ASO Expert Interview: Agata Jajszczyk

This week, our featured ASO Expert is Agata Jajszczyk, ASO manager at Adapt Worldwide. Discover her interview and her exclusive ASO tips below!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your company?

I’ve been working at Adapt Worldwide (formerly Traffic Optimiser) for 3.5 years now. We are a full suite multilingual digital agency focused on helping our clients attain growth at home and abroad. ASO is one of our core offerings. We provide multilingual market localisation, keyword research and analysis, description optimisation, screenshot creation, online PR, consulting, and much more.

2. For how long have you been involved in ASO or app marketing?

I have a background in SEO and started working in ASO in December 2014, when it was still a fledgling technique. The most exciting part then was the learning and testing that was necessary for me to get started.

3. What was it about this industry that made you choose it as a primary job?

The fact that the mobile landscape keeps changing all of the time and that ASO in particular is about experimenting, constantly improving processes, and tailoring recommendations to each client.

4. How do you see the world of ASO and App marketing evolving?

They way we discover and interact with apps may change so much in the next 5 years, that most of the current techniques might actually become obsolete. Successful app marketers will be those who are able to quickly adapt to these evolving circumstances. That’s why we put so much emphasis on knowledge and learning in our company, and are looking forward to the upcoming advancements in search and discovery. Our eyes should be open to new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, voice search, machine learning and AI.

5. What should be the biggest focus for app developers and marketers in 2017?

I think the biggest focus should be put on Search Ads, but not only from a paid acquisition perspective, but because of the insights about search volume on keywords that the console gives us. This data can (and should) be extrapolated when localising your app store presence abroad. It’s an invaluable source of information about how people search for apps in the stores.

For me, the second most exciting opportunity for app marketers will be the introduction of Google’s Instant Apps which have the potential to revolutionise the way we approach app promotion. If Instant Apps catch on, more emphasis will be put on deep linking and the app’s web presence. New discovery channels for apps may also emerge, such as voice assistants for example.

6. What was your favourite app in 2016?

Blackbox, because it’s so clever and different.

7. Tell us about your most challenging ASO “experiment”

The most challenging part of my work so far was managing ASO projects in linguistically demanding markets such as Russia, Japan or Thailand: there is a ton of information that we have to learn from native-speakers before we are able to make the best recommendations. At the same time, it’s very rewarding to work with people of different cultures and languages.

8. Tell us about your experience with AppTweak and give us your favourite feature.

The experience has been very good so far, I like the interface and how everything is clear and intuitive. Sometimes the tool does not handle big lists of keywords well and it takes some time before you can download all of the data, but at the same time it’s far quicker than some other tools I’m using. My favourite features:

• Volume metric based on Search Ads popularity index in the US
• Search Ads suggestions
• Auto-suggestions from Apple/Google Play in all languages
• Competitor tracking – I can get ranking data for several apps at once without having to check it one by one
• ASO Report – the ability to access full app titles, as well as short and long descriptions in a wide range of languages

9. Do you have any “Masterchef” ASO tips?

Do your research well when localising your app’s assets in different markets. Before you choose the best local keywords on iOS for instance, it is good to understand how different words are considered by the algorithm. So for example, in the French market, you will not rank for the plural version of a singular keyword (and vice-versa) – it is best to consider adding both options. You will rank for “application” automatically, but you will not rank for “appli”, which is a very common word for “app” in French. If you add a keyword with an accent, e.g. “réserver”, you will also rank for the version without the accent (“reserver”), but not always in the same position. It’s also good to test which keywords you rank for automatically on both platforms. Optimising on Google Play is more challenging, so focus on testing and performing ongoing changes to be sure you’re on top of your ASO.

Agata is ASO manager at Adapt Worldwide. Quickly adapting to the evolving trends, Agata and her team seek to learn the latest techniques and strategies to effectively boost app’s visibility and discoverability in the store across the globe.

Want to contact Agata? Find all details on her ASO Expert profile page.