作者：Puneet Yamparala

你为什么要看这篇博文？

是不是一瞥这个标题就知道它的基本概念？

对用户来说，标题就是最重要的元数据，这正是Google Play主管Jain所发表的观点。标题是你和用户的第一个接触点，它会传达目的。如果标题有效，那么它会极大增加访客登陆你网站（也就是应用登陆页面）的概率。

只有在这个时候，他们才能阅读应用描述，查看截图和用户评价，并因此而下载和安装应用。因此，应用标题是你应用商店优化（ASO）的一个重要元素。但行业中对于如何更好地利用应用标题进行ASO却存在一些错误观念。

ASO(from lttx.mobi)

错误的ASO理念

许多ASO人员决定切换自己的应用标题，令其“更适合”高排名的检索结果。其做法例如：尝试采用含不同关键字的标题，重复，再重复。

这不会提升你的检索结果排名，只会产生副作用。

因此，我将在本讨论应用标题的重要性，以及频繁更改标题可能对用户造成的影响。

最陈旧的错误观念——为适应检索排名而频频更改标题

我认为大家都深受达尔文适者生存这一生物观念的影响。其理念在于：要经常更改标题以便获得小众化特殊应用的优势。这种想法忽略了应用虏获用户的方式。当你的应用有点名气时，人们就会讨论它，会提到它的名称。

假设你的应用已经形成气候，许多克隆版本也会接踵而至并试图从中分一杯羹。现在如果你一直更改标题，人们在搜索的时候怎么可能找到正确的应用？

更改标题会影响人们提到你应用时所使用的词语。要知道这些准确的关键字最有可能与应用商店搜索结果挂钩，所以这种行为实际上会影响你被发现的机率。

选择并坚持用一个标题

那么问题就来了：你该如何创造一个可以持续使用的标题？

这是一个让人鸭梨山大的问题，就好像为网站挑选一个域名和品牌一样：当你已经向其投入成本和精力时，就没有回头路了。所以一开始就要花点时间找对标题。

以下就是我的建议：

保持简短性

你的标题只能有25－30个字符。标题长度会被缩短并很可能被忽略。而标题作为应用商店中最重要的元数据，你怎么会希望它被缩短。

但被缩短的那部分该怎么办？字符长度可能达到80，所以你可以自己决定使用其余字符来作为次级关键字。

发挥创意

人们在应用商店是通过导航或是分类来检索应用。

×导航型用户会通过特定的标题关键字来搜索你的应用。例如“Evernote”，“Stick Hero”或他们很容易认记的其他标题。

×分类型用户会通过分类和特定关键字来搜索应用。例如“办公类应用”或其他定义更广泛应用类型的描述。

所以你要发挥创意同时瞄准这两类用户！

突显独特性

如果你想在不断涌现的众多应用中脱颖而出，那就让标题别具一格，要令人过目不忘同时又保持简洁性。

总结——要关键，不要繁冗

相信你一定已经听说过多次，不要在关键字中塞入繁冗的字眼。只要你不在标题和描述中塞入不相关或重复性的关键字，你就有可能摆脱排名算法的残酷驱逐。（本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao）

How Important is Your App’s Title for ASO Purposes

by Puneet Yamparala

Why are you reading this post?

Did it have anything to do with the title —one that communicated the target niche and basic idea of the whole post, at a glance?

Title is the most important piece of metadata for customers, and this came straight from the head of Google Play’s head Jain. Titles are the first point of contact for your audience. It communicates intent. And if it does so effectively, it dramatically increases chances of the visitor landing on your website, and in our case: on your app’s landing page.

Only then can they read the description, see the snapshots, and view the reviews, and ofcourse download and install the app. Hence, your app’s title is a crucial component of your efforts for App Store Optimization. However, there are certain myths and wrong assumptions about the best methods of leveraging your app’s title for better ASO.

The Problematic ASOs

Many ASOs have decided to switch their title to “better adapt” to the high ranking searches. The routine goes something like this: try different variations of the title with different keywords. Repeat, repeat, and repeat.

Instead of increasing your ranking, it can backfire.

Therefore, in this post, I will discuss about the importance of app’s titles and how frequently changing them could make you lose users.

The Oldest Myth —Changing Your Title Often as an Exercise in Adaptability

I think we’re too influenced by Darwinian ideas about adaptability. The myth is: that it is important to change your title often because it allows you to leverage high-ranking niche specific apps. This overlooks the way how customer reach (via social and search) works. Once word gets out for your app, people will talk about it: using its name and title.

Given that your app garners momentum, a lot of clones are likely to appear and try to hijack your apps energy. Now if you keep changing your title, how will people find the right title from the list of apps in the search?

Changing the title will affect the words used to communicate or refer to your app. Keeping in mind that these exact keywords are most likely to be pasted into the app store search, you are ruining your chances of being found.

Pick a title and Stick to It

This raises the question: how do you create a title that you can stand by?

It’s a stressful question, like choosing a domain name for your website and brand: once you have invested in it, there is no going back. So spend time making the title right the first time.

Here’s how you can do it:

Slice it Short

You have just 25 -30 characters for your title. That’s equal to this sentence. Lengthy titles will get cut and are likely to be missed. Being the most important metadata on the app store, why would you want to get it chopped.

But what about the part that will get chopped? The character length can go up to 80 characters, and so it is up to you to use the remaining characters to target other, secondary keywords.

Get Creative

App store searchers find apps either navigationally or categorically.

A navigational user will be searching for your app by specific title keywords. Let’s say “Evernote”, “Stick Hero” or the title that they remembered easily.
Categorical searchers will search by category and use related keywords. Let’s say “productivity apps” or “stick games” i.e. ones that define a broader category for the apps.

Now put your creative hat on full burner and target them both!

Stand Out With Uniqueness

You want to remain abreast of the morass of bandwagon apps that keep on coming, ad nauseam… Make the title unique, one that is memorable and succinctly offers a punch line for the app experience.

In Conclusion — Be Keywordy, But Avoid Stuffing

You must have heard it SO many times by now, and I feel clichéd repeating it: because people still do it. Avoid stuffing keywords. As long as you avoid irrelevant or repetitive keywords in the title, and the descriptions (promotional and normal), you will stay out of the algorithm’s hunting hounds.（source：gamasutra）