In this lesson you'll learn how best to use the iTunes keyword property,
common mistakes in selecting keywords, and
gain an understanding of the overall workflow and localization process.
All search optimization starts with keyword research.
These three stages don't change too much from traditional SEO.
We start with gathering, gathering keywords that could be relevant.
You could do this by looking at other competitors, talking to product or
marketing teams, looking at the copy that's been written for this app.
But in some way, you need to start by gathering keywords.
Next stage is to ideate, or to think about how to take those keyword ideas and
begin to filter them for volume, for opportunity, for relevance.
And as you narrow that list, then deciding on which keywords to start with,
looking at ways to reduce and
refine the list to those that are most relevant for this particular app.
Unique to the iOS is this keyword property.
It's not visible to users, but
it's a great way to embed keywords into the platform.
Some traits of this keyword field are that there's only 100 character keyword limit.
I suggest you think in order of priority, and
do this primarily because as you localize these terms, those that are longer
may not fall within the 100 characters as they're translated into other languages.
So put your priority terms first.
You want to think about brand terms, phrases, and
non-brand terms that mark the highest search relevance.
And finally, ensure that these keywords are aligned with your product and
marketing teams to generate the most interest for your end user goals.
Sensor Tower is a tool I'll share more about later.
They have a nice worksheet here on the selection process that includes relevance,
determining those keywords you can get into the top ten, and
taking into account their difficulty score.
Looking at traffic, difficulty,
and the number of apps already trying to rank for that particular keyword.
This can be a great way to pinpoint your opportunity for
a keyword before you finalize them.
Some common mistakes with selecting keywords are looking for
keywords that simply have the highest search volume or traffic.
This is no different than in traditional SEO.
Unless you have visibility and relevance for
those terms, ranking for them may not help you achieve your goals.
Also, adding keywords to the title or description, as we've covered,
except in the case of Google, does not guarantee high rankings.
It simply gives you another portion of the layout in which you can
communicate your content and meaning.
It's recommended that you test your keywords and
you vary them with different launches.
You can do this by examining other apps in your category, testing constantly and
making updates with each new launch, and
thinking about how you want to evaluate the traffic, the difficulty, and
the competition for various terms that you use.
Sensor Tower, again, has a nice platform on how to do this.
Now once you've determined the right keywords, if you'd like your app to be
found in other countries, you'll need to localize it.
Perhaps just for a small handful of countries to start,
but you want to think about translation versus localization.
Any localization agency or someone who's spent time in the world of
translation will understand that context and culture matter, and
that keyword localization should be done on a per geo basis.
You start with an app being optimized, then you're localizing that content.
It's being reviewed by the regional or geo teams, finally validated again by
whoever owns the app store optimization, and then that app is launched.
To do this process effectively does require training and
the buy-in of those committed to app localization to get it right.
Updating of keywords almost requires a process workflow to get it right.
At the time that the app update is announced,
you want to pull the keyword performance from iTunes or Google Play.
You can analyze those keywords using some of the external tools I'll share shortly,
and look at other ranking factors that might help with the analysis.
Have a meeting with the development or product marketing teams,
whoever ultimately needs to approve of the keywords.
And then submit those keywords in the US iTunes Store or
whatever your main country of launch is.
Submit those keywords for translation and localization.
And once received back, also add them to the geo categories that you're
going live in, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, China, for example.
And then schedule keyword performance reviews with the development or
marketing teams.
And coordinate the next time they expect to see the app updated,
whether it's a month or two months out so that you can be prepared for
updating keywords again at that time.
In summary, keyword research is the essence of SEO, and
therefore app store optimization as well.
Every digital search platform operates in a similar manner.
Unique to apps is the refined and limited search property field.
It's really by coordinating your keyword research strategy with your app reviews
and app updates that you make regular progress.
Your keywords should not remain static, but change frequently as you add or
subtract with each new launch based on performance, and
improve your overall marketing approach.
Dave LloydSenior Manager, Global Search Marketing
