App Growth Talks: Simon Thillay
This is an episode of App Growth Talks, interviews with mobile marketing, user acquisition, ASO and growth experts. This episode’s special guest is Simon Thillay, Head of ASO at AppTweak. Simon is an expert on app store optimization and mobile growth.
In this interview, Simon shares important things about the mobile industry you should know about, ASO techniques that drive visibility on the app stores, his thoughts on Apple Search Ads and interrelation between paid and organic UA and much more. In this App Growth Talk, you will also find mobile A/B testing and localization tips, insights on iOS 15 and iOS 16 features and beyond.
Below, you will find timecodes, key topics and some thoughts Simon shared during the interview, while other interesting comments, insights & tips you will find out by watching the interview.
00:55 Simon, could you please share how you started your career and why your choice fell on the mobile industry, and ASO in particular?
03:33 What are the most important things you’ve learned during all these years working in the industry?
- That it’s important to always think about the user’s perspective, user context.
- Be able to look beyond just a face value of a metric.
07:04 Are there any ASO techniques that drive visibility on the app stores?
One thing, I believe, is underestimated today is using app clips on the App Store.
Watch the interview to find out more.
10:10 Simon’s opinion on Apple Search Ads and interrelation between Apple Search Ads and ASO
- There is definitely an interrelation.
- It’s a very interesting tool and it’s important combine both ASO and Apple Search Ads if you’re trying to boost your acquisition strategy around search.
More details find in the video of the interview.
13:10 By the way, should you bet on the organic user acquisition or on the paid one in 2022/2023?
If you have a budget, do both. And if you have different people or teams doing it, ensure that they speak to each other. Your budget will be best spent if you work together and build the synergy between the two channels.
14:12 Is it possible to scale with ASO only?
18:00 Why ASO is not the same as SEO
- In ASO, you’re only given one page to say as much as you can about all features and your entire product.
- When you do SEO, you could think of having one landing page for each feature.
19:20 Do you run A/B tests? If so, what are your best practices?
Watch the App Growth Talk to find out, and check SplitMetrics Optimize.
22:30 Why you cannot be 100% confident in the results of A/B tests and why you still need A/B testing
24:54 Have you taken advantage of relatively recent App Store features – custom product pages and PPO?
You might find it interesting: Custom Product Pages and Product Page Optimization: What to Test
28:35 And what about iOS 16, do you keep an eye on the updates?
30:40 Have you noticed any peculiarities of app promotion for specific markers? I mean, are there any tips, for example, for ASO in Asian markets?
That’s one of the most interesting games in ASO – trying to learn how you can culturalize you app store page and possibly even your app.
You might find it interesting: Complete App Localization Guide
35:30 To finish up, could you please name a few trends you’re excited about?
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