iGaming Business magazine Mobile Gaming Outlook 2017 | Page 20

Mobile Gaming Outlook 2017
IOS 11:
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
FOR IGAMING OPERATORS
The upcoming release of Apple’s next operating system will force a number
of changes on the app store ecosystem. App store optimisation consultant
Matthew Balch examines how the market will adjust.
Back in June at its annual Worldwide
Developers Conference, Apple announced
a range of updates due to take effect with
the release of its new iOS 11 operating
system in September.
From augmented reality to an improved
Siri and revolutionised iPad, iOS 11
promises to be the most radical operating
system update for years. But what are
the opportunities for gambling operators
which thrive in the app store ecosystem and
categorise app store optimisation (ASO) as a
unique acquisition channel?
This article aims to identify some of the
key changes and opportunities presented by
iOS 11 and offer tips on how brands can take
advantage to enhance their ASO.
App title shortened…
The app ‘title’ is being reduced from a
maximum 50 characters to 30. On the
surface, it might seem that the aim of this
measure is to ensure that all app titles fit
within the app store’s new design layout.
More likely, this reduction has been
created as a measure to eradicate keyword
duplication (or stuffing) within the title, which
typically can lead to a poor user experience.
Historically, we know that the app
store algorithm places greater weight on
keywords used within the title, so this leaves
developers with some difficult choices
to make when selecting keywords to go
alongside the app’s brand name.
For example, use a niche keyword term
like ‘free spins’ or ‘in-play’ (both of which
describe key USPs) and developers risk
using keywords with a lower search volume
within prime real estate.
Alternatively, use standard, generic
keywords like ‘football’, ‘betting’, ‘casino’ or
‘bingo’ and developers run the risk of being
seen as ‘just another gambling app’ among
heavy competition.
It is therefore possible that developers
with the shortest brand names could be the
“Developers with the shortest brand names
could be the winners, as they are likely to be able
to fit two-to-three non-brand keywords within their
title alongside their brand name, thus boosting
their keyword density”
68 | iGamingBusiness | Issue 106 | September/October 2017
winners, as they are likely to be able to fit
two-to-three non-brand keywords within
their title alongside their brand name, thus
boosting their keyword density.
In this scenario, it is worth testing the use
of generic vs niche keyword terms within the
app’s title to understand whether the app can:
a) r  ank high(er) for a niche term if used
within the title — it is more advantageous
to rank in the top 10 for a term with a
lower search volume than rank below 20
for a term with a higher search volume; or
b) maintain keyword rank and the same
volume of terms generated by standard,
generic terms if moved away from the
title into the meta keyword field
..but new ‘sub titl e’ field to compensate
While a 40% reduction in the keyword
character limit within the app title feels
like an unwelcomed disadvantage for
developers, this has been offset by the
introduction of a new 30-character ‘sub title’
field that will sit directly below the app title.
With words used within this field also
due to index as search meta keywords,
developers can now enjoy a 6.6% increase
in the number of keyword characters that
may be indexed overall (if we include the
meta keyword field, which is due to remain
at 100 characters).
Keyword capacity aside, the addition of
the ‘sub title’ feels like a highly user-friendly
measure to encourage developers to describe
their app’s core value offering or USP in
a way that is concise and clearly visible.