The Essentials of App Localization for Marketers: Part 2

In the second part of our series on the essentials of app localization, we look at localizing and optimizing local app store listings, before moving on to choosing localization tools which enhance quality and collaboration, and make the app localization process more efficient. 

App store localization (ASO): Boosting visibility in local app stores

With millions of available apps (more than 2 million on the iOS App Store alone), it’s a competitive market.

Making your app discoverable requires more than just launching it in a new market—it requires App Store Optimization (ASO). Think of ASO as the app store version of SEO: while SEO optimizes web content to rank highly on search engines, ASO focuses on improving an app’s visibility, ranking, and downloads within app stores.

The goal of ASO is to increase organic downloads by ensuring the app ranks highly for relevant keywords and resonates with local users. To accomplish this, marketers should optimize critical metadata like keywords, titles, descriptions, and visuals (screenshots, previews) for the target audience..

Greater app store visibility helps  to increase organic download, and improve user engagement by making the app more discoverable and appealing.

For international app stores, app store localization is the practice of optimizing the metadata and description of your app to fit the languages and culture of your target  market. 

The success of app store localization depends on gaining an understanding of differences in user behaviors, language, and culture between countries. This is crucial to produce app store listings that resonate with target audiences and drive downloads. 

The work you have already carried out in translating and localizing your app for a new market forms the foundation of app store localization. The next step is to change your app’s title or name and subtitle, doescriptions, screenshots, app previews, and keywords to ensure your app is more relevant to the local  audience.

A listing which is optimized to account for language, cultural nuances, and regional preferences of its local  users is more likely to drive engagement and downloads.  For this reason, efforts to optimize app store listings are a key aspect of app localization. 

Key ASO tools and metrics to monitor

To streamline and enhance ASO efforts, specialized tools can provide insights and improve optimization results. Some popular ASO tools include:

• Sensor Tower: offers market intelligence, keyword analysis, and competitor insights to help choose the most effective keywords and monitor app performance.
• Mobile Action or TheTool: These solutions help track app store rankings, identify relevant keywords, and suggest improvements based on keyword traffic and competition.

Key metrics for ASO success

For marketers new to ASO, tracking the right metrics is essential for refining the strategy and gauging its effectiveness. Key ASO performance metrics to monitor include:

• Conversion rate: Measures the percentage of users who download the app after viewing the app store listing. Optimizing visuals and descriptions can improve this rate.
• Retention rate: Indicates how many users continue using the app after download, which can reveal how well localization resonates with the audience.
• Keyword rankings: Tracks the app’s ranking for target keywords in different locales, allowing marketers to adjust keywords to maintain visibility.

ASO is a powerful way to increase app downloads, but it requires continuous tracking and adjustment. By using the right tools and understanding ASO metrics, marketers can ensure that their app’s app store listing effectively attracts and engages target users in each local market.

How to localize app store listings 

(Our article on implementing app store localization, provides a more technical, step by step guide to the process. )

Research your target audience and keywords 

• The research you have carried out when localizing the app can feed into app store optimization. This will enable you to identify relevant keywords and tailor metadata and descriptions accordingly. 
• Translate and adapt keywords according to local search patterns and linguistic nuances. Ensure that keywords are relevant and frequently searched in the local language.

Localize app titles 

• Create a localized app title that includes the primary keyword and also conveys the app’s function or benefit. Ensure it is engaging  and resonates with  the local audience.
• Subtitles should also be localized, using additional keywords and highlighting the app’s key selling points.

Localize app descriptions

• Write a compelling and informative app description that resonates with local users. Highlight key features, benefits, and unique selling points. These descriptions should include localized keywords to enhance search visibility. Take care to ensure that keywords are integrated so that text remains engaging, and avoid any risk of keyword stuffing. 
• As well as keywords, the tone, style, and content should align with local cultural norms and include local references and examples where appropriate.

Localize imagery

• Create localized versions of app screenshots with captions translated, and relevant local features highlighted.
• Ensure that app icons are culturally relevant (and appropriate), and create promotional videos that appeal to local users. 
• To ensure that visuals are relevant and engaging to the target audience, use 

A/B testing in different markets to determine which versions perform best.

Localize app name

Ensure the localized app name maintains brand consistency and is easily recognizable and both understandable and appealing to local users.

