Case Study / App Store Optimization
How a proper ASO setup makes you stand out against the competition
Background:
- Keyword optimization: We discovered and selected the most valuable and relevant keywords for the app to rank for in search results, and tried to make it rank as high as possible for them.
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO): We researched and developed effective communication strategies using the app’s app store screenshots to persuade those who see it to install it, thus increasing it’s conversion rate (CVR).
The problem:
Our biggest challenge was the new concept of Mobility-as-a-Service behind the BVG Jelbi app that not many people were aware of. In a way, the app was unique in the market, at least in Berlin. This made it absolutely necessary to communicate what the app does and stands for uniquely to users with clarity and simplicity.
The next challenge on our desk was how to make such a simple, straightforward and ordinary kind of app look and sound remarkable. This would predominantly require some visual storytelling genius for the screenshots. The key, in the end, was to avoid making users think BVG Jelbi was just another mobility app – it isn’t.
Finally, with the broad range of transport options that it offers, the app is relevant to a very large number of high-volume mobility-related keywords. This was an opportunity that we must capture.
To protect our client’s sensitive data, we won’t reveal the keyword strategy here. However, we’re more than happy to show you our progress with their screenshots. Here’s the original set:
The solution:
To make the app stand out and appear superior to the rest of the market, we decided to be up-front with the idea that the app offers all transport options in one place where users can book and pay directly and showed this right on the first screenshot. We also showcased the well-known brands that our client partners with to gain more trust. What’s more, we employed a very modern design approach with multiple instances of pop-up UI to make sure users get to see what needs to be seen – the better UI of the app and the points of interactions they get access to after installing it.
Taking those points into consideration, we crafted a new set of screenshots that were meant to make a difference for BVG Jelbi. Here’s how they look in the App Store:
The Play Store followed a near identical structure with only slight changes to the messages and quantity of screens. This is because we wanted to customize the screenshots for each of them and avoid making the mistake of showing 2 different groups of users in 2 different stores the exact same thing. iOS users are often different from Android.
The results:
For the screenshots, we saw a near-instant uplift of 41% in CVR (store visits to downloads) after changing the screenshots on the App Store, and about 5% on Google Play. On average, this was a 23% growth in organic CVR.
For the keywords, even though we can’t share which keywords we included in the project, we could already share a 80% uplift in search visibility in the App Store:
For the Play Store, the result was more humble, at an 8% growth rate – but still a win:
On average, this was a 44% improvement in organic keyword performance.
Conclusion:
With a firm foundation for ASO, BVG Jelbi is now ready for the real work – on-going ASO optimization. We know more challenges remain ahead, but it’s always good to remind ourselves of the little achievements we’ve made to keep motivated, including:
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