本文原作者：Esraa Abouzid 译者ciel chen

在近几年，apps替代了台式电脑和手机浏览器，成为连接互联网的主要工具。我们现在可以与世界上十亿的智能手机互通有无；这意味着app已经成为了用户数字化体验至关重要的途径。不论是智能手机、平板电脑、智能手表亦或是其他可佩带高科技产品都可以让人们下载、购买以及使用app。你可以想象你的日常，你要用App来：

查看天气预报；

记录估测你的晨起运动量；

从日历上查看会议行程安排；

查看邮箱；

导航去工作的最短路径；

查看打折促销活动，购买最喜欢的产品；

预定餐厅并对体验进行评价；

搭某人的顺风车回家；

晒晒心情和照片到你的社交网站上；

和朋友聊天

用户肯定更希望app是免费的，不过如果有什么app是可以让他们提高生活工作效率或者让用户耳目一新的，用户还是很乐意为这些app买单的。不过也许你手头上有一款全世界最棒的app,但是如果你不知道怎么卖，你照样得不到认同。

se-asia（from venturebeat.com）

所以这里你就需要有应用内购买内容和广告——事实上移动应用生态系统已经不再是一个封闭式的领域了，它已经成长为能够带来巨额投资和收益的更广阔市场了（这对于游戏开发者和其他相关行业来说都是如此）。

在IOS、安卓以及Windows这几个主流手机操作系统上和超过300万的手机app竞争——到底该如何做才能超越其他竞争者获得用户的青睐呢？要想赚钱，就得让你的app提高曝光度——这里便是app sotre应用优化（ASO）发挥作用之处了。

尽管在衡量一个手机app运营策略的成功与否时，下载量毫无参照性可言，不过它仍旧是管理者最看重的一项数据。因此，能无代价地使下载量激增对于开发者而言还是相当诱惑的。

尽管ASO还是会被忽略，要知道这可是个重要的大机遇。就像调查引擎优化一样，ASO也属于一种市场科学，它需要我们付出时间和精力。这里有特定的规则、诀窍、还有风险。简单说来，就是你要明白你目前在做什么。

是发现app的最普遍方式仍旧搜索：粗略估计有65%的APP购买者是通过浏览app store来搜索发现并购买的app的。所以如果没有好方法，你的app就会淹没在app之海里。而要找到好方法就需要有部署最佳实践方案的能力以及有意识地避免进入常见误区。

我们几个礼拜之前还聊过有关app store应用优化的最佳实践方案以及如何利用app store让其成为用户数字化体验中不可分割的一部分。此处我们将踢开在移动市场上阻碍开发者通往成功之路的绊脚石，解开那些错误的观念。

误区1：经常性地改改标题

正如Google Play 调查部负责人Ankit Jain所说，app标题在ASO中是最重要的meta数据。虽然说是这么说，但是你真没必要不时地改标题来提高自己的排名。添加关键词、混合关键亦或者甚至修改产品名字并不会给你带来任何好处。相反地，这可能对你的运营策略不利。

选好一个标题就不要动摇。这个标题是你在ASO中最有利的工具，所以你要确保它足够简洁、独特还有难忘；最终要保证包含所有相关关键词，不要那些滥竽充数。

误区2：关键词就是一切

我们不否认关键词确实很重要，始终是手机互联网优化的基础元素。我们想要指出来的是光靠关键词是没办法让你上“最热下载”榜单第一名的。如果你刚开发了一个游戏app,然后把“游戏”作为关键字到处挂——这可不叫优化啊。

App store跟传统搜索引擎有着相同的动态变化，所以你要时刻关注关键词的动态——不过要注意的是绝对不要强加一些无关关键词上去。多关注用户体验，确保关键词都是跟app内容相关且有意义的。

误区3：下载量和评分就是一切

根据很多广告和媒体发表内容来看，你可能会被误导觉得评级和下载量是两个用来衡量成功的两个关键表现指标。评分——当然了，这是很好地标志了用户对你辛勤付出成果的想法；下载量——这只标志着短期成功。不过，那接下来呢？

接下来你需要一个长期的数字化运营策略——它要含括app发行和经销的方方面面的一切内容。确实评分是可以影响用户对app的看法，却对app sotre的排名没有任何影响。五星是给人印象不错，不过你的app store排名跟你被评几颗星没关系。

误区4：产品描述没那么重要

当你想要卖些什么的时候，首先你得描述一下你产品的价值所在和独特之处。很简单不是吗？确实，很多开发者仍旧坚定地认为“产品描述”就是个附属物，并非app store所强制要求的内容。这个误区很危险，这几乎能让你的努力付之东流，让你的app被永远遗忘。

产品描述可以说是ASO中仅次于标题的第二重要的内容。尽管跟排名没有直接联系，不过它却对store排名的算法有很大的影响。所以别让你的产品描述变成纯粹关键词的堆积，要这些关键词自然地结合到你所要描述的内容里面。而且要记得——现在app也会出现在Google的搜索结果页面了。

误区5：把app放上app sotre就不用管了

这是最愚钝的误区：反正你现在已经把app放到app store了，可能被藏到哪里了，你就不需要做别的事了——所有一切都会奇迹一般的发生，你就那么呆着下载量也会随之增长起来。有的人还会相信：只要app还在那里，总会有人找到它的。你不需要什么广告、甚至不需要什么更新。

然而真相是——为了跟数以百万计的app竞争，你要后继付出很大的努力来避免被出局。ASO仅仅不过是问题的一小部分而已，在如此激烈的竞争里，你会需要很多“传统”营销手段来叫卖你的app（从社交媒体营销到内容营销、广告以及PR）。

还有最后一点：真的别放任你的app在那里就不管了。如果你不管它，那你的用户也会跟你一样不再理它了——然后就没有然后了。

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

Apps are dead. Apps will rule the world. Despite the amount of analysis and hypothesis, the future of mobile apps is clearly still uncertain. What is evident is that, right now, we are talking about a global market estimated to grow to 143 billion dollars.