Reviews and ratings

Reviews and ratings from local users can be a powerful driver of downloads, and can significantly impact rankings. Prompt local users to leave reviews and ratings in their native language, and respond to them to show e that you value their feedback.

Localize app updates

• Write localized release notes for app updates to inform users about new features, improvements, and bug fixes.. 
• Maintain a regular update schedule to show users that the app is actively supported and improved.

Track and optimize performance 

• Monitor KPIs like download numbers, engagement metrics and conversion and retention rates for localized app store listings. 
• Analyze performance data and user feedback to refine and optimize your localized listings, adjusting strategies to best suit each market. 

App localization tools 

App localization requires careful planning and attention to detail. However, the right localization technology can  take away some of the heavy lifting for marketers. 

Not all tools are the same, so it’s important to look at the following key factors when choosing your localization technology.

• In-context editing: In-context editing allows translators to see the text within the actual UI, reducing errors and ensuring the translation is contextually appropriate. This feature is particularly useful for mobile apps, where character limits and visual layout are critical.
• Translation memory and glossaries: Translation memory saves previously translated phrases, improving consistency across projects and speeding up future translations. Glossaries store key terminology and phrases, preserving brand voice and ensuring that essential terms are accurately localized.
• Automated workflows and task management: Look for tools with automated workflows that support task assignments, notifications, and progress tracking. This can significantly reduce administrative workload, enabling teams to focus more on localization quality.
• Machine translation (MT) and AI enhancements: Many tools offer machine translation options to speed up initial translations. Advanced AI language quality assessment capabilities , such as those found in Phrase, can ensure translation quality, particularly when used alongside human review.

Localization management

• User access rights. Choose a tool that allows easy management of multiple users with different access levels, essential for handling a mix of internal teams and external vendors.
• Task creation and progress monitoring. The ease of creating tasks and monitoring their progress will be essential as the process involves multiple tasks. Look for features that automate task assignments and progress notifications, streamlining the workflow. 
• Collaboration. Tools should support seamless communication and collaboration among team members. Integration with tools like Slack can enhance this capability.

Translation quality 

• Translation memory. A translation memory is a database pairing an original text with its approved translation in a set of languages. Select a tool with a robust translation memory to ensure consistency and quality.
• Glossaries.  Ensure the tool includes a glossary for key terms and a style guide to maintain brand consistency across all languages.
• Contextual translation. Tools should provide in-context editing, allowing translators to view where their translations will appear within the app, enhancing accuracy and relevance.

Time to market

• Early integration. Choose a tool that can be integrated early in the app development process, allowing designers and translators to work concurrently and avoid localization issues later. For example, early integration can ensure that designers are keeping their UX and UI flexible enough to accommodate various target languages. 
• Compatibility with design tools. Ensure the tool is compatible with design software like Sketch or Figma, enabling a smooth workflow for translators and designers.

Developer-Friendly Features

For development teams, it’s crucial that localization tools integrate seamlessly with the existing development pipeline, especially if following agile practices. Here are some best practices and tips to help integrate your chosen tool with development pipelines:

• Involve your tech team. An app localization tool needs to support your developers and improve their performance. To maximize your chances, involve them in the decision-making process from the start. 
• Technical integration. The best app localization tools should ensure easy integration with all the standard and most-used software and apps. 
• Software integrations. Check for integrations with essential developer tools such as GitHub for file repositories and Jira for bug tracking to streamline defect management and localization workflows.
• CI/CD pipeline integration: Choose a tool that integrates with your CI/CD pipeline (such as Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitLab CI) to automate updates as soon as translations are completed. This ensures that new language versions are available for testing and release without interrupting the development flow.
• Source control integration: Tools that integrate with Git repositories (e.g., GitHub or Bitbucket) allow version control for localization files. This integration enables developers to pull new translations into their codebase quickly and helps maintain consistency across versions.
• Design tool compatibility: For a seamless user experience, it’s helpful if localization tools are compatible with design software such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD. This compatibility allows designers to create UI layouts that accommodate different languages, avoiding issues like text overflow or layout misalignment in localized versions.

Summary 

The process of app localization can be a complex and potentially lengthy process. By following these steps carefully, and through attention to the key details, performance of apps in new markets can be optimized effectively. 

Throughout the process, App localization tools are essential to ensure accuracy and quality of translation, to enhance collaboration, to speed up the time to market, and ultimately to produce a fully localized app which appeals to local users.