So you’ve just had your business’s first mobile app created and it looks fantastic, but who is going to see it? In a world where mobile apps for your business are almost starting to rival the need for a general company website, ‘App Store Optimization’ (ASO), or the process of making your app more relevant in app store searches, is one that is quickly starting to compete with standard Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices in terms of general importance. Today, getting a mobile app in front of the face of your consumer is almost as important as creating the app itself.

Below are 5 great strategies that will give your app the upper hand:

1. Start Marketing Your App in Advance of its Release

Having a finished app to post a link to is great, but you don’t need to wait until your app is completed to start drumming up awareness and traffic. Determining a target market for your app is the first step of this process. Knowing who is going to use your app allows you to target the appropriate discussion boards, online groups, and internet forums most relevant to your potential app users. Start discussing the app’s future release, its use, and its features. don’t be shy to ask for feedback. These groups are full of potential early adopters and your app isn’t the first one they will use. You will create early awareness for your app and might get some very constructive advice along the way.

2. Don’t Forget About Social Media!

Long passed are the days where social media marketing was considered a seldom used tool. Today, almost any marketing campaign includes a social media arm, and creating noise for your mobile app is no exception. Having a frequently updated Facebook page and Twitter profile funnels a good amount of consumer traffic, so why not let them know about your upcoming (or already released) mobile app? Posting links, pictures, videos of the app’s use, and comments in general translate into more attention for your app and more users too. But don’t stop there, utilizing sites like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Tumblr will only help your cause so don’t leave any social media rock unturned!

3. Blogging is Best

Blogging has carved out a great niche for itself for generating internet attention. In the world of search engine optimization, content is king and in the world of content, the blog stands at the top of the hill. Talk about your app, why its important, and why your consumer needs it but don’t stop there. Getting others to blog about your app is arguably more important than blogging about it yourself. Remember those internet forums and discussion boards? Well, it might be time to revisit them. Getting bloggers with solid followings to blog about or even just link to or mention your app generates a large amount of attention and makes your app more relevant on search engine queries at the same time. Don’t forget to link your blog back to your social media outlets either.

4. App Store Optimization (ASO)

As we mentioned above, ASO is continually growing as a mainstay avenue for app promotion and if you’re unfamiliar with the process, it’s time for a short lesson on the key steps you should be taking to ensure your app isn’t at the bottom of the app store food chain. Peter van der Graaf outlines some key strategies for successful app store optimization that are absolutely worth checking out, but here’s a general summary of what he points out:

Similar to search engine optimization, keywords and relevant phrases play a large role in increasing your app’s relevancy when coming up in an app store search. Associating specific phrases and keywords in the app’s name, description, and publisher information will influence the priority your app takes in app store queries. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Check out Peter van der Graaf’s article on ASO for a more in depth look into the process.

5. Get Reviewed

In today’s age, the consumer doesn’t simply walk into their local Best Buy to purchase a TV; he or she will browse the internet for product reviews and customer testimonials before making any investment into a product. Today’s product needs validation, and the world of mobile apps is no exception. Getting your target market on board means letting them know that your app is worth their time, and just telling your audience that your app is great doesn’t cut it. A good review from sites like Cnet Reviews and Mashable are more often than not the validating nod given to app users to go ahead and download an app, and getting a favorable review from one of these sites can do wonders for your number of downloads. But don’t stop with just one or two reviews, there are plenty of reviewers out there and pages of positive attention to go with them. If you’re using an iOS platform, be sure to check out this exhaustive list of reviewers by their Alexa ranking.

Remember, more reviews lend themselves to more attention, and more attention leads to better search relevancy. Get relevant, garner your consumer’s attention, and get your app out there.