App Store Optimization (ASO) Basics: Get Your App Found and Downloaded

App Store Optimization basics: keywords, title, icon, screenshots, ratings and localization for the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Publishing an app is not the same as getting it discovered. Most downloads begin with a search inside the Apple App Store or Google Play, or with a browse through a store listing someone lands on. App Store Optimization — ASO — is the practice of improving that listing so it ranks for the right searches and persuades visitors to install. It is the mobile equivalent of SEO plus conversion optimisation, and it costs far less than paid acquisition. This guide covers the fundamentals for both stores.

Key takeaways

• ASO has two jobs: visibility (ranking for relevant searches) and conversion (turning listing views into installs).
• Title, subtitle/short description and keywords drive ranking; icon, screenshots and ratings drive conversion.
• Apple and Google index metadata differently — optimise for each store separately.
• Ratings, reviews and update frequency are signals of quality for both users and algorithms.
• Measure, change one thing at a time and keep iterating; ASO is ongoing.

How people find apps

Users discover apps through store search, charts and featured lists, recommendations, web search results and referrals. Search is typically the largest source for most apps, which makes your listing text and creative the foundation of organic growth.

The ASO cycle

• Research — Find the phrases your audience searches and study competitors.
• Optimise — Update metadata and creative assets.
• Launch changes — Publish with a clear hypothesis.
• Measure — Track impressions, page views, installs and rankings.
• Iterate — Keep what works; test the next idea.

Visibility: metadata that ranks

Where keywords go on each store

Limits and indexing rules change; always check each store’s current guidelines.

Choosing keywords

• Start with what your users would type to solve the problem, not your internal feature names.
• Balance popularity with competition: very broad terms are crowded; specific phrases convert better.
• Put your most important phrase in the title, and do not repeat words across fields on Apple — repetition wastes space.
• Use natural language on Google Play; keyword stuffing is penalised and hurts conversion.
• Re-check keywords every few months as trends and competitors shift.

Conversion: make the listing persuasive

Creative assets checklist

• Icon: simple, distinctive, readable at small sizes and consistent with your brand
• Screenshots: show benefits, not just screens — use short captions on the first two or three
• Preview video: a short demo of the core value in the first few seconds
• Description: lead with the main benefit; use short paragraphs and bullet points
• Social proof: awards, press and ratings highlighted truthfully
• Localised assets for your main markets

Ratings and reviews

Ratings influence both rankings and trust. Ask for a rating at a moment of success — after a task is completed, not on first launch — using the platform’s native prompt, and never incentivise or gate reviews in ways the stores forbid. Reply to reviews, especially negative ones: a prompt, courteous answer shows prospective users you care, and fixing the problems they raise improves your rating over time.

• Fix crashes and recurring complaints quickly; they are the fastest way to lift ratings.
• Reply publicly and professionally to criticism.
• Keep a stable, secure app — see our mobile app security checklist.
• Release updates regularly with meaningful notes.

Localisation and experiments

Translating your listing and adapting screenshots for key markets can lift visibility and installs substantially, because users search in their own language. Both stores offer ways to test listing variations; change one element at a time, run tests long enough to be meaningful and keep notes of what you learn.

Metrics to watch

Begin before launch

Research keywords and competitors while you build, plan your screenshots as part of design and prepare localisation early. Validating demand first — as in how to validate an app idea — tells you which phrases and benefits matter. ASO fits the launch stage of the mobile app development process.

Want an app that is built to be discovered, not just published? We plan store listings, creative and launch alongside development. Plan your app launch