VPN App Promotion
How to Increase Impressions by 88% and Installs by 36% Among 500+ Competitors – 7VPN Case Study
Objective
The goal was to improve the app's visibility and increase the number of installs in target countries
Main Challenge
The VPN niche is oversaturated, with more than 500 competing apps, including strong brands like Nord VPN and Turbo VPN.
Team Actions
Step 1
Analyzing App Features and Competitors
We analyzed the VPN niche, focusing on download and revenue distribution among competitors. This helped us identify priority countries for optimizing text metadata. The team focused on regions with the highest traffic share, including the USA, Saudi Arabia, the UK, UAE, France, and Germany. Although the app already utilized 13 of the 39 available localizations in the App Store, RadASO decided to revise them and add other unused localizations.
Step 2
Keyword Research and Metadata Optimization
The team collected a semantic core based on relevant search queries used by competitors, analyzing their titles, subtitles, and store suggestions.
Step 3
Updating Metadata with Cross-Localizations
Several iterations of metadata updates were made for approved countries using cross-localization to maximize keyword usage. For example, in Spain, four localizations were used simultaneously: English (UK, US), Spanish (Spain), and Catalan.
In Australia, three were used: English (UK, US), and English (Australia).
Interesting: The team decided not to use the brand name "7VPN" in the title but split it as "7 VPN" to include the main keyword "VPN," which connects with more search queries and saves space for other keywords.
- Popularity: Focusing on high and medium-popularity keywords.
- Current metadata: Retaining keywords where the app ranked well and replacing underperforming ones.
- Best position over time: Keeping keywords where the app occasionally ranked high to avoid losing potential traffic.
- Competitors in the top 10: Keywords with more competitors in the top 10 were more relevant.
- Number of apps in search results: Fewer apps in the results indicated a less competitive niche, providing a better chance for higher ranking.
- Conversion (Apple Search Ads data): Targeting less popular keywords with high conversion rates could lead to more downloads.
Step 4
Keyword Research and Metadata Optimization
The team collected a semantic core based on relevant search queries used by competitors, analyzing their titles, subtitles, and store suggestions.
Step 5
Icon and Screenshot Testing
Adding the keyword "VPN" to the app icon would better explain the app's functionality and attract more attention. Multiple new icon versions were created based on this hypothesis.
Showing the app’s main feature — connection to a secure server — in the
first screenshot would increase conversions.
Highlighting the primary user need — unrestricted access to desired content
and games — would resonate better with users. The updated screenshots based
on these hypotheses resulted. In an average 3% improvement in conversion.
Step 6
Final Results and A/B Testing
After conducting several A/B/C/D tests on icons and A/B/B tests on screenshots, the best-performing variants were implemented.
Promotion Results
The number of app positions in the top 1-50 rankings increased significantly, boosting the app's visibility in countries with updated metadata. This also led to more downloads
Impressions and Installs Growth
Comparing impressions and installs in target countries over two months before and after the first release showed
that, after two months of ASO work, organic impressions grew by 88%, and installs increased by 33%.
Conclusion
Thanks to detailed niche analysis, a systematic approach to text metadata preparation, and testing of graphical elements, the team achieved significant results in the selected countries, expanding the app's user base. After the ASO work, the app’s visibility nearly doubled, and installs grew by a third. Creative testing showed conversion improvements of 2-3% with each iteration.