When it comes to boosting traffic to your mobile application, it is essential to comprehend the diverse traffic origins for an effective app marketing strategy. Both Google Play and the App Store, being the primary app marketplaces, have distinct traffic sources that developers marketing an app and marketers must leverage.
App Store Optimization (ASO) is crucial for enhancing app search traffic, making it imperative to employ these strategies effectively.
Google Play and the App Store acquire traffic from three main sources:
- Search Traffic: This group consists of users who discover the app by searching for specific keywords. The app appears in the search results based on the relevance of the keywords. The traffic can be further segmented based on the different keywords used by users.
- Non-Search Traffic: This category includes users who come across the app while exploring sections within the app stores unrelated to search results. These users might encounter the app in featured or recommended sections and are directed to the app’s page upon clicking.
- External Traffic: Users in this group originate from sources outside of the app stores, such as social media advertisements, ads within other apps, blog posts, specific URLs, and other external channels.
Google Play Traffic Sources Google Play categorizes its traffic sources into three main categories: Search, Explore, and Referral.
- Google Play Search Traffic This represents users who visited the app’s product page after conducting a search directly on the platform and subsequently installed the app. Previously, Search traffic also included traffic from ads displayed in the store’s search results.
- Google Play Explore Traffic Explore traffic includes the number of unique users who discover the app on Google Play without using the search results. This category encompasses downloads from users who scroll through the Apps or Games tabs, browse category top charts, and download apps from the Similar Apps Cards.
- Third-Party Referrals This encompasses users who visit the store listing through non-organic traffic from sources outside of the Play Store, including external websites and ads.
App Store Traffic Sources The App Store divides its traffic into distinct categories:
- App Store Search Traffic This includes visits generated by users searching for apps using the search bar within the store, and also traffic from paid Apple search ad campaigns.
- App Store Browse Traffic This category encompasses users who explore the Today, Games, or Apps sections and eventually download the app from its product page. It also includes traffic attributed to in-app events or Apple Ads.
- App Referrer This accounts for traffic originating from users tapping on a link in another app and landing on the App Store product page of the app.
- Web Referrer Web Referrer refers to traffic resulting from a link on a website in the Safari web browser leading to the product page of an app. This category also includes web search traffic via Safari.