As opportunities rise, so does competition. The only way to respond to the app store competition is to get better at it. You do not just need to know what to do; you also must understand what ‘not’ to do. Here we highlight the most common myths about the app store optimization (ASO). Mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.

In the recent years, apps have replaced desktop computers and mobile browsers as the main tool to access the Internet. We have reached one billion smartphones in the whole world; that means apps have become a critical touch point in the digital customer journey.

Be it smartphone, tablet, smartwatch or wearable technology, people are downloading apps; people are buying apps; people are using apps. Just think about your average day. You rely on them to:

Check the weather forecasts;
Track & measure your morning fitness activities;
Verify your meetings in the calendar;
Control the email box;
Find the fastest way to the office;
Receive discounts and buy your favorite products;
Reserve a table at a restaurant and then review the experience;
Get back home using someone else’s car;
Post your daily thoughts and pictures on social networks;
Chat with your friends.
Users evidently prefer free apps, but they also gladly spend their money if they get in exchange apps that increase productivity or offer something new and different. You can have the best app in the world but, if you do not know how to market it, you will not gain any consent.

With in-apps purchases and advertising, in fact, the mobile applications ecosystem cannot be considered a closed box anymore. What we have here is a broader market with huge investments and revenues (both for developers and other related industries).

Competing with over 3 million mobile apps available for the major mobile operating systems – iOS, Android, Windows Phone – how can you overcome the others and get customers’ attention? To make money on apps, your app needs to be seen. Here is where app store optimization comes in handy.

Said that the mere number of downloads is swiftly losing all its weight when measuring the success of a mobile app strategy, that is still the first thing that managers would see. The potential to drive large amounts of downloads at no cost, therefore, is still enticing to any developer.

While still overlooked, app store optimization is an incredibly important opportunity. Just like search engine optimization, though, ASO is a marketing science that requires time and devotion. It has specific rules, tips, and threats. In a few words, it demands a knowledge of what you are doing.

Searching is still the most popular way to discover apps: roughly 65% of app purchasers search, discover and purchase apps browsing the app store. Without the right approach, your app could get lost in the crowd. The right approach involves the ability to deploy best practices and to avoid common mistakes.

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the best practices in app store optimization, and how you can leverage the store to make it an integral part of the digital customer experience. Here we are going to bust the many misconceptions that might misguide you in your path to mobile marketing success.

MYTH 1. YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR TITLE OFTEN

As stated by Ankit Jain, head of Google Play search, the title is the most important metadata in the store optimization. That said, you do not really need to change the title every once in a while to reach higher rankings. Adding keywords, mixing keywords or even changing the name of the product will not ensure you any advantage. On the contrary, it may harm your strategy.

Pick a title and stick to it. The title is your best tool in the app store optimization, make sure it is short, unique and memorable; and ultimately include all relevant keywords, without stuffing keywords in it.

MYTH 2. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE KEYWORDS

We do not want to deny the importance of keywords, still one of the foundational elements of online – and mobile – optimization. What we want to point out is that keywords alone will not help you reach the first places in the ‘most downloaded’ list. If you just developed a great gaming app, just putting the ‘game’ keyword everywhere can’t be called optimization.

App stores have the same dynamics of traditional search engines, so you always need to work on your relevant keywords. However, you should never force them. Focus on the customer experience, be sure they are relevant and make sense in the context.

MYTH 3. IT IS ALL ABOUT DOWNLOADS & RATINGS

Judging from ads and press releases, you might be misled to think that ratings and the number of downloads are the two key performance indicators you need to track to measure success. Ratings, of course, are a good signal of how customers consider your efforts; the download number is a signal of short term success. However, then?

Then you need a long-term digital strategy that involves all aspects of app publishing and distribution. Ratings do impact on user’s perception; they do not affect app store rankings. Five stars make a good impression; they do not make your ranking.

MYTH 4. DESCRIPTION IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT

When you try to sell something, the first thing you do is to describe the value of your product, the uniqueness of its features. Easy, not? Well, not for many developers that still believe the description is an ‘extra’, not a mandatory element of the app store presence. This is a dangerous myth, and it can kill your efforts, leaving you app into oblivion.

Description is probably the second major element in ASO, right after the title. While not directly linked with rankings, it has a great role in the store algorithm. Don’t try to stuff it with keywords, just focus on the natural incorporation of keywords in what you are describing. Moreover, remember that apps now show up in Google’s result pages too.

MYTH 5. BEING ON THE APP STORE IS ENOUGH

This is a die-hard myth: now that you are on the app store, hidden somewhere, you do not really need other work. Everything will happen as a some sort of magic, and downloads will flow as a mere consequence of you being there. Some still believe that as long as your app is there, people will find it. You do not need to advertise it; you do not even need to update it.

The truth is, with millions of apps available, it will take much collateral work to avoid failure. ASO is just one piece of the puzzle, and the competition is so fierce that you will need more ‘traditional’ marketing methods to sell it (from social media marketing to content marketing, advertising and PR).

And one last thing: do not abandon your app on the store. When you do it, your customers will do it too. So it will fade away.（source：gamasutra.com  ）