LiveIn vs Locket Widget: How to Promote Widget Apps?
In this article, we’ll explore how to promote widget apps on the example of competitors LiveIn and Locket Widget. LiveIn – LivePic Widget app appeared in the app stores at the end of January. Already in April it was in the top 10 free apps in the US App Store and took first place in the Social Networking category. Let’s see how it competes for the top positions.
What is the right way to borrow an idea?
LiveIn’s main competitor is the Locket Widget app. It was its idea that was taken as the basis. It appeared on New Year’s Eve and instantly became viral. Already in the middle of January, it had over 2 million registered users. The idea of a private social network, where you can send and receive personal photos from your significant ones directly to your phone screen, unexpectedly proved popular. The app was originally made by the author as a way to stay in touch with his girlfriend in a long-distance relationship.
LiveIn follows the principle of “Steal like an artist”. They take the concept as a basis, but complicate it and scale it up. You can not only send photos but also drawings. The widget can show photos of several people at the same time. And you can share photos with your friends and other users of the app. This is a full-fledged social network.
Graphically, the application pages are similar. Both icons are in familiar colors and use the same composition. The beginning of the full descriptions is also almost identical. Only at the end of the text are the main differences between the apps stated.
LiveIn: LiveIn is also a fun place where you can meet new friends around the world! In the ‘world’ tab under ‘Moments’, you can see photos & drawings posted by users around the globe! You can also follow others to start a new friendship!
Locket Widget: Locket is just for your closest friends. It’s perfect for your best friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, and families. To keep things friendly, you can only add up to 5 friends on the app.
Locket Widget went viral due to TitTok. They started with videos showing the functionality of the app. Users picked up the idea and shared how they used the widget with their significant ones. They also released their own track in TitTok, which also began to be actively used. You too can use UGC (User Generated Content) to promote your widget.
Organic promotion: the intersection of semantics
The analytics show that the two apps have about the same amount of semantic core. Locket Widget is indexed by 1,056 keywords, and LiveIn by 960. But the second app made a huge leap in a month: it got indexed by 759 keywords at once. Its semantics are expanding at a faster pace. LiveIn overlaps with Locket Widget on almost 65% of the keywords.
LiveIn’s Search Visibility Index is also higher, at 77% vs. 69%. This means that the app is easier to find by keywords. Let’s take a look at the keywords for which the app ranks highly (and what their popularity index is (from 1 to 99).
Some LiveIn app keywords from the top 3: livepic (56), app (53), apps (52), free apps (45), live widgets (38), top apps (37), free apps for iphone (36), widget pictures (24), top free apps (19).
Some Locket Widget application keywords from the top 3: locket (73), locket widget (55), widget photo (51), picture widget (32), widget pictures (24), live widgets (38), widget photo (31), photo widget, memories (20).
We can see that the popularity of Locket Widget branded queries is higher. LiveIn – LivePic Widget is only in the seventh position by the keyword ‘locket widget’.
LiveIn – LivePic Widget is worth improving positions for popular keywords and continues to expand the semantic core. To do this, there are all the possibilities. The app does not use indexable text elements to the maximum. ASO (App Store Optimization) of the LiveIn page can be improved.
Along with the title, the subtitle has a major impact on ranking. The LiveIn app doesn’t use keywords in its subtitle (‘Share your moment’). Locket Widget has a more effective subtitle – ‘Live pics from friends’. No wonder the app has such a good position for the Livepic keyword – second place. By the way, the App Store indexes both singular and plural English-language keywords at once.
Use the most relevant keywords in the title and subtitle. You have 30 characters to do this. Work iteratively. You will usually see the result the next day after the update on the App Store. On Google Play you will have to wait longer – about a week.
More about the nuances of indexing in the app stores we wrote in this article. And watch a basic video about how indexing works.
Is it worth using branded keywords for promotion?
If you’re openly competing with someone, you can’t list their brand in your metadata. Google Play reviewers can ban your app (a very rare possibility, but still). In turn, the App Store can remove specific keywords. Plus, your competitor could also file a complaint. But there are several workarounds.
- You can enter keywords into the App Store’s invisible metadata (keyword field).
- Black Hat ASO managers often enter branded keywords in reviews, developer name, or promoted IAP titles in the App Store. But this can take a toll on your reputation; it’s best to think twice.
Related posts
👉 How to Promote an App for Free?
👉 The App Store and Google Play Ranking Factors and How to Hack Them
👉 7 Simple Steps to Rank Higher in Store Search Results
P.S.
Watch out for apps that are gaining popularity and don’t be afraid of the competition. Any idea can be reinvented. Often user feedback can be a clue – study what features they ask for, what they complain about. From that, another concept can grow potentially more popular. This is what happened with the LiveIn app. By the way, the widgets we discussed above took off in the United States, in other countries they have not yet been localized. This is a chance to adapt ideas for other locales.
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