As a business owner, you’re probably always looking for new strategies that can help you expand your reach and increase conversions.
Have you ever considered developing a mobile app to act as an extension of your business?
A mobile app can be a great tool to help your business grow. Mobile apps are also great for search engine optimization (SEO) and make it easier for more people to find your business online.
Read on to learn more about SEO for apps and the steps you need to take to optimize your business’s mobile app.
Benefits of Mobile Apps for Businesses
There are lots of reasons why you might want to consider developing an app for your business. Some of the benefits of mobile apps include:
- Increase visibility at all times of day (and night)
- Market directly to your customers
- Provide your customers with additional value
- Increase brand recognition
- Increase customer engagement and loyalty
- Separate yourself from your competition
Of course, we also can’t deny the benefits of mobile apps for your business’s search engine optimization.
Benefits of Mobile Apps for SEO
Over the last few years, search engines have acknowledged that the majority of people rely on their smartphones to handle all kinds of online searches. In fact, nearly 60 percent of all online searches take place from a mobile device.
Because so many people are searching on mobile devices already, it only makes sense that search engines have started sharing listings for mobile apps at the top of search engine results pages.
Apps have now started to appear as organic links in people’s search engine results pages (SERPs) when they appear to be relevant to a person’s searches.
How to Handle SEO for Apps
Okay, you can see that mobile apps are good for SEO. It’s not enough just to develop an app, though. You need to optimize the app to increase the likelihood that it will show up in people’s search engine results.
There are a lot of good approaches you can take to optimize your business’s mobile app, including the following:
Give it the Right Name
First things first, you need to make sure you’ve named your app appropriately.
Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to make sure your app shares the name of your business or the name of a particular product or service that you offer. This helps to increase the chances of your app being found in the app store.
You may want to choose a couple of keywords that describe the app and place them next to the app’s names. Make sure the keywords are unique and relevant to your app and your business in general.
Do Keyword Research
Speaking of relevant keywords, make sure you’re doing keyword research when coming up with a name for your app.
Make sure you’re choosing keywords that describe your app accurately and fit in with your customers’ needs.
You can use Google’s keyword planning tool when doing keyword research, or you can check an online app store listing guide.
Make Use of App Indexing
App indexing is a great strategy that will help you make sure your app is visible in Google’s search results.
This is especially important for Android apps, as Google has confirmed that app indexing will now count as a ranking signal for those who use Android phones.
App indexing also adds an install button to your app’s listing.
This dramatically increases the chances that people are going to start using your app since it’s so easy and convenient for them to download it.
Add a Description
Adding a description to your app can help you optimize your app and boost its rankings in the app store.
Make sure your app description is relevant and illustrates the way your app works and why people ought to download it. Write clearly worded, grammatically correct sentences that clarify the purpose of your app for everyone.
Use the right keywords in your app description, too, but avoid overusing them — this is known as keyword stuffing.
Provide Screenshots
We all know about the importance of good visuals and design when it comes to SEO for websites. The same rules apply for app SEO, too.
Pictures help your app to stand out and give people a good idea of what they’re getting before they download it.
Provide screenshots in your app description to catch people’s eye and help them see what it looks like.
Get Ratings and Reviews
Positive ratings and reviews are essential if you want your app to show up in search engine results.
Reach out to your current customers and ask them to try your app and leave a positive review and rating in the app store. You might even want to create some kind of incentive to offer them in exchange for a review.
Have High-Quality Back Links
There are a lot of website optimization rules that also apply to app development SEO, including the importance of high-quality backlinks.
Add links to the download page or the app’s listing in the app store. This will help people find your app and increase the likelihood that they will download it.
Use Social Media
Finally, don’t forget to leverage social media to promote your app.
Share links to the download page on your social media profiles and encourage your customers to try it and share about their experience. The more people are talking about your app online, the better it will rank.
Looking for More Mobile App Advice?
- As you can see, there are lots of reasons why you might want to develop a mobile app for your business, including the fact that it can help boost your search engine rankings.
- Be sure to keep these tips in mind to make sure you’re handling SEO for apps in the proper way.
- Do you want to learn more about developing and optimizing mobile apps for your business?
- If so, be sure to check out the Technology section of our website today.
- You’ll find tons of helpful articles here, including information on the latest app development trends and tools.