properties.Google recommends creating an AdMob account for rollup view

Track app editions based on feature similarities.

Track different app versions in the same property.

Apps: Using GTM?

App store optimization

http://www.parisoma.com/app-store-optimization-on-metadata-off-metadata/

Apps stores - How does it affect search?

Loyalty

Resources

• App Stores trends • App Annie Blog : http://blog.appannie.com• Appfigures blog: http://blog.appfigures.com

• App Optimization • Mobile dev HQ: http://www.mobiledevhq.com/articles• Kiss Metrics : https://blog.kissmetrics.com/app-store-optimization/• Sensor tower: https://blog.sensortower.com/blog/categories/app-store-optimization/

Google Anaytics: App tracking

• Google Analytics SDK for Android• Google Analytics SDK for iOS• Google Analytics plugin for Unity (for game developers, still in beta)

Cases:Chicisimo

http://www.parisoma.com/app-store-optimization-on-metadata-off-metadata/

Cases:Chicisimo

Cases:Chicisimo

Cases:Chicisimo

Cases:Chicisimo

Cases:Lookout

Cases:Lookout

Cases:Wlingua

Cases:Wlingua

Cases:Fever

Cases:Fever

Cases:Tinder

Cases:Airbnb

Cases:AirBnB

Cases:MyTaxi

Cases:Fixed