• by Winston Burton , December 8, 2014

The use of mobile devices and apps is growing at a substantial rate. In fact, mobile is now the leading digital platform, with a total activity on smartphones and tablets accounting for an astounding 60% of digital media time spent in the U.S., according to comScore. The use of apps is one of the primary reasons for the growth in mobile, accounting for 52% of digital media engagement. 

You should use SEO best practices when building your mobile apps, to increase visibility and generate downloads before your brand is left behind in the dust and your competitors are consuming your market share.

When a friend of mine built his first app a few years ago, he was in a hurry to get it to market and didn’t have time to optimize it -- so it was nowhere to be found in Google Play and iTunes. I finally decided to be a good friend and optimize his app.  

Using the following techniques, I was able to increase his downloads substantially:

1.     Conduct keyword research to find relevant keywords to optimize your app. Consider using tools like Google Trends, Google Keyword Tool and other third-party tools.

2.     Make sure your app has good ratings and reviews, by creating features that meets users’ needs and by making the app simple to use.   

3.     Use a high-resolution icon that enforces your brand and helps users understand the intent of your application.      

4.     Promote your app through Facebook, Twitter and other popular sites to increase downloads, links and social endorsements.      

5.     Add keywords in your app title and description. Try not to repeat keywords too many times. Base keywords on keyword research and competitor analysis.    

6.     When people arrive at your site from a mobile phone or tablet, direct them to a landing page with the app to increase downloads.

7.     Use all characters in your keywords and don't repeat the keywords throughout the title, description and keyword fields.

8.     Build social and email share buttons into the app. This is an easy way for users to spread the word about your application.

9.     Use screenshots to tell the story of your app.  Each screenshot should build from the previous one and give users a reason to continue scrolling and learn more about your app. If the screenshots are compelling, they will help increase downloads.

10.  Build links to your Google Play and Apple Store pages through interlinking between existing social properties and websites.