SEO for Apps

There are over 600,000 apps in Apple’s App Store; the Android Market is catching up rapidly with 500,000. The most popular choices for 2011 were games, followed by applications for Facebook, Skype, Twitter, Google Maps, and iBooks. Whether your specific app falls into one of these categories or under the countless others, it can be incredibly difficult to get noticed. App developers are facing the same issue that website developers have been dealing with for years: visibility. Since more websites are creating apps for mobile devices, optimization is important. What can you do to help consumers find you?
As you would with a website, it is important to incorporate your brand name. Amazon.com; Google.com; Apple.com; Facebook.com. Notice a theme; each has its brand name in the website URL. Do the same for your app. The name you choose should also serve as the link anchor text in the App Store or Android Market; this boosts visibility in searches. So, instead of using:
Available on Android/App Store
for your anchor text, you would use:
Download XYZ iPhone App. (Or) Get the XYZ App for Android.
You also want to provide a description of what your app does; many apps make the mistake of touting the wonderful quality of their app without actually saying what it does. This is a good way to get consumers to hit the back button and find an app that provides the information they need to make a purchase (or download) decision.
Choosing your primary and secondary app category is crucial so consumers can find you more easily, but some categories, like the broad, Lifestyle, have tens of thousands of apps. To optimize further, use relevant keywords, particularly in your title. Insert secondary keywords in your description.
While these tricks can help your app get noticed, even the most thorough SEO efforts will be fruitless if you do not create a high-quality app. In terms of websites, content is king; for apps, quality is. Focus on this first.

Posted by Gurdeep Matharu, Senior Account & Business Development Manager at Bullseye Media