Nope, app developers don’t get off the hook when it comes to search engine optimization.

More than 70% of app downloads come from searches within the Apple App Store and Google Play, according to Gummicube, a provider of software, data and services for mobile marketing and app store optimization. This means that visibility within app store search is critical to finding a consumer audience in the mobile market.

So, just as it is important to rank in Google search results on the web and mobile web in order for your brand to get noticed, app teams also need to employ SEO and other tactics to get discovered in app stores. That means app developers and others need to pay attention to the details that move them up in app store results, says David Bell, CEO of Gummicube,

Since app store search is an essential component to mobile app success, Mobile Strategies 360 is working with Gummicube on a custom monthly analysis of search terms and top-ranking apps in app stores based on various app categories.

Gummicube’s Datacube software tracks the apps, features and search terms that are trending in every category of the App Store and Google Play globally.  Datacube not only examines current trends but also long-term statistical data related to user app store behavior, trends and search.

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Late last month Gummicube tracked apps in the new Shopping category in the Apple App Store for the Mobile Strategies 360/Gummicube Monthly App Store Search Index. The app category will change each month.

We chose shopping partially because it was the cusp of the holiday shopping season and also because the Apple App Store just created a separate category for shopping last month. Prior to November, Apple put shopping apps in the lifestyle category, mixed in with apps that help you find apartments, track your pregnancy and chronicle your life events in a mobile journal. We wanted to see what consumers were searching in the brand new Apple App Store shopping category.

Top search terms in app stores in the Shopping category as analyzed in late November include Shopping List, Cash Back, Apple Watch and Black Friday.

Within the Shopping app category, consumers were also seeking shopping apps with specific features, such as discounts, daily deals, shopping deals and coupons. “During the holiday season, these features are becoming increasingly popular as users are looking to save the most money,” Bell says.

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Shopping lists is also a trending shopping app feature. Such apps feature a combination of apps centered on grocery lists, diet-specific shopping lists and gift lists to help shoppers with their spending during the holiday season, Bell says.

Top Apple App Store Shopping category app search terms: Nov. 29:

1. Shopping List

2. Cash Back

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3. Apple Watch

4. Black Friday

5. Weekly Ads

6. Save Money

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7. Barcode Scanner

8. Gift Cards

9. Discount Calculator

10. Apple Pay

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Apple Watch and Apple Pay are also trending terms. This fact, Bell says, suggests shopping apps compatible with new Apple technology tend to receive a greater portion of downloads, Bell says.

The following shopping apps ranked highest on average in shopping category search results:

1. Amazon App

2. Wish

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3. RetailMeNot

4. Walmart App

5. eBay

6. Walgreens

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7. Apple Store

8. OfferUp

9. Groupon

10. Kohl’s

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11. Carwheel by Target

12. Macy’s

13. Target

14. AliExpress

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15. Ibotta

16. Shopkick

17. Best Buy

18. Sephora to Go

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19. Shopular Coupons

20. JCPenney

21. Geek

22. Etsy

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23. Poshmark

24. Mercari

25. Ebates

26. 5miles

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27. The Yub

28. Fancy

29. Retale

30. CVS Pharmacy

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When thinking about SEO for apps, it is important to note app store SEO a different animal than web SEO, Bell says. For one, consumers search differently in app stores than they do on the web.  “What is trending on the web is not necessarily trending in the app stores,” he says.  “As we see from app store search (around the holidays), people really wanted daily deals, Black Friday apps and other things that you use on demand on your device.”

Setting up and maintaining app store SEO also is different from the web, Bell says. In the Apple App Store, there are three key sources of metadata that developers control that are used in search rankings and results: app keywords (up to 100 characters), title (up to 255 characters) and description.  In Google Play, these sources are: title (up to 30 characters), short description and long description.  Android does not have a set keyword field for the descriptions.

The Apple App Store indexes the app title, keywords and then description, in that order of priority, to determine search rankings, Bell says. Its algorithm understands not only the individual keywords that but also the phrases that are also associated with those individual words.  Apple then looks at the rate of consumers tapping into a particular app in search results to determine if an app moved up or down in rankings for specific keywords and terms.

Google Play indexes the app title, short description and description, in that order of priority.  Its algorithm actually reads the text and assigns an app keywords based on the description and the rate at which consumers tap into a particular app for each keyword or phrase.

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It is important to be consistent with terms across all the metadata fields the app stores look at as well as app design, Bell notes.  “If you are a travel app targeting the keyword term “summer vacations” make sure that this phrase carries through into your other metadata and creative to maximize conversion,” Bell says. “Don’t present pictures of Alaska cruises.” He also says it is important for brands to keep an eye on everything they rank for—not just the individual keywords and phrases that they are targeting.  “This gives you clues as to how the stores merchandise your app and what is or is not working,” Bell says.

Digging deeper into shopping apps with specific features Gummicube analysis finds:

Top Shopping apps for the search term discounts:

1. RetailMeNot

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2. Groupon

3. Shopkick

4. Discount Calculator With Shopping List, Coupons…

5. Slickdeals

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6. OnSale

7. RoverTown Student Discounts for College

8. Black Friday 2015 by Slickdeals

9. TUN Student Discounts

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10. College Discounts

Top Shopping apps for the search term daily deals:

1. Deal Drop

2. Ebates

3. Saviry

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4. Apps Gone Free

5. Wootstar

6. Overstock

7. Jane

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8. iPromocodes

9. AnyCodes

10. Daily Shopper

Top Shopping apps for the search term shopping deals:

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1. Shopular Coupons

2. Black Friday 2015

3. RetailMeNot

4. Saviry

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5. Shopkick

6. DealCatcher

7. Flipp

8. Wish

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9. Ebates

10. Groupon

Top Shopping apps for the search term coupons:

1. Shopular Coupons

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2. Coupons & Coupon Codes

3. RetailMeNot

4. The Coupons App

5. Coupon Sherpa

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6. Krazy Coupon Lady

7. Ibotta

8. Grocery Pal

9. Checkout 51

10. Ebates

Top Shopping apps for the search term lists:

1. Shopping List (Grocery List)

2. Shipping List Free (Grocery List)

3. Free Shopping List Ease

4. AnyList

5. Grocery Pal

6. Shopper

7. Grocery Shopping List Free

8. Best Shopping List Free

9. Shopping To-Do Pro (Grocery List)

10. The Christmas Gift List Free

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