In the competitive world of VPN apps, standing out from the hundreds of similar services is a real challenge. However, 7VPN has achieved results by increasing impressions and downloads due to the effectiveness of text and image ASO. In this article, the RadASO team explains what strategies and approaches allowed 7VPN to outperform more than 500 competitors and take a leading position in the market
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7VPN is a VPN application designed for secure and confidential internet browsing. The app allows you to connect to servers in 60+ countries, add your own servers to a connection, block online ads, and check your connection speed in real time.
Increase the app’s visibility and boost the number of installs in target countries.
An extremely competitive niche with more than 500 apps, including strong brands such as Nord VPN, Turbo VPN, and others.
Step 1. Analyze app functions and gather relevant competitors.
Step 2. Based on the analysis of the niche, particularly the total number of downloads and competitors’ profits, the team identified priority countries for optimizing text metadata.
The team focused on the regions with the largest traffic share, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, France, and Germany.
Before that, the app had already used 13 of the 39 available localizations in the App Store, but the RadASO team decided to rework them and expand the plan with other localizations.
Step 3. Gather the semantic core from relevant search terms by which competitors are ranked, their titles and subtitles, as well as search suggestions from the store:
Step 4. Several iterations of updating metadata for approved countries using cross-localization. This allowed the team to use the largest possible number of key search terms.
For example, in Spain, there are 4 localizations used at the same time: English (UK, US), Spanish (Spain), and Catalan, and 3 in Australia – English (UK, US) and English (Australia). For more information on the list, follow the link.
Noteworthy. The team decided not to use the original brand name “7VPN” in the title, but to separate “7 VPN” with a space. This is necessary in order to use the main keyword “VPN”, which forms connections with several search terms and saves space for other keywords.
Based on the following metrics, the RadASO team made conclusions about prioritizing the metadata inclusion of a particular search term:
Step 5. Testing graphic elements to increase conversion to downloads. To perform this, the RadASO team uses the CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) Loop strategy:
Step 6. Analyzing the app’s icon and screenshots for further improvement. Before testing, the graphic looked like this:
Hypothesis #1. The image of the keyword “VPN” on the app icon will explain its functionality and attract more users’ attention.
Based on the hypothesis, several new variants of the icon were created:
The testing results proved that the icon with VPN at the bottom showed a 1.83% improvement in conversion compared to the current icon and other test variants:
Note. A/B/C/D testing is an ideal solution to determine the best icon variant in one test. *The built-in testing tool in the App Store allows for testing up to three creative variations against the default page simultaneously. In this case, A is the default page, and B/C/D are the test variations. They were tested simultaneously, with variant B performing the best.
Hypothesis #2. The first screenshot demonstrates the main advantage of the app – the connection to a secure server.
Hypothesis #3. Demonstration of the main need and benefit for users – seamless access to the desired content and games.
Screenshots that are based on two hypotheses:
According to the test results, the new screenshots showed an average conversion rate improvement of 3%:
Note. Variants B and B’ are identical versions of the test screenshots. The team performed A/B/B testing.
The number of positions in the 1-50 range has increased:
As a result of the new positions, we see an increase in the app’s visibility in countries with updated metadata:
The number of downloads has also increased:
Comparing the number of impressions and installs in the target countries during the 2 months before and after the first release, we can see an increase in these indicators. In just two months of working on ASO, the organic impressions in the targeted countries increased by 88% and installs by 33%:
Due to a detailed niche analysis, a consistent process of preparing textual metadata, and testing graphical elements, the team has achieved results in the selected countries and significantly expanded the app's user base.
As a result, the app’s visibility has almost doubled after the ASO work, and installs have increased by a third. Testing of creatives showed an improvement in conversion by 2-3% in each iteration.
Promoting yourself in the VPN software market is quite a hard challenge. From the very beginning, our client demonstrated a high level of professionalism and understood the importance of optimization. The client’s team was actively involved at all stages, open to new ideas, and fast to respond to our suggestions and comments.
The cooperation was extremely productive. Due to the well-coordinated work of the RadASO and 7VPN teams, we have achieved significant results – an increase in the views and downloads. I am grateful to the 7VPN team for their trust and cooperation.
