App Store Optimisation (ASO) is the work of making an app easier to discover and easier to understand on its store page.

It is not a guaranteed ranking formula. Apple and Google both describe multiple factors that affect discovery, and search results can vary by query, market, device and user behaviour. Treat advice that promises a fixed ranking boost from a keyword trick as speculation.

The reliable work is more practical: describe the app accurately, choose relevant metadata, present the product clearly, localise where appropriate and measure what happens after people see the listing.

1. Understand the two stores separately

Apple's App Store search documentation describes text relevance—including the app name, subtitle, keywords and primary category—alongside customer behaviour such as downloads, ratings and reviews.

Google Play says search considers factors including app titles, developer names and descriptions. Google also recommends a complete, policy-compliant listing that helps people understand the app.

These systems are not identical. Do not copy an Apple keyword strategy directly into Google Play or assume that one metadata field has the same effect on both platforms.

Official references: Apple App Store search · Google Play search discovery

2. Write metadata for relevance, not keyword density

Start with the user problem and the words a real person would use to find a solution.

For each store, prepare a short list of:

  • the app's primary purpose;
  • the audience it serves;
  • the main task it helps someone complete;
  • specific features that distinguish it;
  • terms that accurately describe those features.

Use those terms naturally in the fields each store provides. Avoid competitor names, irrelevant keywords, repeated phrases and claims the app cannot support.

Apple App Store

Apple provides a dedicated keyword field with a 100-character limit. Its guidance recommends specific, relevant terms and avoiding duplicates already present in the app name, subtitle or category. The product page also includes the app name, subtitle, description, screenshots and category.

Choose the primary category carefully: it helps people browse and filter the store, and Apple says it should accurately reflect the app. Do not select an unrelated category simply because it appears more popular.

Google Play

Google Play's listing uses the app title, short description, full description and visual assets. Keep the title focused and make the short description explain the app's main value. Use the full description to describe real functionality in readable language, not as a block of repeated search terms.

Check the current character limits and store listing policies in Play Console before submission; platform rules can change.

Official references: Apple product page guidance · Google Play store listing best practices

3. Treat screenshots as part of the product explanation

Screenshots should show the real app interface and communicate the most important user benefits.

A useful sequence is:

  1. the primary task the app helps complete;
  2. the most distinctive feature;
  3. a key supporting workflow;
  4. a useful result or outcome.

Avoid mock interfaces that do not match the shipped app, misleading device frames or text that promises unavailable features. Apple notes that the first screenshots can appear in search results, so the opening images should explain the app without requiring a tap.

4. Localise the listing when the product is ready

Localisation is more than translating a title. Review the terminology, screenshots, description and keywords for each market you intend to serve.

Do not create many near-identical localised listings without the language support and customer experience to justify them. Start with markets where you can support the product and respond to users.

5. Use experiments instead of guesses

Google Play Console supports store listing experiments that compare variants of graphics and text against the current listing. Review the experiment's target metric, audience, confidence and results before adopting a change.

Apple provides product page optimisation tools for testing product page elements such as icons, screenshots and app previews.

Change one meaningful element at a time where possible. Record the hypothesis, audience, dates and result. A test that does not collect enough data is inconclusive; it is not evidence that either variant won.

Official references: Google Play store listing experiments · Apple product page optimisation

6. Ratings, reviews and product quality

Ratings and reviews can influence how people perceive an app and can be among the signals described in store discovery guidance. The correct response is to build a reliable product and make it easy for users to give honest feedback.

Do not buy reviews, gate functionality behind positive ratings or pressure users to leave a particular score. Respond to recurring feedback by fixing the underlying issue.

Monitor crashes, app quality, uninstall patterns and support requests alongside store conversion. More impressions are not useful if the app does not meet the expectation created by its listing.

7. Measure the whole funnel

Track the journey from store visibility to a successful first session:

  • store impressions and product-page views;
  • product-page conversion or install rate;
  • installs and first opens;
  • onboarding completion;
  • retention and meaningful feature use;
  • crashes, refunds and negative feedback.

Use the reporting available in App Store Connect and Play Console. Compare like-for-like markets and date ranges, and account for paid campaigns or major product changes.

A practical ASO checklist

  • [ ] The title and description accurately explain the app.
  • [ ] Keywords match the product and the language users actually use.
  • [ ] The primary category is accurate.
  • [ ] Screenshots show the current shipped interface.
  • [ ] Localised listings are supported by a localised product experience.
  • [ ] Store experiments have a defined hypothesis and success metric.
  • [ ] Ratings and reviews are requested in a policy-compliant way.
  • [ ] Store conversion is reviewed alongside app quality and retention.

ASO is ongoing product communication, not an algorithm hack. Make the listing accurate, test changes carefully and improve the app that users receive after they install it.

Further reading