A

A/B test

An A/B test is a marketing term used to compare different versions of an element or feature in an app. In an A/B test, two variants (A and B) are created, with each variant having a specific change. This change can be, for example, a different color for a button, a different layout for a page or an alternative text for a notification.

The purpose of an A/B test is to find out which variant works better and leads to a desired result, such as higher app installs, more interactions, or longer usage time. To find out, the two variants are delivered to different user groups and the performance is measured.

By comparing the results, it is possible to determine which variant performs better and which change is more effective. This allows developers to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve the app to meet marketing goals. A/B testing is thus an important step in the app marketing process to evaluate the effectiveness of changes and optimize the user experience.

App Install

An App Install is the action where a user downloads an app and installs it on their smartphone or tablet in order to use it.

App developers and marketers use this metric to measure the success of their campaigns, track the growth of their user base, and evaluate ROI (return on investment).

App Install Ads

App Install Ads are ads that are specifically designed to get users to install a particular app. These ads are placed on various channels and platforms to increase the visibility of the app and target potential users.

Ad Impression

In the context of digital marketing, ad impressions are used to measure the success and reach of advertising campaigns. Each time an ad is displayed, this is counted as one impression. This can be done on various platforms, such as websites, social media, mobile apps, or search engine results.

Ad Network

In the context of app marketing, an “ad network” refers to a platform or service that enables advertisers to serve ads in various mobile apps. Ad networks act as an intermediary between advertisers and app developers by collecting ad inventory from apps and making it available to advertisers.

Android

Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and smartwatches developed by Google. It is the most widely used mobile operating system and is based on the Linux kernel.

App icon

An app icon is the visual identifier of an app and is used to quickly identify it on the home screen or in the App Store.

The design of the app icon is important because it influences the first impression a user has about your app. An attractive and well-designed icon can help the app stand out, look professional, and capture users’ interest. It should visually represent the essence and purpose of the app and convey a clear message.

App Title

The App Title is the official name under which the app is listed in the Google Play Store. You should note that the title is limited to 30 characters. It is important that the title is concise, clear and meaningful to make the app distinguishable from others in the store and appeal to potential users. A clear and understandable name can improve the visibility and discoverability of the app in the store.

App Store

An App Store is a digital platform where users can find and install mobile applications (apps) for their smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices. The App Store offers a collection of apps organized into categories that cover various functionalities, games, utilities, and other applications. It is a central marketplace that allows developers to make their apps available to a large audience of users and provides an easy way for users to discover and install new apps on their devices.

Apple Search Ads (ASA)

Apple Search Ads allows developers to create targeted ad campaigns that target specific keywords, locations, and audiences. The ads are displayed either above the organic search results (Search Results), in the Today Tab (Today Tab Campaign), in the Search Tab (Search Tab Campaign) or at the bottom of the detail page of an app (Product Page Campaign) and are marked with the note “Ad”.

ARPU – Average Revenue per User

ARPU stands for “Average Revenue Per User” and is a metric used in app marketing and mobile marketing. ARPU indicates the average sales or revenue per user.

To calculate ARPU, total revenue or total income is divided by the number of active users within a given period. This key figure provides information on how much revenue a company generates per user.

ASO – App Store Optimization

ASO stands for “App Store Optimization” and refers to the process of optimizing apps to improve their visibility and discoverability in app stores. The goal of ASO is to increase app rankings in search results, attract more qualified users, and increase the number of app installs.

B

Bid

In app marketing campaigns, the term “bid” refers to the amount of money an advertiser is willing to pay to place or deliver their ads. The bid determines how much the advertiser wants to pay per click, impression or other defined actions.

C

Churn rate

Churn rate is the percentage of users who uninstall or stop interacting with an app over time. The churn rate can also be used synonymously with abandonment rate. In some cases, it may also mean that users cancel a subscription.

Cohort

In mobile marketing, a “cohort” is a group of users grouped together based on a common identifier, such as a specific geographic location. However, it can also be users who have installed an app within the same period of time. Cohort analysis takes these groups and uses them to analyze user data. This allows to compare one group or cohort to another and gain insight into user behavior.

CPM – Cost per Mille

“CPM” or “Cost per Mille” is the price per 1000 impressions of an in-app ad. CPM offers mobile app publishers and developers an effective way to generate additional revenue by billing advertisers for a certain number of impressions.

CPI – Cost per Install

“Cost per Install” (CPI) is a metric that measures the price a company pays to acquire a new user via paid ads. The CPI is calculated by dividing the advertising spend (over a given period of time) by the number of new downloads during that period. The average cost per install can vary by country, platform, and ad.

CPA – Cost per Acquisition

The term “cost per acquisition” (CPA) refers to the cost of acquiring new users who download and install an app as part of a campaign. App developers and marketers use CPA to measure the effectiveness of their marketing activities in terms of user acquisition and to calculate the cost-effectiveness of different marketing channels and campaigns. The metric is calculated by dividing the total cost of a marketing campaign by the number of new customers or users acquired through that campaign.

