[ASO Index 2022]
Which apps need App Store Optimization?

Find out in the Asodesk's comprehensive market research ASO Index 2022
We have been working with Asodesk for five years. Every year, their team improves the service and adds new features that optimize our work. Asodesk offers a user-friendly interface, fast support, accurate positions, as well as useful, essential tools that cover the entire scope of our tasks.
5.58 million
61,2%
installs of a kids' game
from Google Play Search in 2 years


conversion rate from App Store Search for one of the games


Anna,
Head of ASO at DEVGAME
App page of Masha and The Bear app in the App Store
July, 2022
Logo of DEVGAME
DEVGAME
DEVGAME is an international full-cycle company developing mobile games for kids from 1 to 6 years old and their parents. We create games with popular brands such as "Masha and the Bear", "Kid-E-Cats", "Robocar Poli", and others.

The company's mission is to make high-quality, trustworthy educational mobile games for kids, giving their parents free time.

We are currently working with 12 major animation studios and as of 2022 have released more than 50 kids' games on the App Store and Google Play.

In 2021 alone, DEVGAME games were downloaded 62 million times, and in Google Play and the App Store, they are constantly in the top categories of different countries. Their most successful project was the game "Masha and the Bear Pizzeria!", which was downloaded over 5 million in the first month alone.
Sphere specifics: both kids and parents need to like your product
The main difficulty of kids' games is that you need to appeal to both kids and their parents. Therefore, when optimizing the page in the store, we conduct A/B testing: we create different visuals and text options for kids and their parents and see which work better.

Also, a significant flow of reviews for games comes from Google Play, where we have more installs. Because of this, the rating of games in this store is constantly changing and we constantly need to stay on top of it.

It's good news that in our sphere, kids often give cool ideas for new features in the game because kids are especially creative and imaginative.
!
When optimizing the page in the store, we conduct A/B testing: we create different visuals and text options for kids and their parents and see which work better.
How we work on ASO
Our team includes four ASO specialists, who are responsible for creating the app page and optimizing its install conversion. We regularly work on ASO:

1. Analyze the competitors

We use the Competitors tool to see our competitors' positions. And if you open a competitor and go to App Profile, you can see screenshots, descriptions, and app ratings, as well as their latest updates.
The Competitors tool on Asodesk allows DEVGAME to see their competitors' positions per keyword from the semantic core
Comparison of app positions with its competitors in Competitors tool
2. Monitor app positions

In Keyword Analytics, you can track the app's current position and view its history of changes for the selected keyword.
In Keyword Analytics, DEVGAME checks the app's position by keyword and its changes over the desired period
Position history by keywords in the Keyword Ranking Chart
3. Look for new keyword queries

In addition to brainstorming keywords with the team, the Keyword Explorer tool helps us find relevant suggestions in the App Store and Google Play.
Keyword Explorer helps DEVGAME check search results and view search suggestions from the App Store and Google Play
Keyword Explorer helps to check search results and view search suggestions
4. Regularly update metadata in 18 languages

In Keyword Analytics and Keyword Explorer, you can collect suggestions, as well as track your app's positions in over 100 countries.

5. Constantly generate optimization hypotheses

We work with visualization in the App Store and Google Play and conduct A/B tests together with the design department.

We use a creative approach to prepare the graphics, and the app often benefits from this. For example, after changing this icon to its summer version, there was a 26% increase in installs.
Old and new icon of the game “Kid-E-Cats Sea Adventure Games”
Old icon
New icon
With each iteration, we try to expand the semantic core, increase the number of impressions, and boost our games to the top.

We can track our ASO managers' work in the ASO Comparative Report. The screenshot below is a good example of how with each iteration the number of queries our app is ranked for increased.
ASO Comparative Report allows DEVGAME to track the growth of their positions for queries in the App Store and Google Play
Growth of app positions over the year
ASO Comparative Report in Asodesk
How we work with reviews
ASO managers are responsible for the entire flow of reviews in the store in each team, while ASO Lead oversees their work and ensures that all reviews are responded to, problematic reviews are passed on to the right departments, and the app rating retains a high level.

The ASO manager allocates two days a week to work with reviews. After a release, they often need to extend this time. We use templates for replies and update them frequently. The Templates tool in Asodesk allows you to create templates yourself or use ready-made templates.
Templates in Asodesk allows DEVGAME to add templates for responses to reviews
Templates in Asodesk allows DEVGAME to add templates for responses to reviews
In general, we adhere to the following policy:

1. We respond to all reviews: both negative and positive. By responding to positive reviews, we increase user loyalty and turn new players into permanent players.

2. We pay special attention to featured reviews in regions that are important to us since they are a "business card" for an app.

When working with featured reviews, Featured Reviews is our best assistant. In this tool, you can select the desired country and view only featured reviews for several countries at once.
Featured Reviews helps DEVGAME track featured reviews across multiple countries
Featured Reviews in Asodesk
3. We track bugs and collect feedback about updates, which we pass to other departments. Players often write about bugs after updates, as well as share ideas for future development. By solving problems and releasing new features, we encourage users to return to the app more often and use it for longer.

It's really handy that in Rating Analysis and Reviews Analysis, you can track analytics for your latest version, as well as analyze the mood of users after the update is released and check which of the users liked the best.
Reviews Analysis allows DEVGAME to track analytics for the latest app version
Reviews Analysis allows DEVGAME to track analytics for the latest app version
In general, this work brings us a significant increase in conversion and revenue. Read more on how analyzing reviews helped us increase app revenue by 48% and boost the rating from 2.4 to 4.1.
We reached 3.31 million installs for the game "Masha and the Bear Pizza Maker" from Google Play Search in a year
Our efforts included:

1. Updating metadata 1038 times (an increase of 661 iterations from the previous year).

2. Conducting 566 A/B tests.

3. Attaining the highest page view to app download conversion rate of 61.20% for the "Blue Tractor: Toddler Learning" app in the App Store Search for TA 0-3 years.

4. Achieving the highest app download conversion rate of 51.18% for the "Masha and the Bear Pizzeria!" app in the App Store Search for TA 3-6 years.

5. "Kid-E-Cats: Supermarket Game!" became our most installed app from search for the year and gained about 898 thousand installs in the App Store. On Google Play, the game "Masha and the Bear Pizza Maker" received 3.310 million installs in a year and 5.58 million in two years.
  • Julia
    Content Manager, Asodesk
    Anna, why did you choose Asodesk?
  • Anna
    Head of ASO at DEVGAME
    We have been working with Asodesk for five years. Every year, their team improves the service and adds new features that optimize our work. Asodesk offers a user-friendly interface, fast support, accurate positions, as well as useful, essential tools that cover the entire scope of our tasks.
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