ASO for dating apps: research, strategy, promotion — Start:Duck

Today, dating apps are a thriving industry. According to Business of Apps, it generated nearly $5 billion in revenue for key players in 2022. The competition in it is already quite high, but there are still vacant niches in this segment that are available for new startups.

Would you like to take advantage of this unique opportunity and take your place in a rapidly growing market? You will need to develop not only a product, but also a strategy for promoting it in app stores (ASO). I wonder how to do this? Then we'll show you how ASO optimization works for the dating segment.

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Services market overview

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Tinder remains the undisputed leader in the digital dating market. This project has become popular due to its simplicity. To choose a pair in it, just make the famous “swipe to the right”. If users like each other, they are invited to chat.

Other major applications include:

1. Bumble is a project that motivates women to take an active role in dating;
2. Hinge is a service focused on long-term relationships rather than one-time dates;
3. Badoo is an analogue of Tinder, more popular in Europe and the CIS;
4. Happn is an app that helps you find a couple among people nearby.

We have already said that there are many unoccupied niches in the dating market. This situation encourages the emergence of highly specialized startups. They include dating for introverts, chatting for yoga lovers, dating for vegans, etc. Niche apps can target specific personality traits, interests, hobbies, or even political beliefs.

Before Tinder, the dating market was largely static and conservative. But the emergence of a new generation of apps has led to massive growth. Business of Apps Research show that over the past five years, its volume has increased by an average of 33% annually, and the number of users has increased by 20 million, or 9.2%, annually. This means that people are paying more and more attention to online dating and are increasingly using paid app services.

The market is still far from saturated. However, having strong players makes it difficult to enter it. Therefore, ASO for dating applications will be no less important than developing, testing and supporting a quality product.

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ASO optimization of dating applications

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So, we came to the conclusion that the market has pronounced specifics and a high level of competition, but it is still far from saturated. Plus, any product on it will be overshadowed by big players like Tinder, Bumble, and Badoo. Therefore, for a successful launch, you will need the clearest and most detailed ASO promotion strategy for dating applications.

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Target audience

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The highest competition is in the “dating for all” segment, where the market giants listed by us operate. To enter it, it will take tens of millions of dollars and several years for the perfect implementation of a creative idea. If you don't have these resources, it's best to start with a narrow niche.

First, decide what the key feature of your app will be. Perhaps you want to create a dating service for tourists? Or a project for jazz music lovers? Maybe your product will be launched in a specific geographic region?

By formulating an idea, you will be able to identify the characteristics that unite your future users. They fall into the following categories:

• demographic — gender and age;
• cultural and religious;
• socio-economic — income, profession, position, status in society;
• psychological — type of character, peculiarities of thinking;
• behavioral — interests, hobbies, etc.
  

And don't forget about the purpose of installing the app! After reading the list of market leaders, you may notice that they have different priorities: dates, friendships, long-term relationships, long-distance communication, etc. Basically, the list goes on and on, but the main point is clear: you are building on your product's audience, which will influence all the features of ASO dating apps.

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Competitor analysis

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More than 8 billion people live on our planet, so it's likely that another developer came up with a similar idea. It is possible that he has already implemented it, so you will not be able to occupy an empty niche alone. That's why ASO for dating apps usually starts with competitor analysis.

To do this, you can use the traditional SWOT matrix, which includes the following components:

S are strengths. Unique features, a loyal audience, large marketing budgets.

W — weaknesses. Vulnerabilities, such as bugs in the app, outdated interface, expensive paid subscriptions, etc.

O — opportunities, in this case missed. Interesting new features and technologies, unoccupied neighboring niches in the market, paid services.

T are threats that you will soon join. The reasons why competitors' businesses may sink: audience outflow to startups, negative market dynamics, etc.

Basically, it's all clear. S is what you will not be able to compete in at the first stages, W and O are your priority areas of activity, and T are risks that you should also consider in your strategy. It also doesn't hurt to assess the dynamics of each competitor's audience to determine your chances of winning this fight.

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Strategy formation

At this stage, you may already have certain hypotheses. For example, we are creating an app for cyclists, we have competitors, but none of them offer a competition feature or a paid subscription to the best walking routes nearby. ASO promotion for the dating segment will be based on these hypotheses.

You need to create the most detailed list of hypotheses during the brainstorming session and describe approximate mechanisms for their implementation. In our example, you can promote competition mechanics as a way to demonstrate your leadership skills or focus on walking as a way to calmly communicate about your hobbies. And most importantly, you need to be prepared for hypotheses to change and be rejected as the strategy is implemented.

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Text optimization

For users to even see your app in search, ASO should start with this methodology. You need to:

1. Collect relevant semantics in your segment.
2. Cluster keywords, highlight low-, medium- and high-frequency queries.
3. To form a semantic core.
4. Analyze competitors' ASO policies and optimization techniques.
5. Write an engaging text with keywords and a call to action.
6. Write meta tags, not forgetting to include your brand name and keys.

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Visual optimization

Naturally, ASO optimization for the dating segment involves creating a beautiful picture. This process includes:

• Developing a logo that will take into account the interests and psychological characteristics of your audience.
• Selection of an attractive color scheme. Traditionally, warm tones like red, pink, and yellow dominate the dating market, but you shouldn't focus on these options.
• Creating icons with concise images that remind you of the interests and characteristics of your target audience.
• A selection of screenshots that demonstrate the user-friendly interface and key features of the application.
• Customize the rotation of visual elements, taking into account seasonality, holidays and marketing campaigns.

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Testing

Each hypothesis should be tested — first within the company, then in a specially designed environment, then in a narrow audience segment, and only then on all users. This approach will help you choose the best development path from the start and reduce the costs associated with errors.

Careful testing results in ASO's strategy for dating apps being changed several times. New keywords and visual elements are selected, calls to action, texts and creatives are modified. Usually, all promotion methods undergo major changes — only in rare cases do they reach production in their original form.

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Moderating reviews

Social proof is a strong motivation to install an app. However, you should be more careful with her. The result of direct promotion is user distrust and the risk of being banned. Therefore, you should rely on the following rules:

• If you're ordering reviews, make them as credible as possible. Feel free to use artificial intelligence.
• Instead of cheating, encourage social validation. Motivate users to leave positive reviews by trying out paid features or bonuses.
• Don't remove negative reactions. Instead, leave meaningful comments to help understand the situation or simply regret that the user did not get the desired result.

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Analytics

This is the key to the success of ASO dating applications. To achieve your goal, you need to understand how effective your methods are and in which direction to move forward. Basic data on the number of views and downloads are provided in the app store admin panel. You can also connect external analytics services to get more information: a breakdown of users by geography, demographics, etc.

Important note: the analytics system should be as automated as possible. This will allow you to make decisions based on data rather than hypotheses, assumptions and intuition.

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findings

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Most startups think of the dating market as a “tasty morsel” that can make huge profits. It has been growing rapidly in recent years, not only extensively but also intensively: on average, users spend more money than before. Its potential is far from being exhausted, especially when it comes to narrow niches.

But don't be fooled by bright prospects — you should always take into account the disadvantages. The competition in the market is very high, and the top players are so strong that you will need hundreds of millions of dollars in investments to simply catch up with them.

Therefore, success in ASO promotion for dating applications is possible only with the right approach and a carefully thought-out strategy. By contacting us, you get high-quality research on your audience, on the basis of which we will create a strategy for promoting your application, taking into account product features, the level of competition and current market realities.