CPT – Cost per Tap

“CPT” or “Cost-Per-Tap” is Apple’s version of CPC or Cost Per Click. It is calculated by dividing the total spend by the number of taps an ad has received. This metric indicates how much money is spent per actual tap on an ad, similar to the CPC metric but specific to Apple Search Ads.

CPC – Cost per Click

“Cost per Click” (CPC) measures the average cost an advertiser pays for each click on their ad. It is an important metric that indicates how much budget is spent for each click on an ad.

CPP – Custom Product Page

“Custom Product Pages” are a feature of Apple that allows developers to create specific product pages for their apps in the App Store. Developers can use customized graphics and texts. Users can be addressed individually with special offers and value propositions.

CSL – Custom Store Listing

“Custom Store Listings” is a feature of Google Play that allows you to customize the app store listings of Android apps to specific user groups. Developers can create different product pages for their app by uploading specific graphics and text. This feature allows developers to target potential users differently in different countries by using special offers and value propositions.

D

Description

The “App Description” is the text in the App Store listing that explains what the app is about and why people should download it. It’s a factor that Apple and Google take into account when ranking apps in app stores – along with ratings, reviews, and the number of downloads.

DAU – Daily Active Users

“Daily Active Users” (DAU) are users who use your app or platform on a daily basis. The metric tells you how often users interact with your product. Rising DAU numbers are often an indicator of growing user interest and an effective app strategy.

DAU / MAU Ratio

The DAU/MAU ratio (Daily Active Users to Monthly Active Users ratio) is a popular metric for measuring user engagement and indicates how often users interact with your app. The ratio gives you an insight into how many daily active users you have compared to your monthly users. In app marketing, it’s also said to measure the “stickiness” of your app.

E

eCPI – Effective Cost per Install

The “eCPI” is a metric that reveals your effective cost per install, i.e. how much it costs to get a new user to install an app. eCPI is closely related to “CPI” (Cost per Install), but also takes organic traffic into account. It shows how effective your marketing costs are in terms of app installs, taking into account organic factors that contribute to user acquisition.

eCPA – Effective Cost per Acquisition

“Effective Cost per Acquisition” (eCPA) considers organic and paid acquisitions and thus represents the effective costs for app developers.

Engagement Rate

The “engagement rate” is an indicator of how well your app meets users’ expectations after they have downloaded and used the app. It represents the average number of interactions the app receives per user. It mainly shows how active and satisfied users are with your app – that means the higher the engagement rate, the stronger the users’ attachment to the app.

F

Feature Graphic

“Feature Graphics” are images that highlight Android apps on Google Play and are the header of your App Profile Page. Although they are not mandatory, they are highly recommended as they are required for an outstanding placement on Google Play. They show potential users what your brand stands for and add an appealing visual component. This allows you to draw the attention of users specifically to your app.

G

Google Play

Google Play is the official app store for Android devices. There you can discover a huge selection of Android apps, games, movies, books, and more. Google Play offers app developers a comprehensive platform for app marketing to make their apps accessible to a broad user base. With effective App Store Optimization (ASO) and targeted advertising campaigns, developers can make their apps stand out in the Google Play Store and reach more users.

H

Huawei App Galery

The “HUAWEI App Gallery” is the official Android App Store of HUAWEI. Here you can find a diverse selection of apps you love and conveniently download them to your HUAWEI smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

I

IAE – In-App Event

“In-app events” are special events within apps that occur for a limited time. This can include everything from games and contests to movie screenings or live streaming experiences. These events are highlighted in the Apple App Store to help developers promote them. This means that users can discover these special events directly in the App Store on their iOS and iPadOS devices. It is a way to draw attention to exciting events in your app and attract more users.

IAP – In-App Purchase

An “In-App Purchase” (IAP) refers to additional content, items or services that users can purchase within an app. Before installing an app, users often see the message “In-App Purchases” next to the “Download” button for free apps or the price button for paid apps. This message indicates that users have the option to purchase additional features, content or services within the app.

K

Keyword

“Keywords” in app marketing are specific words or phrases used to increase an app’s visibility in the app stores. Developers carefully select keywords based on the search habits of potential users. They incorporate these words into the app description and metadata to ensure their app appears in search results. Effective keyword management is critical to the app’s success, as it helps attract more qualified users and improves App Store Optimization (ASO).

L

LAT – Limit Ad Tracking

“Limit Ad Tracking” (LAT) is a feature on iOS devices that allows users to opt-out of personalized advertising. This feature has been available on Apple’s iOS devices since iOS 10 in 2016 and prevents app developers and marketers from tracking their device-specific advertising ID (IDFA). This gives users more control over the type of ads they see on their iOS devices.

