iOS 14 Updates: What it means for ASO & Organic Mobile Growth
Apple is releasing the new iOS 14 in September. We’ve analyzed its new feature to see how it will affect ASO & overall organic traffic acquisition.
What’s new in the iOS 14 App Store for ASO?
1. Feature Cards
With the new updates, Collection cards are now shown in detailed view. Previously if your app was in second position after the collection card, users needed only to skip one card to reach your app. Now, however with iOS 14 two apps from the Collection card are shown in the search results. Your organic position is then bumped to third position, being congested by two additional apps. This increases competition and the chances that users will be interested in the first two apps on display from the Collection card.
This new change has the potential to seriously damage your app’s organic downloads. The Collection cards are available for a multitude of popular search terms and will appear as users’ organic search results.
2. Auto correction for search terms with typos
Another adjustment deals with auto correct. Many app developers and ASO analysts would, wisely, develop strategies to rank for search terms with typos. Spelling mistakes are rampant with complex brand names and even every day words. Making the most of these typos was a strategy many would maximize.
With iOS 14, the App Store will automatically correct misspellings and show the correct search term with its corresponding search results.
3. Auto-complete for search terms
In addition to auto correct, the App Store will also automatically complete the search term for the users. As a user types, the first available hint in the list will show up to complete the search. This can either be beneficial or detrimental in terms of organic traffic depending on the popularity of the search terms: organic traffic will increase for popular search terms and brand names while harming traffic for hints at the end of the suggested list.
4. The impact of Privacy
User privacy and ASO have not been blatantly correlated however, as privacy becomes a growing concern in Western markets there is a growing impact on ASO. With the new iOS 14, app pages will require to include a privacy card and more importantly, users will have “Limited Ad Tracking” (LAT) by default.
While this change might go unnoticed by most users, it will have major consequences for App developers and media buyers. This change will force advertisers to put more emphasis on App Store data. Data from ASO, such as monitoring store traffic or analyzing keyword trends, will become more valuable and insightful.
5. App Clips
iOS 14 released a new feature with App Clips, small version of apps that can be used without being installed. Users will use these apps when it comes to QR codes, links or using a pin in Maps. App Clips will give users a chance to test the apps and easily install the complete app if they choose.
For ASO, this feature will help user exploration and provide opportunities for apps to get noticed. It gives users an opportunity to discover what the App Store has to offer. The App Clip card itself will have a title, subtitle and call to action. Apple will also allow developers to customize metadata based on location. In this case the creative assets will play a crucial role in encouraging installs. Developers are anxious to see the effects of App Clips on organic acquisitions.
Summary
This was a short overview of how iOS 14 will affect ASO. We will continue to research and track the new iOS when it is released to help the ASO community optimize ways to rank higher for keywords and increase organic installs.
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