How to Choose a Great Name for Your App

There are over 3 million apps in major app stores and maybe one thousand more are added every single day. In this continuously growing market, it’s fairly important to get found when users are looking for your app. In that case, there are a few questions that need to be asked. “In which ways do users search for the app they need?” may be one of them, or “How can I increase the visibility of my app?” Well, here is the answer:

According to a Nielsen survey, over 60% of app users find apps via app store searches or hear about them from friends or family. So, ranking higher in the app store searches can be achievable with ASO, needless to say –  and spreading the news to your friend and family about your app (good for branding at the beginning) will be the best bet to increase download numbers. In this article, we are going to explain the optimization of app name/title that affects both ASO efforts and branding. Here are some tips and tricks:

First of all, There are Rules…

Before beginning, you need to know the limitations of Google Play and the App Store. You can use a maximum of 30 characters in Google Play and a maximum of 255 characters in the App Store for your app name/title. Before you ask, yes, spaces are included in this limit.

Choosing A Good Name

App name is your first, and in some cases, may be the only chance at making the first impression. If we look at the Nielsen Survey again, a large sum of users found your app from their families or friends. In that case, choosing a short, memorable name would be a good decision for branding success. However, remember that 61% of users use app store searches to find an app they need and it’s vital to rank higher in app store searches. So, choosing a longer, keyword-rich name/title would be a wise decision too. What will it be? Are you going to choose a shorter name for branding or a longer one for search pages rankings?

Well, the answer is a bit of both I think. You should keep your name short enough to be catchy and recognizable, and long enough to be keyword-rich for good rankings. That means you should separate your title like “brand name + key function”. Google also recommends doing it like this. You should choose a unique relevant brand name and add the highest impact long-tail keywords within the limit of 6-8 words. Here are a few good examples:

Don’t Do That, Please Don’t…

We tried to explain what you should do to choose a great name for your app. Well, here is what you should avoid:

• Don’t use a crappy name. Remember it’s your brand, so you should choose a unique, catchy and lastly, and maybe the most importantly, a name that is relevant to your app.
• Don’t exaggerate adding keywords to your app title. Even if you remain within the limits, longer title may be considered as spam and Apple may refuse your app.
• Lastly, don’t try to steal people’s ideas and fame by choosing a familiar name of successful and renowned apps. Naming your game something or “Clash of the Clans” or “Candy Crush Sega” will do you no good.

We try to explain the DOs and DONTs about choosing a great and effective name to increase the visibility and downloads of your app. If we have missed anything, please be sure to leave a reply in the comments section.