M

MAU – Monthly Active Users

“Monthly Active Users” (MAU) is an app usage metric that tracks the total number of users within a 30-day period. MAU helps app developers understand the popularity of their app. Unlike Daily Active Users (DAU), MAU is often used by apps that are used less frequently, such as travel or finance apps. The MAU metric provides valuable insights into user engagement and app usage over time. It shows how effective your marketing efforts are and how well users engage with your app over the long term.

N

Negative Reviews

“Negative reviews” are app store reviews that include a low star rating and critical comments for an app. If an app has many negative reviews and a low overall rating, this will negatively affect its ASO ranking. Negative reviews usually arise due to a poor user experience or problems with the app. They can scare off potential users and negatively affect trust in the app. Therefore, it is important to respond to negative reviews, improve the user experience and protect the app’s image.

O

Organic Installs

“Organic Installs” are App Installs that occur without paid advertising or paid campaigns. These installations happen when users find and download the app on their own, usually due to recommendations, good ASO rankings, or the general popularity of the app. They are especially valuable to app developers because they are based on genuine interest in the app. Those users tend to rate the app positively and actively use it.

Organic User

“Organic users” are users who find and install an app organically – all without the support of paid marketing activities. These users usually discover the app through recommendations from friends, good ASO rankings, or because of the app’s good reputation. They are often especially valuable because they have a strong attachment to the app and tend to stay active for a longer time.

Organic Uplift

“Organic Uplift” (also known as “Organic Multiplier”) is a metric that represents the relationship between organic and paid/non-organic installs.

It helps you understand how many additional organic app installs are coming from your paid marketing efforts. In other words, it shows you how much paid actions help attract users.

P

Positive reviews

Positive app reviews and ratings are critical to success in the app world. They attract more users, increase the visibility and credibility of the app, which in turn leads to more downloads and higher revenues.

Paywall

A “paywall” is a digital barrier that restricts access to app content and requires payment or a paid subscription. It is used to monetize content by denying users full or partial access until they pay for it. Paywalls are an important strategy for monetizing mobile apps, as they allow premium content or features to be offered in exchange for payment.

Paid Installs

A “paid install” of an app is when users download and install the app on their device after becoming aware of it because they saw advertisements. These ads can be placed on various platforms, such as Apple Search Ads, Facebook Ads or Google Ads.

A “Paid Install” does not happen because users have found the app by chance, but because the company has paid for advertising to make the app more popular and to get users to download it. Measuring “Paid Installs” is important to monitor the success of advertising campaigns and see if ad spend is effective.

Paid User

A “Paid User” of an app is someone who has downloaded and installed the app after becoming aware of the app through targeted paid marketing activities such as Apple Search Ads, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, or other advertising campaigns. In the industry, new users who download the app in this way are often referred to as “paid installs”.

R

ROAS – Return on Advertising Spend

Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) refers to how much revenue you earn for every Euro/Dollar spent in an advertising campaign. This is a metric that helps you understand which campaigns and ads are working (and which aren’t) by measuring how much revenue was generated compared to budget. ROAS is usually expressed as a ratio, and the higher this ratio is, the better the campaign has performed.

Retention Rates

The “retention rate” indicates the percentage of users who are still using an app after a certain number of days after they have installed the app. This app metric is typically measured 1 day, 7 days, or 30 days after the initial installation.

S

Screenshots

App Store screenshots are the most important visual element on the App Store product page. When users arrive at the product page, screenshots usually attract the most attention due to their visual nature and large amount of page space. Well designed screenshots can increase conversion rates by encouraging users to engage further with the app and download it.

Search Term

Apple Search Ads uses automatic matching to relate your ads to relevant search terms – based on your app’s metadata and other factors. This means that Apple will try to display your ads in search results when users search for terms that might be related to your app.

T

TTR – Tap Through Rate

“Tap-through rate” (TTR) is one of the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring the effectiveness of Apple Search Ads campaigns. It indicates how often users tap on your ASA ads in the App Store, divided by the total number of impressions.

A high TTR means that the ad is relevant and appealing to the target audience. On the other hand, a low TTR indicates that the ad may not be relevant to the target audience or that the ad needs to be improved (e.g. with CPPs).

U

UA – User Acquisition

User acquisition refers to the process of attracting new users to a mobile app or reactivating existing users through various marketing activities. Typically, new app installs occur through a combination of paid advertising, organic traffic, and App Store Optimization (ASO). The ultimate goal of User Acquisition is to acquire users at a cost that is less than the typical Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) or Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).

V

Visibility

App Visibility is the likelihood that an app will be displayed to potential users searching an App Store. Taking the highest positions in the top charts and category rankings are a few of the most desirable increases in visibility. Properly executed App Store Optimization (ASO) is the foundation for good app visibility.